Centurion Breech Closing Speed

[Mike Cecil]

Excellent footage, Niels, thanks for posting it. Unusual to see such long and clear internal footage of loading, etc.

Tim, the thread was about the breech closing speed, so that's what I thought you must have been thinking of with your question about Mark.

The Cent Mks 3 to 11 equipped with 20-pdr or 105-mm guns fire electrically-primed ammunition and use an electrical firing circuit with a break switch that is opened as the gun recoils, and closed manually by the loader once the round is loaded. You can see the loader in the Youtube video per Niels link, throwing the switch lever after each round is loaded. The switch has a GEC manufacturing prefix, so I assume General Electric.

Mike