M777 155mm Howitzer

[VegasND]

It would be sweet to own one of those; anybody know how much it costs per round to reload?

BroncoBob , thanks for posting the picture.

[stitch_paradox]

A couple of pics and a video for you guys to enjoy:





How do I post a video? Mine doesn't work?

[John Joseph]

The Army probably has to hit the Walmarts pretty early in the morning to score on ammo for that one!

[2761377]

when you live near MCB Camp Pendleton this is how you see M777's on the freeway.



and we can hear them frequently, too.

[Sutcliffe]

Know what you mean

I remember seeing photos of infantry howitzers from the WWII era with barrels that only seemed as long as most rifle barrels.

[socalgto]

I'm going to hurry up and buy mine before it goes off roster. It's probably easier to find ammo for that than it is .22

[ja308]

Anyone know how those shells work? I've seen videos of those cannons being loaded and fired, and it's like they shove the shell in, and then toss a big primer behind it or something.

So it's not just like a big bullet, it's components are divided or something.

If I recall correctly there were 3 types of projectile, HE for high explosive, WP for white phosphorous and illumination rounds .

If you examine the very tip, you will see that the nose part is detachable. I believe it has different settings for a timer. Anyway the rounds are stored and transported without the nose piece, which gets installed just before loading into the breach .

The 155 shown takes 3 people to load, 2 hold a tray which the round sits on near the breach, a third Person uses a long pole to ram the round into the chamber, seating it .

The powder comes in large bags of different weights, depending on how far the projectile is to be launched .
The primer is about the size of a 357 mag .
The above may not be 100 % accurate as it's done from memory, it is fairly close however

Do not forget earplugs and if possible use muffs too, this cannons noise is unbelievable !

[cmichini]

I thought they said you couldn't open carry any more?

If the CHP finds you with that...


They're going to shoot your dog.

[Henry Shooter]

Almost had a 155 when I was stationed in Hawaii.
The Sgt Major didn't think I was serious.
He just laughed it off
Hahahahaha.

[smle-man]

If I recall correctly there were 3 types of projectile, HE for high explosive, WP for white phosphorous and illumination rounds .

If you examine the very tip, you will see that the nose part is detachable. I believe it has different settings for a timer. Anyway the rounds are stored and transported without the nose piece, which gets installed just before loading into the breach .

The 155 shown takes 3 people to load, 2 hold a tray which the round sits on near the breach, a third Person uses a long pole to ram the round into the chamber, seating it .

The powder comes in large bags of different weights, depending on how far the projectile is to be launched .
The primer is about the size of a 357 mag .
The above may not be 100 % accurate as it's done from memory, it is fairly close however

Do not forget earplugs and if possible use muffs too, this cannons noise is unbelievable !

That's about it. There are other types of projos available including rocket assisted for extra long range. The amount of bags loaded along with the angle of the tube determine how far the shell is going to travel.

[smle-man]

I remember seeing photos of infantry howitzers from the WWII era with barrels that only seemed as long as most rifle barrels.

The military realized that long range shooting is more valuable than short range ability. Shorter range shots are handled by mortars. Instead of having long tubes for distance and short tubes for over the hill firing they compromised on medium length tubes. The Soviets started the trend with their longer barreled 130 and 122mm towed artillery.

[2_Creeks]

For even more accuracy in the 155 round, check out the Excalibur M982 guided munition. It has a forward mounted control actuator system (CAS) that uses GPS to "fly" a non-ballistic trajectory, resulting in pin-point accuracy out to better than 30 kilometers. It can hit a target on the backside of a mountain while shooting more than 15 degrees off axis. They can even fly it around friendly forces who are between the gun and the target. This allows our soldiers to remain out of harms way and maintain an unfair advantage against the enemy.

http://youtu.be/OlwsoXsjtzo