GAU-8 Avengers for sale?

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mainecoon

mainecoon

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I understand some of these guns may soon come up for sale. Thing is, they come with a plane attached. Any idea how they would cost used?
 
Probably have to be a friendly 3rd. world country, or Mike Dillon to buy one.

Then the little matter of an ATF $200 tax stamp for every cannon shell would make shooting it cost prohibitive for most of us.


Still can't believe the government is considering retiring the A-10 Warthogs next year.
That's the best dang ground support aircraft anyone has ever invented.

rc
 
Most people would not have the ability to move an almost 2 ton gun around. Even if you did get the gun where are you going to store the ammo? Each round weights about a pound and is a foot long!

But in the end I'm guessing the price would be the hardest to overcome, that is if out government would ever allow us to own such a weapon.
 
If I was a billionare I would have one.

Plus a mess of custom made .22mag miniguns just to play with.
 
scaevola said:
Sad to see the A-10s go, I always like the way they looked flying over Tucson. There's probably a good chance getting rid of them will be a decision that will be regretted.
Click to expand...

Yes, kind of like the decision in the 1950s to design fighter planes without any guns.

If you take the motor off the GAU-8 and replace it with a crank, will it get by the NFA rules?

Probably not. :(
 
If you take the motor off the GAU-8 and replace it with a crank, will it get by the NFA rules?
Click to expand...

Well, once a machine gun, always a machine gun, but I'm not sure what the registered "receiver" of a GAU-8 is. Might just be part of the frame that holds the barrels or something, so maybe you could rebuild one with a new frame and a hand crank. If hand-cranked, yes the gun design would be a "Title I" (or GCA if you prefer) "other firearm." Unless, of course, you come up with a stock for it! :D

However, because its barrels are over .50" in diameter, it will still be an NFA Title II "Destructive Device." So still requires the Form 1 or 4 and the $200 tax stamp.
 
I don't know where you would get them?

But you would need to get 70 of them for a 1 second burst!

Plus 70 $200 tax stamps for the 70 cannon shells it fires in 1 second.

Thats $14,000 worth of ATF Tax stamps a second alone!

rc
 
A hand crank would probably be a bit slower. You could use inert shells or shells with under 1/4oz of explosive. Would still be terribly expensive.

Unfortunately the only buyers will be either foreign governments or scrap dealers. :(
 
I'll try to get some pictures of one this weekend, just for reference. They use their own ammo feed system that's almost as large as the gun itself.
 
If you take the motor off the GAU-8 and replace it with a crank, will it get by the NFA rules?
Click to expand...
Jeez, how many cranks per round would you need to turn that beast over? :eek: Here I thought restoring a KPV would be ridiculous :rolleyes:

TCB
 
I had the pleasure of seeing one up close when I was 13 years old. What a treat to see a HUGE gun mounted to a trailer. There was an Air Force NCO explaining every part of it to anyone who showed an interest, and I most assuredly showed an interest. The slow motion video of it firing is still one of the most impressive things I have ever seen. I WANT ONE BAD, but I have no idea what I would do with it. My local range does not like people shooting .50 BMG much less 30MM cannons. (evil grin)
 
For those that do not know, the cannon is mounted off center in the A-10 so that the barrel that is firing is on the centerline of the aircraft.

Also, the nose gear is off center to make room for the cannon.
 
My understanding is that the design process for the GAU-8 and A-10 was somewhat unique in that it was done in reverse. They built a gun and then said "Now go build an airplane around this" rather than building an airplane and then mounting a gun on it.
 
I think it had to have been done that way?

No other aircraft could have been adopted to it.

I also read that the cannon recoil of one round is slightly in excess of the thrust of one of the engines.

So the A-10 decelerates all the time it is firing?

rc
 
rcmodel said:
I also read that the cannon recoil of one round is slightly in excess of the thrust of one of the engines.

So the A-10 decelerates all the time it is firing?

rc
Click to expand...

That is a myth. Each engine on the A-10 provides 9,000 pounds of thrust. In order for the plane to slow the recoil forces would have to be greater than 18,000 pounds of thrust. There was a Lt. Col. who used to fly A-10s talking about that particular issue on a Discovery or History channel program awhile back.
 
Wonder it someone will or could make a 22lr conversion kit for it?
 
Sure!

MSM0095SW.jpg

http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerc...ner"+Patch+-+SWAT+Camo+Pattern/MSM0095SW.html
 
from wiki:
The average recoil force of the GAU-8/A is 10,000 pounds-force (45 kN),[3][16] which is slightly more than the output of one of the A-10's two TF34 engines (9,065 lbf / 40.3 kN each).[17] While this recoil force is significant, in practice cannon fire only slows the aircraft a few miles per hour in level flight.[15]
Click to expand...
 
The USAF has been trying to rid themselves of the unsophisticated A10 for 30 years. The Pigeons don't like it because it works too well without all the high tech gadgetry.
"...the cannon is..." Completely self contained too. No empties bouncing along the bottom of the aircraft.
 
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