Number of Rounds per Gun for P-51

[Noha307]

I found two sources that appear to have conflicting information about the number of rounds the guns carried. Here are the relevant sections from each source:

The maximum ammunition capacity is 400 rounds for each of the inboard guns, and 270 rounds for the center and outboard guns.
...
An alternate installation is possible... The center guns are removed; this allows 500 rounds of ammunition to be carried for each of the outboard guns.

Either of two gun installations is possible: (1) three fixed .50 caliber guns may be installed in each wing, with 500 rounds (400 in late airplanes) of ammunition for each inboard gun and 270 rounds for each center and outboard gun; (2) the center gun may be removed, allowing the inboard guns to carry 500 rounds (400 in late airplanes) each and the outboard guns to carry 500 rounds each.

So, the question is: How many rounds did the guns carry on the P-51D and when did it change?

[Noha307]

I found another source which claims 400 rounds for each inboard gun, so it looks like that is the correct answer:

With the six-gun installation, the maximum ammunition load is 400 rounds for each inboard gun and 270 rounds for each center and outboard gun. When the four-gun installation is used, each inboard gun has 400 rounds and the outboard guns are provided with 500 rounds.

I initially took the 500 rounds in the F-51 Mustang Handbook to refer to early model (i.e. P-51A-C) Mustangs because it was being contrasted with "late [model] airplanes". (Or alternatively, earlier P-51Ds as in D-5s vs D-20s.) However, after rereading the except, I realized the book never actually uses the term "early" and I was only assuming that it did. I think what it is really doing is contrasting postwar F-51s with the World War II era P-51Ds. The F-51s must have been modified after the war to include an extra 100 rounds per inboard gun. This makes a lot more sense, since I couldn't understand why the number of rounds carried was being reduced in later models of Mustang.

[Tulio]

From the Maintenance and Erection Manual for the P-51D/K

Saludos,


Tulio

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