76 mm gun M1

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The 76 mm M1 Gun was a American Forces World War II-era tank gun, which replaced the 75 mm gun on late M4 Sherman tanks, and was equipped on all M18 Hellcat tank destroyers. Developmentally, it was a new gun with breech similar to that of the 75 mm M3 Gun. It fired the same shell as the 3 inch gun of the M10 Wolverine tank destroyer, but in a different case. The gun received a muzzle brake and faster rifle twist during production.

While the 76 mm had less High Explosive (HE) and smoke performance than the 75 mm, the higher-velocity 76 mm gave better anti-tank performance, with firepower comparable to the Soviet ZiS-S-5 85mm gun of the T-34-85 and many of the armoured fighting vehicles it encountered, particularly the Panzer IV and StuG vehicles.

[edit] Comparison of US 76 mm and Soviet 85 mm guns

Ammunition Type	Abbrev.	US 76 mm Penetration at		Soviet 85 mm Penetration at
Ammunition Type	Abbrev.	500 m	1,000 m	500 m	1,000 m
Armour-Piercing Capped, US M62 or Soviet APC	APC	98 mm^[1], 93 mm^[2]	90 mm^[1], 88 mm^[2]	96 mm^[3]	88 mm^[3]
Armour-Piercing Capped Ballistic Capped^[4]	APCBC	94 mm^[3]	89 mm^[3]	103 mm	94 mm
Armour-Piercing Composite Rigid (BR-365P)^[5]	APCR	–	–	138 mm	100 mm
Armour-Piercing High-Explosive (BR-365)^[5]	APHE	–	–	111 mm	102 mm^[6]
High-Velocity Armour-Piercing^[3]	HVAP	158 mm^[4]	134 mm^[4]	121 mm	130 mm^[6], 80 mm^[3]
High-Velocity Armour-Piercing M93^[2]	HVAP	157 mm	135 mm	–	–
High-Velocity Armour-Piercing T-4^[1]	HVAP	150 mm	132 mm	–	–

United States artillery of World War II
Tank guns
37 mm M5/M6 \| 75 mm M2/M3/M6 \| 76 mm M1 \| 3in M7 \| 90 mm M3
Anti-tank guns
37 mm M3 \| 57 mm M1 \| 3in M5
Field, Medium and Heavy guns
75 mm M1/M116 \| 105 mm M2/M101 \| 105 mm M3 155 mm M1/M114 \| 155 mm M1/M2/M59 "Long Tom" \| 203 mm M1/M2/M115
Other vehicle mounted
75 mm M2/M3 \| 105 mm M1/M2 \| 105 mm M4 \| 155 mm M1918M1 \| 155 mm M2
Anti-aircraft guns
37 mm M1 \| 40 mm M1 \| 3in M3 \| 90 mm M1

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b ^c Steven J. Zaloga. and Peter Sarson (1993). Sherman Medium Tank.
^ ^a ^b ^c R.P. Hunnicutt (1978). Sherman: A History of the American Medium Tank.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Harry Woodman (1991). Tank Armament in World War Two.
^ ^a ^b ^c Bovington Tank Museum (1975). Fire and Movement.
^ ^a ^b Steven J. Zaloga and James Grandsen (1984). Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two, p 225. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 0-85368-606-8.
^ ^a ^b Chris Foss (1974). Artillery of the World.