I have a 1943 37mm cartridge (37x223SR M17 brass case with M80 shot) for the M9 autocannon and I'm looking for info on the disintegrating link belt that was used. Does anyone have a pdf file of the M9 technical manual or any photos of the links or belted cartridges? Note that the M9 & M10 used a disintegrating belt and not the continuous belt of the M4 cannon, but I think the M10 links are probably different due to the different cartridge used.
None of the army ammunition manuals I have show the M9 links, but they are mentioned in Tony Williams' "Rapid Fire" book (top of p.156).
I am looking for a similar manual, drawing or photo for the M9 links. Any help is greatly appreciated!
Is anybody aware of a digital version of this doc in the web?
Otherwise, the pages are clean. This manual contains 105 scanned pages, is numbered T.O. 11-1-70, and is dated 1 August 1944. THIS MANUAL ISOBSOLETE AND IS NOT TO BE USED FOR AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE OR OPERATION.
I guess this one will soon appear in the web once it was digitalized.
EOD, I tried to send you a PM, but it won't let me (says your public profile is hidden).
This is odd, I was getting PMs from elsewhere in the past 2 days and all worked fine.
Alex, I replied to your PM. Let me know if you did not get my reply.
I have a vague recollection from long ago that the M9 (37x223SR) used the same belt links as the M10 (37x145R). This may sound odd given the very different size of the cartridge cases, but the links clip on to the neck of the case, which is the same diameter in both rounds.
Tony, that makes sense. Thank you. I could not find any documentation on the M10 links other than the scans I posted above, but they do look the same as the M9 links in the photos from the technical manuals.
Do you know if the M10 gun saw more widespread use than the M9? It looks like it was used on the later variant of the P63 Kingcobra, but I don't know how many were deployed and at what point before the war ended. I am wondering how easy it will be to find some links for sale.
The P-63A-9 onwards were fitted with the M10 cannon, with 58 rounds of ammo. About three-quarters of the 3,300 P-63's made went to the USSR. The main US use seems to have been as a manned target plane, so it wouldn't have been armed for that role.
The P-63D-1 (instantly recognisable by the bubble canopy) was fitted with an M9 cannon with 48 rounds. However, only one of those was built.