From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Gun feed positions, power mountings, and the potential installation of a ½' gun in a Spitfire aircraft.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 175\3\ img294 | |
| Date | 15th January 1941 | |
| -3- Cont'd :- on the turret and the loader dashes out from cover to replenish it between bursts. The B.U.S.M. feed Forward Position. In this position the B.U.S.M. feed is still unloadable by a seated loader. It also prevents the gun being elevated to its full angle of 70" as it fouls the pedestal. Ve. Original Feed in Rear Position. (Vent. 8 Round Magazine) This is very suitable for use on this mounting with a seated loader as the round is introduced from above and the loading becomes increasingly easier as the gun is elevated. A slightly rearranged position of the loading handle is required from that fitted when it is used on the Beaufighter. Ve. Modified Feed in Forward Position. (Vent 10 Round Magazine) As far as we can judge this will be equally if not more suitable than the original for this mounting. The Power Mounting as described above is suitable for use on Motor Torpedo Boats as shown on QPL.160, as a Mobile Anti-Tank Gun QPL.147 and as a ground Defence Gun QPL.149. ½" Gun in Spitfire. After considerable design investigation of the fitting of the ½" R.H. gun in the wing of the Spitfire we came to the conclusion that our gun suffered material disadvantages in its shape and size over the ½" Browning and to install it unaltered would call for serious modifications in the design of the aircraft wing. We therefore recommended in Ev.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork}3/JH.4.9.40. that the external shape of our gun be so modified that it would fit in the same mounting and take the same feeds and clip chutes as those for the .5" Browning already fitted in the Spitfire Wing. No difficulty would then be encountered in getting an experimental installation in a plane. This policy was agreed to in Ve/NP.3/CB.14.10.40. and Ve/NP.3/CB.28.10.40. Already the mounting centres and the position of the feed block on our gun and the Cont'd.{John DeLooze - Company Secretary} | ||