WW II Ballistics Tank Gun Penetration


	WW II Ballistics Tank Gun Penetration - USA


	The following is my choice of American gun penetration data. This criteria is based on a 50% probability of a successful penetration. A successful penetration is more than 50% of the mass passing through the armor. The US and British 50% criteria are statistically the same. The armor quality was normalized to homogenous forged steel of hardness of 115,000 tensile strength (237 BHN). Tests of American guns produced firing graphs. These graphs were included in TM 9 1907 (1944 and 1948) and N-4636-C (1944 and 1945). Later they were included in various Handbooks on Ballistics and Engineering in 1950.

Tank and AT Guns Penetration figures use American and British 50% success criteria.
Gun Type	Ammunition	Angle	Muzzle velocity	Penetration (mm)
Gun Type	Ammunition	Angle	Muzzle velocity	0 yd	250 yd	500 yd	1000 yd	1250 yd	1500 yd	2000 yd	2500 yd
37mm/L53 M3	APCBC M51B2 ¹	30°	2900 ft/s ( 884 m/s)		56	54	46	43	40	36	31
57mm/L50 M1A3	APCBC M70 ²	0°	2950 ft/s ( 899 m/s)	149		113	91		67	47	35
57mm/L50 M1A3	APCBC M86 ²	30°	2700 ft/s ( 823 m/s)		86	78	72	68	64	56	46
57mm/L50 M1A3	APCBC M86 ²	0°	2700 ft/s ( 823 m/s)	113		101	90		79	69	58
75mm/L31 M2	AP M72	30°	1850 ft/s ( 564 m/s)	75		67	58		53	45
75mm/L31 M2	APCBC M61 ³	30°	1850 ft/s ( 564 m/s)	64		58	53		48	44	41
75mm/L40 M3	APCBC M61 ³	30°	2030 ft/s ( 619 m/s)	71	69	64	61	57	56	50	45
76mm/L52 M1	AP M79 ⁴	30°	2600 ft/s ( 792 m/s)			110	91		76	64	52
76mm/L52 M1	APCBC M62 ⁵	30°	2600 ft/s ( 792 m/s)	97	95	93	88	85	82	75	67
3-inch/L50 M5	APCBC M62 ⁵	30°	2600 ft/s ( 792 m/s)	97	95	93	88	85	82	75	67
76mm/L52 M1A2	APCBC M62 ⁵	30°	2600 ft/s ( 792 m/s)	97	95	94	89	86	84	78	72
76mm/L52 M1A1	HVAP T4E17 or M93⁶	30°	3400 ft/s (1036 m/s)	183	169	157	135	126	116	98	82
90mm/L52 M3	APCBC M82 ⁷	30°	2670 ft/s ( 814 m/s)	128	125	121	112	108	104	96	89
90mm/L52 M3	APCBC M82 ⁷	30°	2800 ft/s ( 853 m/s)	136	133	130	122	118	113	105	98
90mm/L52 M3	APBC T33 ⁸	30°	2800 ft/s ( 853 m/s)	123	122	120	118	116	114	111	107
90mm/L52 M3	HVAP T30E16 ⁹	30°	3340 ft/s (1018 m/s)	236	234	222	199	188	177	156	136


	Citations 1. N-4636-C Terminal Ballistics Data 1945 Vol. III part 2. page 145 link 2. N-4636-C Terminal Ballistics Data 1945 Vol. III part 2. page 155 3. N-4636-C Terminal Ballistics Data 1945 Vol. III part 2. page 157 4. AD301343 Final Report on An Analytical Study of data on Armor Penetration by Tank-fired Kinetic Energy Projectiles. 5. N-4636-C Terminal Ballistics Data 1945 Vol. III part 2. page 159 6. N-4636-C Terminal Ballistics Data 1945 Vol. III part 2. page 161 7. N-4636-C Terminal Ballistics Data 1945 Vol. III part 2. page 162 8. N-4636-C Terminal Ballistics Data 1945 Vol. III part 2. page 164 9. N-4636-C Terminal Ballistics Data 1945 Vol. III part 2. page 165

Armor Basis is Averaged and Normalized to RHA BHN 270 Penetration figures use 50% success criteria.
Gun Type	Ammunition	Angle	Muzzle velocity	Penetration (mm)
Gun Type	Ammunition	Angle	Muzzle velocity	100 m	300 m	500 m	1000 m	1500 m	2000 m	2500 m	3000 m
37mm/L53 M3	APC M59	0°	2800 ft/s ( 853 m/s)	66	58	44	26	15
37mm/L53 M3	AP M80	0°	3050 ft/s ( 930 m/s)	85	75	66	45	24
37mm/L53 M3	APCBC M51B2	0°	2900 ft/s ( 884 m/s)	69	65	61	54	48	43	38	33
57mm/L50 M1A3	AP M70	0°	2960 ft/s ( 902 m/s)	127	114	104	80	57	35	17	12
57mm/L50 M1A3	APCBC M86	0°	2700 ft/s ( 823 m/s)	102	98	93	82	71	60	50	40
75mm/L31 M2	AP M72	0°	1850 ft/s ( 564 m/s)	82	76	70	59	48	41	34	26
75mm/L31 M2	APCBC M61	0°	1850 ft/s ( 564 m/s)	78	75	72	63	55	48	41	36
75mm/L40 M3	AP M72	0°	2030 ft/s ( 619 m/s)	96	91	85	72	60	50	39	28
75mm/L40 M3	APCBC M61	0°	2030 ft/s ( 619 m/s)	85	81	78	70	63	56	47	40
76mm/L52 M1	AP M79	0°	2600 ft/s ( 792 m/s)	130	123	116	98	83	69	55	42
76mm/L52 M1	APCBC M62	0°	2600 ft/s ( 792 m/s)	114	111	108	100	92	82	73	65
3-inch/L50 M5	APCBC M62	0°	2600 ft/s ( 792 m/s)	115	112	109	102	93	84	75	67
76mm/L52 M1A2	APCBC M62	0°	2600 ft/s ( 792 m/s)	116	112	109	102	93	85	76	68
76mm/L52 M1A1	HVAP T4E17 or M93	0°	3400 ft/s (1036 m/s)	202	189	177	150	127	104	82	61
90mm/L52 M3	APCBC M82	0°	2670 ft/s ( 814 m/s)	150	145	139	128	116	105	95	85
90mm/L52 M3	APCBC M82	0°	2800 ft/s ( 853 m/s)	158	156	152	141	130	118	108	97
90mm/L52 M3	APBC T33	0°	2800 ft/s ( 853 m/s)	146	144	142	138	133	128	122	116
90mm/L52 M3	HVAP T30E16	0°	3340 ft/s (1018 m/s)	238	231	224	210	191	168	148	126
105mm/L25 M4	HEAT	0°	1250 ft/s ( 381 m/s)	117	117	117	117
155mm T7	APCBC M112B1	0°	2200 ft/s ( 671 m/s)	158	156	153	146	140	133	127	120
155mm M1918	APCBC M112B1	0°	2360 ft/s ( 719 m/s)	167	165	163	158	153	147	142	137
155mm M1 Long Tom	APCBC M112B1	0°	2745 ft/s ( 837 m/s)	184	181	180	176	169	163	157	151


	I'm trying to limit the maximum range to where there is no more than a 10% probability to-hit an average size tank. I haven't gone over all the guns yet.