Re: (TFT) Guns and Armour Penetration.

["Charles Gadda" <cgadda@earthlink.net>]

> There are severe problems with a "KE per square cm of cross-section"
> analysis. As Frank Chadwick pointed out in Fire Fusion and Steel, the
German
> 20mm has a higher KE/cm^2 figure than the 75 long (IIRC)! Kinetic energy
> appears to be the most relevant measure of penetration with modern
firearms,
> though penetrator design is critical as well (long, thin metal penetrators
> seem particularly > effective). I have no idea if this holds true for
small
> arms, but it is very true for large penetrators.

I have never heard of this before, but it is a very good point. I will have
to get Chadwick for my self, it looks like. However, I wonder how this
applies to relatively thin sections of metal

> > One problem with K.E. theory. Part of my reluctance is an article
> > in the Nov
> > '96 issue of Military Illustrated, which dealt with the infantry anti
tank
> > rifles (Boyes, M1918 Mauser, Solothurn, etc.) While most were difficult
to
> > compare, I came across a couple that were close enough to make a
> > meaningful
> > comparison. This was the 13x94R steel core AP (fired from a Mauser
M1918)
> > and a very modern 7.62x51 NATO round, manufactured by FFV in Sweden. THe
> > former round is 800 gr, with a muzzle V. of 2525 fps. The latter
> > is tungsten
> > cored, 130 gr, and a muzzle V. of 3120 fps. The 13x94R has an energy of
> > 11396 ft-lbs while the FFV round is only 2960 ft-lbs. Yet both are
capable
> > of penetrating 15mm of armor plate at 300 meters! Granted, the quality
of
> > the armor plate is not specified, but one would reason that any
> > differences
> > would favour the WWI vintage 13x94R, rather than the ultra modern
> > FFV round.
> > This is a major reason why I don't consider K.E. to be all
> > important.
>
> Just a cautionary note -- in evaluating hundreds of modern weapons
systems,
> I found most "hard" penetration data to be useless because the information
> was incomplete, leaving out slope, range, and specific ammo types.
>

SLOPE! Forgot to think about that, here. The M1918 was specified as 90
degrees and the FFV unspecified, however, if that's the best the big boy can
do I shudder to think about the smaller round if the test was actually at an
angled plate...
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