Warbird Information Exchange

TIA basically - wing gun ports on our CAF TBM-3E were covered with solid pieces, likely during tanker conversion ages ago. I meant to fix this last year, but obviously winter mx keeps everyones hands full and projects like this are more of a bonus thing.

The TBM's ports are so far from the guns that there's zero protruding barrel or even barrel tip, so all I really need to get / make is the beveled ports - I can fabricate those myself (although I'm trying to avoid a two-piece welded method, which might be required depending on how deep the bevel is on the panel.)

I'd really like to be able to open a gun access door at the air shows to see the .50 M2 and ammo belt though - maybe just one side. Anyone have ideas on where to get them or who makes replicas?

Try www.bmgparts.com

There are several companies out there that make excellent non-firing replicas. Getting enough parts from BMG will be much more $$$$ than aluminum replicas.

I talked to BMG about a couple of parts for the .30 AN-M2 installation on the Fairchild, and it would have been quite expensive. Still debating about whether to spend the $$$$$ or not.

Yeah direct from them seems expensive and not really required since it'll be pretty far out on the wing. You still get a good view from the trailing edge side walking around though.

This seems like it would be the PERFECT application for 3D printing if you could paint/shade the parts correctly? Getting someone to do the modeling would be the hard part.

What do these parts look like? do you have any photos? I'm a manufacturing engineer by trade so I might be able to help.

Drawings are out there for the .50's without too much searching. Now the .30 is something completely different. I've had queries out for .30 drawings for over a year now and nothing has turned up. I know they are out there somewhere...

You could buy just the big items like the sideplates (RH de-milled of course), floorplate, trunnion, backplate assembly, top cover, barrel, barrel shroud, and trunnion adapter, and you would have most of what you need to make up a ANM2 50 cal. You do not need the internals.

There are resin versions out there too.

Try the gun sites to find these more reasonably priced.

google replica guns, they aren't cheap

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I'd contact anyone flying a B-17 these days, as most have replica ANM-2 .50 calibers mounted...

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I have a set of drawings and have built a few replicas and am in the middle of another set for a warbird project. They aren't too terribly difficult to make, I have been toying with the idea of selling parts kits that includes all of the sheetmetal parts cut on a CNC plasma. How much fabrication equipment do you have access to? To build mine, I use a drill press, a welder a turret mill, Plasma cutter and a lathe. I wanted one that had all of the bells and whistles, so for that one I also used a CNC mill. If you just looking for wing guns, they're a bit difficult to see, so you can get away with omitting some details like the trigger group, opening feed cover and retracting slide group if you wanted.

The photo of Mother laid out across a tarp was highly suggestive..norty boy!

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I have a firing M3-AC and have an extra barrel or 2. I can give you photos and measurements.