F4U Corsair - Cannon Armed Corsairs

[ronl]

Does anyone have any pictures or technical drawings showing the cannon arrangement for the F4U-4B,-5,-7, AU-1, etc? I would also be interested in seeing information pertaining to the 20mm ammunition boxes and cannon feed mechanism. Pictures showing the cannon with the wing panels open would be much appreciated. There doesn't seem to be much information available pertaining to the cannon armed Corsairs.

I hope someone can provide some information.

Thanks in advance.

Ron

[whistlingdeath77]

i have some photo's, but i do not have a scanner. i'm very sorry. But there will be lots of guys who will help you out with this. How bout the the f4u-1c?

[ronl]

I would like to see pictures and drawings of that arrangment as well. I think the F4U-1C used the M2 20mm cannon, while the F4U-4B and later models used the M3 20mm cannon which was less prone to jamming.

Thanks.

Ron

[Merlin540]

...like this??

[ronl]

Hi Merlin 540,

Thanks for the great pictures. Do you have anything more detailed with respect to the cannons? I have seen one picture of the cannon arrangement from manual "AN 01-45HB-4". Do you possibly have access to this document. It might be an Erection and Maintenance manual for the F4U.

I also seem to recall a good article published in either "Warbirds International" or "Air Classics" with great pictures of the F4U-5 that was restored by American Aero Services for the Collings Foundation. There was a picture of the wing panels open and I seem to recall that it showed the cannons and feed mechanism. Does anyone possibly have a copy of this magazine/article and might you be able to scan and post the pages with the cannon detail pictures?

Thanks.

Ron

[whistlingdeath77]

you can pick up a reprint f4u-4b manual and that may help you. iv'e seen them on ebay

[Rob Mears]

Mike George's F4U-5N (BuNo.124486) has got all the proper cannon components installed, at least externally. He saunders in here on occasion so maybe he'll pick up on this thread and let us know more about his setup. Not sure what he's got in the gun bays but here's a photo of the business end of the cannons.

[ronl]

Hi Rob,

Awesome picture! Thanks for posting it. I hope Mike George sees this post and is able to provide some information.

I also notice that the 20mm cannons are mounted on almost a 45 degree angle. Does anyone know why they are mounted that way? I'm thinking possibly to provide clearance for the feed mechanism on top of the cannon. Any other suggestions?

Thanks.

Ron

[CAPFlyer]

Here's what I found from my Corsair books -






If you notice, the access panels and bays are the same dimensionally as the machine-gun armed versions, just with different mounting hardware and modified skins on the gun access bay to accomodate the larger cannon. That's why I included the detail shot of the machine gun access panel illustration.

[ronl]

CAPFlyer,

Thanks for posting the outstanding images! Much appreciated.

The 20mm cannon used in the F4U-1 C was the M2 20mm US built Hispano cannon. The cannon used in the F4U-4B and later versions was the US built M3 20mm cannon, an improved verson of the M2. The M3 was slightly shorter, lighter and had a higher rate of fire. It seems like a modified belt feed system on top of the cannon was also developed.

Do you have any additional pictures showing the M3 20mm arrangement, or any line drawings of the F4U-5 or AU-1?

Once again, thanks for the great pictures and drawings.

Ron