Taping of guns

[whistlingdeath77]

I've always noticed the corsair had its .50 cals taped over prior to flight. I'm assuming to cut down on drag and keep dirt out. But, was this done always, state side and the pacific? On carriers and land based? And what type of tape was used that was durable enough to withstand the flight?

[P51Mstg]

I'm going to guess if you smooth it out nicely so the wind "can't lift it", duct tape would probably work.

I'm sure it came out long after WWII, but we used to have "jet tape" or "500 MPH Tape" which was a heavy foil with an adhesive backing which was supposed to hang on at up to 500 MPH...

Mark H

[whistlingdeath77]

I'm going to guess if you smooth it out nicely so the wind "can't lift it", duct tape would probably work.

I'm sure it came out long after WWII, but we used to have "jet tape" or "500 MPH Tape" which was a heavy foil with an adhesive backing which was supposed to hang on at up to 500 MPH...

Mark H

Thanks mark for the info. I'm still wondering what type of tape it was called or possibly was a fabric?

[Stoney]

I think the Brits used dope and fabric to show the guns were loaded and in the desert it kept the sand out.

[Dan Jones]

Stoney is right - the practice started with dope and fabric. It kept the guns clean, perhaps improved aerodynamics a little, and it also helped keep the guns warm until they were fired (it gets cold at twenty thousand feet!) But duct tape originally was invented for just this purpose and was originally called "gun tape". I still have a couple rolls of it in olive drab and RAF red in a box somewhere. The rest, as they say in the great book of "Duck Tape", is history!

[whistlingdeath77]

That's what I thought, fabric. But was it used constantly after every mission?

[Dan Jones]

That's what I thought, fabric. But was it used constantly after every mission?

Probably it was - provided there was time, supplies, and somebody cared enough to. In the winter and serviced outside the dope would probably freeze before it dried. Duct tape was likely thought the greatest invention since the .50 cal Browning to your typical armorer when it came out.

[JohnTerrell]

As has been done on Fagen Fighter's P-38 and P-40 restorations, one of the practices, as called for through specifications, was to seal the exposed gun barrels with "Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing" (3M) scotch-type tape. Besides the guns themselves, the shell and link ejector chutes were also sometimes taped or doped-fabric covered to keep the elements out when not in service, but opened up before a mission with an active combat aircraft. (For instance, photos of Don Gentile's state-side war bond tour P-51D shows the factory-supplied metal & cardboard caps fitted over the gun barrels and sections of (clear) doped-fabric over the shell and link ejector chutes on the bottom of the wings. The RAF P-40E that was discovered in the Egyptian desert recently, still had red dope and fabric remnants built up around the edges of the ejector chute openings.)

[whistlingdeath77]

When did duct tape come out and did it supplement the doping fabric process? Still curious if carrier based navy planes practiced this method as well

[Fleet16b]

All of the above answers were part of the reason for the patches but I was told by most vets that the
armorers applied them so that when the aircraft return from battle they would know
if the aircraft had fire its guns and thus required reloading

[whistlingdeath77]

All of the above answers were part of the reason for the patches but I was told by most vets that the
armorers applied them so that when the aircraft return from battle they would know
if the aircraft had fire its guns and thus required reloading

That's very interesting as well. I assumed a corsair flight would have charged the guns when at altitude and fire a quick burst to make sure their weapons were working properly. In return, all of the tape would have been shot thru

[B-17 guy]

To the best of my knowledge the guns were taped/doped over to simply keep dirt/moisture/debris out of the barrels. The biggest problems were the moisture from sitting over night (moisture) and debris/dirt from the props blowing dirt. Nothing to do with aerodynamics.

[greatgonzo]

British produced fabric self adhesive patches. Spitfires got them in September 1940 (or it was noted only then). It is clear though some self made patches where used before, and after in case of shortages of the ready ones. Some kind of covers were used on earliest Spitfires with different gun muzzle types too. Dirt and freezing where the reason for using them. As said here it was also important to inform everybody the guns where loaded and cocked (it had to be done on the ground for those MGs, the cannons could have been reloaded from the cockpit). Such a message could be of some value for someone passing in front of a fighter especially with somebody else doing things in cockpit.
Patches for Spitfire used to be red with some blue exceptions seen mainly in MTO
It is unimaginable armourers needed patches to know if they had to do some work .

I belive the exits of Corsair gun tubes were not covered on every flight. When VF-17 was returning for second tour from its rest time with ammo bays filled with beer cans the idea of extra cooling could have been a welcomed one.