Quote:
Originally Posted by Flying Pencil
They are.
Brits tested the .303 on old Blens , and a good percentage of the bullets just bounced off the Al skin.
Quite a few LW bombers barely made it back to France with over 200 hits on them.
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Not accurate.
The tests revealed MANY of the bullets did not penetrate the FRAME of the bomber, but it was dependent on the angle they struck. The bullets were generally effective in doing damage to engines, fuel tanks and personel who were not protected by armour.
Most of the problems with the .303's effectiveness was a function of the convergence which the RAF recommended initially, which was far to distant, and resulted in scattered results. Once pilots reduced their convergence down to 200 yards, the results were much better.
Versus the lighter frames of the 109's and Stukas, pilots found the .303's could actually saw off wings and fuselages.