US experimental Cal. .90 inch cannon

[Tony Williams]

I've put together an article on the US experimental T1-T4 series .90 inch cannon and posted it on my website here: http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/CAL90.html

 

[biscuitsAB]

Hi,
wasn't there an experimental anti tank weapon in this calibre? If so was the ammunition related?

 

[Tony Williams]

I suggest that you read the article...

 

[biscuitsAB]

Not the weapon I had in mind at all. I will have to hunt out the original reference material I was thinking of.

 

[Tony Williams]

The only other (relatively) small-calibre experimental US anti-tank gun I'm aware of was in .60 cal.

 

[biscuitsAB]

Ah, .06 cal., easy to confuse the two after a bottle of Old Gusset. If my memory serves, the weapon I have in mind resembled an enlarged M1919, fed from the side, had an optical sight and was mounted on a .50 cal tripod. Comparing what I recall of it with the weapon shown on your web site gives me the impression that it was a much lighter weapon. I will try and find the original material with a view to making a scan.

 

[biscuitsAB]

You were right on the nail with .60 cal. and I must have suffered a rush of blood to the brain because the weapon I had in mind bears no resemblance to any Browning mg. I think I confused this weapon, the T1 E1, with the Swedish M20. My material proved to be unscannable but a friend came up with this; -

The write up for the T1 E1 says it was gas operated and twice tested at Aberdeen, 1942 & 44 (!), although I see a strong family resemblance with the T4 shown in your article. Could it also have been recoil operated?

 

[Tony Williams]

According to Hoffschmidt's Know Your Anti-Tank Rifle it was gas piston operated (the piston will have been in the tube under the barrel).

 

[biscuitsAB]

Yes, but the T4 also has a tube under the barrel. Perhaps in its case some kind of recoil buffer?

 

[Tony Williams]

Yes, it will be. You can see from the photo on my website that the tube is not connected to the barrel. With the .60, the tube is connected, and the join will contain the port through which gas tapped from the barrel passes to drive the operating piston.

 

[biscuitsAB]

Had I looked at a photo' of the Colt 37mm I think I may have made the connection.
Could the following patents have some bearing on the T4; -

https://www.google.com/patents?id=c_RFAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=firearm+inassignee:Colt&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=1#v=onepage&q=firearm%20inassignee%3AColt&f=false
https://www.google.com/patents/US2372462?pg=PA7&dq=firearm+inassignee:Colt&hl=en&sa=X&ei=oQmzUdvoKMiV0AXkxIDQAw&ved=0CEcQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=firearm%20inassignee%3AColt&f=false
https://www.google.com/patents/US2360293?pg=PA5&dq=firearm+inassignee:Colt&hl=en&sa=X&ei=oQmzUdvoKMiV0AXkxIDQAw&ved=0CEwQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=firearm%20inassignee%3AColt&f=false
https://www.google.com/patents/US2338270?pg=PA6&dq=firearm+inassignee:Colt&hl=en&sa=X&ei=oQmzUdvoKMiV0AXkxIDQAw&ved=0CFYQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=firearm%20inassignee%3AColt&f=false
https://www.google.com/patents/US2357776?pg=PA6&dq=firearm+inassignee:Colt&hl=en&sa=X&ei=oQmzUdvoKMiV0AXkxIDQAw&ved=0CFsQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=firearm%20inassignee%3AColt&f=false

The search term firearm coupled with Colt as the assignee brings up more but I haven't the time for detailed examination at the moment.

 

[Tony Williams]

I don't know enough about the exact design of the mechanism to be able to comment on the patents.