The British chose the .303 over the .50 because their pre war testing demonstrated that for the equivalent weight of batteries , the .303 did more damage to an aluminum airframe. In the typical 8x .303 vs 4x .50 argument the .303 battery is putting about 4 times the number of projectiles in the air, thats 4 times as many holes in an airframe and 4 times the chance of a critical hit. The fault in the decision lay in the future introduction of light armour and self sealing tanks in combat aircraft which had the effect of greatly reducing the .303 chance of a critical hit, while the .50 would have a much better chance to defeat such protection. The fault in the selection of the .50 is that for not much increase in weight you can get a 20mm cannon which probably has a greater margin of superiority over the .50 then the .50 has over the .303.
Slaterat
Slaterat
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