20mm availability

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Sikorsky502
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20mm availability

Post by Sikorsky502 » Sun Aug 19, 2018 9:53 am

Just curious as to the availability of 20mm stuff, and what platform is the best for shooting. Oerlikon, Hispano, etc. I’ve heard the Oerlikon ammo is hard to find, but parts are available, never really heard anything about the others though.
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BELinNC
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Re: 20mm availability

Post by BELinNC » Mon Aug 20, 2018 4:25 pm

I previously owned a Lahti and FLAK 38 and currently own a Solothurn S-18 1000. All the same 20x138 cal. I would highly recommend them as great shooters. I only fired the Lahti from the bipod and it has the most recoil being gas operated. More of a shove back as opposed to kick. The FLAK 38 was awesome but not commonly available. The Solothurn is recoil operated and has less recoil than the Lahti. I fire mine from the wheeled mount and a stand up pedestal with no real recoil in those mounts. The built in optics are a real plus and it is very accurate. I reload original WW2 cases and new made brass and stainless steel cases. The US vulcan projos can be used once the driving bands are turned down and are reasonable in price. No reason you can't keep them fed.
A negative is the weight which makes them a hand full to transport and set up. The Solothurn wins this category too since the barrel is quick detach and allows for two manageable loads.
They are great fun with suitable targets.By the way I previously owned a Boys .55cal and after firing it a few times I much preferred the 20mm for fun shooting. The Boys was very rough on my shoulder.
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napavalleyartillery
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Re: 20mm availability

Post by napavalleyartillery » Mon Aug 20, 2018 4:58 pm

There are currently made 20mm Vulcan bolt action guns, and kits for the guns, readily available. As are the components to load your own cartridges. Which you should learn to do if you wish to operate in the Destructive Device arena.

You may sometimes find ammo for the Hispano. I may have seen a running gun once, not certain, but there certainly are at lease a few out there. Never heard of lots of parts around.

You will probably never find any quantity of Oerlikon ammo out and about. IMHO Oerlikons are extremely dangerous guns because of their operating system. Been some serious injuries, maybe a death or two, trying to make an Oerlikon run. There are a fair amount of parts out there, or at least were a few years back. Which is not enough reason to build one.

There is also the rather significant issue that Hispanos and Oerlikons are full auto. Which means you need some Federal licensing to put one together.

If you want an historical rather than a recently built gun, then Lahti and Solothurn guns are the way to go. Usually original, generally in perfect operating condition, and come up for sale like clockwork. Lahtis in the 8-10k range, Solothurns in the 18-20k area. Depends on extras and included ammo, if any. Ammo is north of $60 per, but is reloadable and case life is good if you take care of the cases. Also helps to shoot single shot, which is what most do, which allows lighter loads, better case life, and does not affect the experience. Aside from case cost, reloading the ammo is very cheap.

Finally all of the above are Destructive Devices, and the Hispano and Oerlikon are also Machine Guns, with all that that entails. Pay strict attention to the Federal and your State rules. The penalties for non-compliance can be significant.

Sikorsky502
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Re: 20mm availability

Post by Sikorsky502 » Mon Aug 20, 2018 6:06 pm

Thank you both for the information. The 20mm has always seemed, to me at least, to be a good bridge between heavy artillery and the ma deuce. I’m not quite at a point of pulling the trigger, no pun intended, but I’d like to be able to step up to a DD in the next year or so, so I’m trying to figure out which direction to go in. I like the idea of some kind of naval deck gun, but the larger calibers may be out of my reach, and I’ll need to consider the other options. Is there any good belt fed out theee other than the oerlikon and Hispanos?
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novectaner
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Re: 20mm availability

Post by novectaner » Wed Aug 22, 2018 3:34 pm

I'm THAT Oerlikon guy and it is lots of fun. And yes I'm THAT guy that hurt himself with it at Knob Creek back in 2006. But I'm still shooting it and the accident, I think, I know what happened and have tried to modify my case reloading methods. I've shot about 3000 rnds thru it to date. Here's a video of it shooting from June 2017


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC4mdAoRfK8

There's other videos out there of the gun shooting. Several people are trying to get guns running, but I'm the only one right not shooting Oerlikons in the country.

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Re: 20mm availability

Post by Falldownjaeger » Thu Aug 23, 2018 4:01 pm

www.cdvs.us has bullets, brass, fuzes from .223 to 16" Naval Rifles, with Lahti (20mmx138Belted) and Hispano/Oerlikon style 20mm components that may meet your needs plus barrels.
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Re: 20mm availability

Post by shadygrady » Sat Sep 15, 2018 10:00 am

you can try gunbroker they are alot of cannon items there also

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Re: 20mm availability

Post by waterdawg2004 » Sun Sep 16, 2018 5:32 am

novectaner wrote:
Wed Aug 22, 2018 3:34 pm
I'm THAT Oerlikon guy and it is lots of fun. And yes I'm THAT guy that hurt himself with it at Knob Creek back in 2006. But I'm still shooting it and the accident, I think, I know what happened and have tried to modify my case reloading methods. I've shot about 3000 rnds thru it to date. Here's a video of it shooting from June 2017


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC4mdAoRfK8

There's other videos out there of the gun shooting. Several people are trying to get guns running, but I'm the only one right not shooting Oerlikons in the country.
Any tips on reloading, I am reloading 37mm and 25mm? I am always looking for info and parts. Thanks
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novectaner
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Re: 20mm availability

Post by novectaner » Sun Sep 16, 2018 10:59 am

I don't think I can help with reloading of those calibers. The Oerlikon reloads like small arms ammo. The powder it uses is 4831 which I thought was very odd until I saw it mentioned in an official government document. The large bore stuff typically uses M1 cannon powder. And where 25mm and 37mm fall in that range I don't know. There are cannon people out there that do know the recipe.


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