Lead = 11.34 g·cm−3
Uranium = 19.1 g·cm−3
Call it at 60%
Yes I used to have one of those slugs that I had picked up as a young soldier in an impact area way back when… long gone now…
The burst limit on the A-10 is not for the plane flying, but to make sure the barrels do not overheat. Even if it was to make sure the plane did not slow down, the A-10 can fly perfectly well on one engine, which with the gun firing, it still has the equivalent of available… The max speed would be less, and the fuel efficiency would be horrible, but the plane could stay in the air. Also, the magazine only has (I think) about 20 seconds of firing time, so you do not want to waste bullets. The shell the GAU-8 uses is a 30 mm round that at its heaviest is about 15 oz. The cartridges weigh about 1.5 lbs. Recoil is reported at 10,000 lbf thrust. The 50 cal is a lot less, but still has a kick
Spot on. The current crop of .50 BMG sniper rifles weigh in at about the 20-30 pound range, and shooting them has been described as being about on par to a full power 12 gauge slug load. Granted the muzzle break has a big hand in reducing recoil, but it suffices for the point I am about to make…the M2 is listed in at 84 pounds. This is even before you load on a full can/belt of rounds. So we are talking about probably 100 pounds of solid weight resisting the recoil of the .50 BMG. Combined with the internal operating system/spring it is no surprise a single M2 firing won’t buck a jeep over or break a pintle mount.