0.50 Cal. ammo chute - from US aircraft turret?

[elliott1940]

Hello - can anyone ID this please? It's quite a large assembly - It could be American - seems to fit a 50 Cal machine gun. The main body would fit under the weapon and the cartridges would fall out of the bottom of the gun. The spent links would also be fed into the main body by the curved chute.

The chute has the part number ASSY 80921 C-26, the body has 80090-R

It came from a dump of British and US WWII aircraft parts in the UK last year.

Possibly from an American turret? We also found B-25, P-51 link chutes and some US turret parts.

[Taigh Ramey]

The flexible gun as well as the fixed nose guns in the B-25 had similar chutes like this. There was a canvas bag that would attach to the chute to catch the spent shells and links. I don´t have access to my tech information now but I will check it when I return.

If you need to find a home for it let me know. I would love to use that at Bomber camp as it would solve our problem of stray cases from departing out the window of the B-24 in flight.

Taigh

[Robbie Roberts]

That looks to mount to the MG cradle directly, and catches both the brass casings(ejected through the bottom of the .50) and the disintegrating links, which eject out one side of the receiver. Doesn't look to be too large a capacity though... Unless it feeds into the bag mentioned.

Scott

[warbird2]

I think the one in the B-26 Marauder is that style.

[elliott1940]

Thanks guys - I have had a good look at some Marauder interior pics and can't see anything like this. Can anyone confirm please?

Thanks

[turret nate]

The Bendix lower used in early B25s had a similar chute used to eject brass and links out of the turret:

[B 25 C]

HI Turret Nate
How much more information on this turret do you have. I would like to have it if possible.
Thanks

[turret nate]

I don't have much info on the lower turret. The only info I have is whats in the early B25 service manual, there is a brief section on maintenance and operation. I hope to examine one someday. I hear that Carl Scholl has one.

Elliot1940 - I was checking some lockers for parts today and found the exact parts you have pictured. I did a some research and found they are acutally the ejection chutes for brass and links for our Bendix upper turret (model A). It clips onto the .50 MG on the back ledge and then connects to the large front pin on the turret gun cradle.

Here is a picture of the service manual, you will note the similarity.









I thank you for posting this topic, I like learning new things on these turrets. I will put these chutes back on our turret guns. I don't know if these chutes are specific to Bendix turrets or if they are common on other gun installations.

Nate
CAF MN Wing

[turret nate]

Forgot this one, it mentions the part number you found:

[Taigh Ramey]

Well done Turret Nate!

We happen to have an early Bendix turret in the muxeum collection that is in need of that part, and one for the other side, should you decide to sell it please let us know.

[turret nate]

Maybe Elliot1940 will sell his. Elliot, what other turret parts did you find in this dump?

[elliott1940]

Thanks a lot Nate for the ID snd scanning in those images - very helpful. The other turret parts we found were some broken turret handle grips - they were a bit useless so my friend threw them away.

Taigh - i dont need these so they are available if you're interested. I think I have another opposite example somewhere...

[Taigh Ramey]

Yes please! Just let me know what you would like for them.

Thanks!

Taigh

[rwdfresno]

I don't have much info on the lower turret. The only info I have is whats in the early B25 service manual, there is a brief section on maintenance and operation. I hope to examine one someday. I hear that Carl Scholl has one.

Yes, very well done. I know Carl has at least some significant parts from a Bendix lower turret. We uncovered several of these turret parts from a junkyard in CA 20 or so years ago. Also a complete turret was recovered as part of B-25C 41-12634 which is now in Birmingham, AL.

Ryan