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Old March 28, 2025, 12:12 PM   #62
davidsog
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Join Date: January 13, 2018
Posts: 1,660
Quote:
So, I wonder just how is there a risk of cook off??
There is good engineering reason why the Operating Instructions are as published. What Browning and North American's specific reason is I can't say.

What I can tell you from having restored some of these beautiful warbirds is I would bet it has to do with the thermal stress of the environment the guns are required to operate in.

Guns stuffed into wings have some general characteristics that set them apart from just shooting a weapon on a range.

They are all stuffed into tight fitting bays that traps heat in a very cold environment at altitude. The biggest issue in getting them to work properly is the fact those bays can freeze up. That means almost all of them have a weapon heating system to ensure the gun is warm and able to operate. Firing the gun in a warm environment means rapid heat build up inside an enclosed bay.



It's not so much the guns are over cooled, it is that they are heated before they even fire. Once more, even in rare operating environments that a heater is not required...

They are all stuffed into tight fitting bays that traps heat so your problem remains getting rid of the heat. It's like Bleed Air used to heat the wing leading edges in a modern Transport Category Aircraft Anti-Ice has to be used cautiously because you can overwarm the wings and cause a fire.
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