Few questions about Gast-principle: 1) Did anyone use or research guns using Gast-principle in WW II ? 2) Did anyone in western world use Gast-principle after WW II ? 3) How does it actually work? Pictures, animations? 4) Some history about that principle? 5) Which guns today use Gast-principle (besides some russian aircraftguns)? Not anything to do with Gast but... 6) Which are better, russian aircraftguns or western aircraft guns? In paper, russian Gatling-guns seem to be better than their American counterparts (lighter, no need for external powersupply, higher ROF). And how about non-Gatling guns, 1 barreled and Gast-guns against various western revolvers?
Gast-principle is one method to load 2 -barreled cannon, the firing of one barrel drives the action of the other half of the gun. Russian GSh-23L uses this principle. I'm hoping that Tony Williams is able to answer my questions...
AFAIK no-one looked seriously agains at the Gast principle until after WW2, when the Russians picked it up in slightly modified form. The breechblocks of the two barrels are still connected by a pivoting yoke as on the original design, but gas is tapped from the barrels to drive the mechanism. The first Russian gun of this was type was indeed the GSh-23. It has since been joined by the GSh-30 aircraft gun and the 2A38M AA gun. The Czechs have recently modified the GSh-23 to fire the US 20x102 ammo - it is available in a gunpod. The only Western attempt I know of was the American GE 225 of the 1980s, chambered for the 25x137 NATO ammo. A neat little gun, but no-one bought it. Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and Discussion forum
