Did all/ most M4A3 76 M4s have bare metal at the base of the barrels? The barrel im using is the one with the muzzle ring. Thanks
!http://i421.photobucket.com/albums/pp297/keng_113/Smileys/1955.gifYep, all… 75mm and 76mm.
Not always clearly visible though.
Unique only to the M3 Lee/Grant and Sherman M4 series.
!http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/gluetank/Decorated%20images/th_T1-4-copy.jpg
Not sure if you know what that ring is and why it is there…
The recoil of the gun drove the barrel back about 6 inches, and the fit between barrell and manlet sleeve was so tight, the paint got scraped off the barrel.
I have seen it on all 76mm Shermans, but I cant say that I have seen a picture of it on a 75mm gunned Sherman.
Observe the clearance here:
(seems most likely to induce wear)
!http://www.toadmanstankpictures.com/m4a3_faxon_04.jpg
The bare metal area barely visible below… or is it an optical illusion?
![[10.jpg]](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CbwnjooteyI/SCrNdLtskuI/AAAAAAAAL_s/_9aBdmT00Z8/s1600/10.jpg)
Hard to see here… or a shadow? !http://i344.photobucket.com/albums/p328/Lily_Lynx26/SMILEYS/sun2.gif
And looking even closer here…very closer
But then I’ve seen 76’s that didn’t have the wear showing at all.
Here’s an M4A3E8 76… no wear, no where.
!http://www.urrib2000.narod.ru/TanM4Che.jpg
Compare the clearance around the 75 in the very first picture above to the clearance on the 76 in the next picture, yet I’ve seen the worn surface on 76’s in many pictures.
Kinda makes things confusing don’t it?
The 76mm guns themselves differ in the following ways:
The outside recoil surface of the M1A1 was lengthened by one foot over the M1, thereby allowing the trunnions to be moved forward and providing better gun balance; the M1A1C had the end of the barrel threaded for a muzzle brake; the rifling of the M1A2 was one turn in 32 calibers versus one turn in forty for the other weapons. All M1A2s were equipped with muzzle brakes.
Oh well.
!http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/gluetank/Decorated%20images/th_T1-4-copy.jpg