I just saw a photo of the new AFV M107 SPG. Looks nice, but there are some built in errors I noticed. Never saw an M107 with the factory installed storage boxes on the rear spade. The travel lock looks like it’s wrong for an M107 (been 50+ years since I crewed on one). The 175mm rounds are shaped wrong! As in completely wrong. It sorta looks like they put the 175 gun barrel on an M110a2, and couldn’t decide on the travel lock.
The 175 gun used the first “high” ballistic coefficient round the Army had ever used. The closest to it would be the 750 grain 50 cal. Browning bullet, and even that’s not close. The actual round is almost a dead wringer for a 175 grain 7mm bullet from Hornaday (a true secant ogive shape) where it’s almost strait from the tip down to the major diameter. Later the Navy had some 8" rounds cut like that, and used them on a few heavy cruisers. These are true long range rounds
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I’m no Gunner but it looks like the Brits had the stowage boxes on the rear spade:
Needless to say, I have the Italeri version in my stash, awaiting my attention some day.
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I believe that the first picture is actually an M110A1 (no muzzle brake)
Real M107 from roughly the same angle
Notice the difference in barrel length?
M110 (short barrel)
M110A1 (longer barrel without muzzle brake)
M110A2 (longer barrel with muzzle brake)
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Shouldn’t the M107 travel lock be the same as on the M110 (the original short barreled M110)?
Yes, the pics of the Brit gun are an M110A1.
Here is the AFV Club M107.
I have not seen M107s with the boxes. I believe they were a later feature. I bet the builder just put them on since they are in the kit as part of their M110A2 sprues. Easy to leave off.
The travel lock looks correct to me, under the cradle.
Some also used a set of chains/straps further down the barrel to make it more secure.
Me neither
The photographer who provided the pictures for the TM appears to have seen one though …
Another IDF M107 with the travel lock variant and one spade-mounted box :
H.P.
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Some US versions used the additional barrel straps/chains as well.
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Well Chaps, the Brits never used the M110A1. Is it not possible that when the gun is in travel mode, the barrel is cranked back to facilitate such travel? Is this called “out of battery”? As I said, I admit to not being a Gunner. However, please also note below:
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Those are indeed M107’s
Israeli M107 (Latrun) with the barrel pulled back
Note the slender barrel compared to the thicker M110A1 barrel
Ah, already posted by Frenchy.
The supplemental travel lock was part of the M107 BII. Not a US or IDF thing, but an M107 thing. That may be why Gary was confused by its omission. That much mass protruded so far out produced enough torque to damage the hull mounted barrel crutch.
It was a sad day when they closed the Firepower museum in Woolwich. Got a “backstage” tour there a month before it shut…
Never said it was either IDF or US-specific. Just showing it was used on US ones as well.
Sarcasm doesn’t become you Robin; nowhere that I can see does it refer to M110A1s actually being in service (with the Royal Artillery). All it is, is a pretty bland read-out à la Wikipedia for a generic description of the weapon system.
My original post was to inform Gary that the Brits at least utilised the stowage boxes affixed to the recoil spade; I still maintain that the first picture I included is indeed, an M107 (with the barrel retracted for transit). I believe that I took it from a regimental website, which must have been either 5 or 39 Heavy Regiment Royal Artillery; I think, and am not completely sure, that we only had the 2 regiments thus equipped – ie with M107.
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I still think that this barrel looks too chunky
The British military registration is also missing.
It’s a pity that the image has such low resolution.
Nr 1: Looks like a suspiciously straight section under the barrel.
Nr 2: I don’t get the impression that there is any reg-plate but the image is too fuzzy
to decide, could be covered by dirt.
As fas as I’m concerned this might just as well be a US owned M110A1.
About discrepancy nr 1, this is the Israeli M107 with the barrel pulled all the way back,
no straight section under the barrel
Compare with M110A1 with barrel forward
Taken from the photo of Proud American (see above)
1: Front end of slide, barrel is in battery
2: Reduction in outer diameter of barrel, well forward of the end of the slide
No visible (bad photo for sure) reduction of barrel diameter.
The netting makes it difficult to see but reduction should be well forward of the end
of the slide and there is no reduction in that position.
The netting starts before the slide ends and goes almost all the way to the muzzle,
even if the netting is thick there should be a visible step.
The M110A1 barrel on the other hand has a short thicker section (band from the slide??) which ends at the forward en of the slide. From the slide forwards the barrel tapers very slightly all the way to just behind the muzzle.
1: bands around barrel
2. Forward end of slide
I’d look at the muzzle. These shots show the M110A1 hasn’t any flare, while the M107 does. The picture in question does seem to have some flare.
The very slight flare of the M107 barrel?
The straight M110A1 barrel end
And I never said you did. It falls under the category of responding to the group, not just you.
Just saying that I never saw a box on the spade till the advent of the M110a2. Also I can’t see that box lasting long with a zone three charge and a fairly low barrel angle. M107’s were well known to keep digging themselves in with high (volume) charges.
To take this further, the top photo is an M110 with a barrel change out. You can spot this by the lack of a travel lock, and still retaining the M110 travel rest (not a true lock) under the carriage. M110’s don’t have the front mounted travel lock, but a cradle affair under the carriage. While the M107 does have the forward travel lock. Never saw a chain type, but that may have been a change made. Most I saw were only using the chain on top of the travel lock. It’s fairly easy to spot an M110 conversion by the cradle under the barrel, and a home made travel lock upfront. That 19,000 lb. barrel is really hard on the carriage when going down a paved road, and even worse off road. It’ll beat you silly, and just raises hell with the elevating system. The short barreled M110 road like a car compared to the M107. If memory is correct, I think the recoil system is slightly different between the two, but externally looked similar.
gary
