Zu-23-2

[Raellus]

Can the ZU-23-2 fire single shots? I've seen footage of it firing and it's always in bursts. Paul M's site has its ROF listed at 10 which sounds about right.

My PCs want to snipe with it and they've only got 49 rounds. I want to lean towards the side of realism.

Thanks.

NOTE TO MOD: As soon as I get an answer, you can delete this thread.

[pmulcahy11b]

Googling and looking through my book collection, I can't find anything that gives a practical ROF of less than 200 rpm/barrel and a cyclic rate of 800 rpm/barrel. I would guess that a trained gunner might manage short bursts of 3-5 rounds/barrel, but probably not single shots. The barrels are also linked in their firing mechanism, so you can't fire one barrel at a time unless you don't put a belt in the second barrel.

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by Raellus

Paul M's site has its ROF listed at 10 which sounds about right.

Whoops! I think I meant "burst" instead of rate of fire.

Thanks for the answer Paul. If we can't find something definitive, maybe I'll make firing less than 10 rounds contingent on a skill check. If the PC passes, I'll roll a couple of D5 or something and use the total as the number of rounds fired.

[kcdusk]

... good idea Rael.

[Stackmouse]

Can the ZU-23-2 fire single shots? I've seen footage of it firing and it's always in bursts.

No, it can't. The "Sergei" (the finnish nickname for the thing) is capable of full auto only. No single shots, no burst fire that is selected mechanically. A 5-10 round burst is a practical _minimum_ one can fire with the weapon - with a fire rate of nearly 1000 rounds per minute, the operator just can squeeze a shorter burst from the controls with his feets.

That's right, the "trigger" is a pedal which is pushed with feets. The firing pedal can be seen here.

And btw, the rate of 1000 rpm is per _one gun_, and the ZU-23-2 (note the -2) has two of them. That means 2 times 15-16 rounds _per second_. That's not an autocannon, that's a fracking garden hose with AP rounds and grenades coming out of it.

The barrels are also linked in their firing mechanism, so you can't fire one barrel at a time unless you don't put a belt in the second barrel.

Correct. And if the weapon is used in other than AA purposes, loading only one gun might be a smart idea in Twilight setting. You only have that much ammo, and this babe sucks them like a you-know-what.

I have some photos of ZU-23s used somewhere in Africa (Congo region, IIRC), where you can clearly see that the other weapon is out of commission, but the functional one is used by itself.

I'd go for a D6+4 shots per burst, if you want to keep it short.

[Stackmouse]

My PCs want to snipe with it and they've only got 49 rounds.

Right, the 49 rounds is nearly a full boxed belt (50 rds).

And for the curious, I am an armorer NCO serving in the FDF, and I have some amount of experience with the ZU-23-2. And I do love the damn thing, it's Russian weapon design at it's best, a rival for the AK and the 2A18 for the title of the best fracking piece of hardware in the world.

[General Pain]

Originally Posted by Raellus

Can the ZU-23-2 fire single shots? I've seen footage of it firing and it's always in bursts. Paul M's site has its ROF listed at 10 which sounds about right.

My PCs want to snipe with it and they've only got 49 rounds. I want to lean towards the side of realism.

Thanks.

NOTE TO MOD: As soon as I get an answer, you can delete this thread.

what about loading just one round manually?

[Stackmouse]

Originally Posted by General Pain

what about loading just one round manually?

You need to know how to do it. If you place one round to the feed tray, nothing will happen when you "push play". You need either two rounds or one round and a suitable piece of wood/etc, and make a "two shot belt". That way you can fire just one round.

[Raellus]

Thanks, Stackmouse, and welcome to the board.

Would it be possible to "break" the linked ammo into small packages of two or three rounds?

[Stackmouse]

No need to break anything there... The ZU's 23mm ammo comes in an old fashioned way; ammo in one box and the links in another. The links are singles, you attach them together to form the belt. The ammo holds the links from separating, and after it cycles through the gun, the links come off again (so that a continuous chain on links wont choke the system).

The only thing that sucks a bit in this system that without a proper machine designed to push the ammo in the links (or out of them), you will have hard time to make or break the link... hammering the shells isn't the best idea, but that is known to happen in certain less civilized countries

[kcdusk]

Originally Posted by Raellus

Would it be possible to "break" the linked ammo into small packages of two or three rounds?

For christ sakes, just shoot the freakin awesome gun!!!!

Bah, T2K and its rationing of ammo ....