Based on a test firing, QMB stats, wikipedia and calculations, I say that the ShKAS rate of fire is modeled correctly, at least on paper. But I would have to fire and hit with every round to be sure...
Gladiators may well feel overly strong, being able to fly while looking like Swiss cheese, but it's possible that nothing vital was hit. But it's actually like breakfast cheddar. You poke it and you get cheese on your fingers: firing from behind, you don't have the option to aim precisely at a weak spot. I thought I was aiming well with Cr.42, and shot at the fuselage, seemingly wasting tons of ammo, but a lucky close range short burst from a different angle took out the Gladiator's wing.
Wing mounted ShKAS are tricky weapons, especially with a plane that has poor gunsights, high instability and no elevator trim. The key is to set weapon convergence to much less than 150m and fire at close range. With a bit of luck and an angle that just exposes e.g. the target's engine, even a short burst does the job.
The problem is that even AI may start evading properly once you get to an effective range. And that imho is what makes early 109 sauerkraut guns (e.g. if the cannon is damaged) sometimes feel underpowered, too.
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