| Author |
Topic: Curved handle bars Oerlikon |
|
Jeff D
Moderator
|
  
 Posted on: Jul 22, 2019 - 5:23am
|
Sitting on your bum would be about the only way to accurately fire this 37mm. It seems to me to be a good way to maintain a low profile against enemy fire as long as aircraft weren't the main target. It looks like about 30-35 degrees would be the max elevation this setup would be capable of:
|
Total Posts: 2200 | Joined:
Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am | IP
Logged
|
|
Arjan Wiskerke
MASTER
|
Posted on: Jul 23, 2019 - 2:04am
|
I'm a bit puzzled by the Italeri Oerlikon, its trigger housing and handles are much further forward in relation to the gun carriage than these parts on the real gun (on the real one the rear of the trigger housing aligns with the rear of the gun carriage). I'm afraid some surgery is required to align the rear of the trigger housing with the rear of the carriage. Without these modifications there is simply no room for the curved handle bars.
Regards,
Arjan
|
Total Posts: 162 | Joined:
Dec 22, 2018 - 12:04pm | IP
Logged
|
|
Jeff D
Moderator
|
Posted on: Jul 23, 2019 - 3:00am
|
I see what you mean, even the trigger box looks too short. And maybe the whole gun. Good luck my friend, I'm sure you will do an excellent job. Have you looked into aftermarket guns, or maybe a 20mm from another kit?
|
Total Posts: 2200 | Joined:
Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am | IP
Logged
|
|
Arjan Wiskerke
MASTER
|
Posted on: Jul 23, 2019 - 9:03am
|
Hi Jeff, I bought a set of rather nice 3d RN Oerlikons at Shapeways for my Lend Lease Vosper :
They are quite expensive though and their gun carriage/mount would also require some modifications. It seems there was a truly bewildering variety in the types of Oerlikon mounts and carriages used in WWII. To go short, I think I will simply modify the Italeri gun. After all, this shouldn't be too difficult.
Regards,
Arjan
|
Total Posts: 162 | Joined:
Dec 22, 2018 - 12:04pm | IP
Logged
|
|
Arjan Wiskerke
MASTER
|
Posted on: Jul 23, 2019 - 2:48pm
|
I get the impression that the Italeri people mistakenly incorporated some features of this type of British Oerlikon in their gun (different gun-carriage, rear of the trigger housing does not align with the rear of the carriage ). Source IWM :
Arjan
|
Total Posts: 162 | Joined:
Dec 22, 2018 - 12:04pm | IP
Logged
|
|
Drew Cook
TOP BOSS
|
Posted on: Jul 23, 2019 - 3:33pm
|
Man, oh, man Jerry -- that video is really cool! Thanks for posting the link. That rate of fire is consistent with combat film footage from the Pacific.
So, like I said, I guess the slow "pom...pom...pom...pom" rate of fire in the "PT 109" movie's Oerlikon, and the single-shot in the "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" movie's gun was - pure Hollywood?
|
Total Posts: 1306 | Joined:
Oct 19, 2006 - 10:44am | IP
Logged
|
|
 |
Jerry Gilmartin |
TOP BOSS
|
Posted on: Jul 23, 2019 - 5:18pm
|
Yes apparently pure Hollywood. I read somewhere that the Thunderbolt and Lightfoot Clint Eastwood movie had to use several parts kluged together to make something that looked similar to the 20mm Lahti Anti tank gun that was used in the real bank robbery in upstate New York. The real robber had ordered the gun to be delivered but did not pick it up since it was being watched by the FBI. So he hired his buddy to break into the delivery warehouse and steal the gun at night so the FBI never got to arrest him when he showed up to claim the gun.
Anyway the movie was loosely based on that event. The movie weapon is mostly a 20mm Oerlikon, but it has a 20 round Box magazine on top instead of the normal 60 round drum. The 20 round box was a feature of the Lahti. They also made the gun into a propane gas firing gun for the sound but it was nowhere near as fast firing as the real 20mm Oerlikon.
Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
Portland OR |
Total Posts: 1473 | Joined:
Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm | IP
Logged
|
|
29navy
TOP BOSS
|
Posted on: Jul 24, 2019 - 3:59am
|
The PT 109 movie 20mm was gas fired. You can see the hoses coming up through the empty shell casing bag.
Also, don't know if you noticed but when CDR. Ritche was firing the 20mm, the magazine kept changing sides it was mounted on. Probably a difference in studio shots and shots on the boat.
Charlie |
Total Posts: 600 | Joined:
Dec 28, 2006 - 3:02pm | IP
Logged
|
|
| |
TED WALTHER |
TOP BOSS
|
Posted on: Jul 24, 2019 - 5:20am
|
Arjan;
Having fired a later model 20MM, I can tell you, other than the MK 4 stern mount, nobody really used the sights. You walk your rounds into the target using tracer rounds. Same with the 37MM. In the photos, see where Jim’s index and middle finger are? That’s the depression trigger, same as in the RN photos.
Those RN 20MM’s look great, why don’t you make a mold and cast them yourself?
Take care,
TED
|
Total Posts: 3059 | Joined:
Oct 16, 2006 - 7:42am | IP
Logged
|
|
Arjan Wiskerke
MASTER
|
Posted on: Jul 24, 2019 - 11:49am
|
Thanks Ted. I only want to modify one Italeri gun and this is a rather simple matter so it wouldn't pay to make molds and casts. Besides, I have often tried to make molds and casts in the past and this proved to be more difficult than I had thought. There were always air bubbles in my casts and I often added too little or too much hardener to both the silicon and resin mix ..... I have found some nice reference close ups of the US 20mm/70 Oerlikon :
http://svsm.org/gallery/20mm_oerlikon?page=1
By the way, in my earlier posts I used the term "carriage" whereas I should probably have used the term "cradle" .
Regards,
Arjan
|
Total Posts: 162 | Joined:
Dec 22, 2018 - 12:04pm | IP
Logged
|
|
|
