Design Features
Rheinmetall's L/44 tank gun has a caliber of 120 mm, and a length of 44 calibers (5.28 meters (17.3 ft)). The gun's barrel weighs 1,190 kilograms (2,600 lb), and on the M1 Abrams the gun mount weighs 3,317 kilograms (7,310 lb), while the new barrel (L/55) is 55 calibers long, 1.30 meters (4.3 ft) longer. The bore evacuator and the gun's thermal sleeve, designed to regulate the temperature of the barrel, are made of glass-reinforced plastic, while the barrel has a chrome lining to increase barrel life. Originally the gun had a barrel life of between 400 and 500 rounds, but with recent advances in propellant technology the average life decreased to 260 rounds. In some cases, barrels have had to be replaced after firing only 50 projectiles. The gun's recoil mechanism is composed of two hydraulic retarders and a hydropneumatic assembly.
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