M256 (120 mm)

Description

Write an introduction to the article in 2-3 small paragraphs. Briefly tell us about the history of the development and combat using the weaponry and also about its features. Compile a list of air, ground, or naval vehicles that feature this weapon system in the game.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

• M60 AMBT
• M1A1
• M1A2 Abrams

General info

Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the cannon or machine gun.

Available ammunition

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Comparison with analogues

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Usage in battles

Describe the cannon/machine gun in the game - its distinctive features, tactics of usage against notable opponents. Please don't write a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• M829, KE-W (on the M60 AMBT), and M829A1 (on the M1A2 Abrams) are amongst the most powerful shells in the game, with M829A1 having the third highest penetration after the German DM53 and the Italian CL3143.
• The M256 on the M1A2 Abrams has access to the high velocity, proximity-fused M830A1 HEAT-MP shell, enabling the M1A2 to engage helicopters and low flying aircraft with devastating (and often hilarious) results. A direct hit isn't needed either due to the large amount of explosive filler and wide blast radius.
• Reload is comparable to other NATO MBTs - 7.8 seconds stock and 6 seconds with an aced crew.
• Relatively wide selection of shells - 1 APFSDS shell (M829) and 1 HEAT-FS shell (M830) on the M1A1, 2 APFSDS shells (M829 and M829A1), 1 standard HEAT-FS shell (M830) and 1 HEAT-MP shell (M830A1) on the M1A2 Abrams, the M60 AMBT gets access to the powerful KE-W APFSDS shell and the M830 HEAT-FS shell.
• M830A1 is the fastest HEAT based shell in the game with a muzzle velocity of 1,400 m/s.
• Extremely high muzzle velocity on M829, KE-W, and M829A1 makes longe range sniping a satisfying experience - M829 has the highest muzzle velocity out of the 3 APFSDS shells available.
• Great gun handling characteristics - the gun elevates towards +20 and depresses towards -10 very quickly.
• Very effective stabiliser - does not stop working at high speeds.

Cons:

• Poor stock grind - enemy tanks are very capable of withstanding M830 HEAT-FS.
• M830A1 is not effective against enemy MBTs - it only has 350 mm of chemical-based penetration.
• The M256 on the M1A1 Abrams and M60 AMBT do not get access to the M829A1 APFSDS shell and the M830A1 HEAT-MP shell.
• M830A1 needs to travel a certain distance to arm the fuse - unable to engage helicopters at close range, except for a direct hit.
• The reload isn't very impressive compared to contemporary tanks like the Leopard 2A5/6, the Strv 122, the Ariete and the Leclerc. The Type 90 and Challenger 2 beat it by a full second.
• M830A1 self-destructs at 4.5 kilometres - helicopters can engage the M1A2 way beyond that range.

History

Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

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• reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;
• references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.

External links

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• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the weapon;
• other literature.

USA tank cannons
20 mm	M139
25 mm	LW25 · M242
37 mm	M3 · M5 · M6
57 mm	M1
75 mm	M2 · M2 Howitzer · M3 · M6 · M1897A4 · XM274
76 mm	M1 · M7 · M32 · T185E1
90 mm	M3 · M3A1 · M36 · M41 · M54 · T15E1 · T15E2 · T54 · T208E9
105 mm	M4 · M68 · M68A1 · M68A1E8 · T5E1 · T5E2 · T140E2 · T140E3 · XM35
106 mm	M40A1C
120 mm	M58 · M256 · T53
152 mm	M81 · M162 · XM150E5
155 mm	M185 · T7
165 mm	M135
	Foreign:
20 mm	Rh202 (Germany)
57 mm	6pdr OQF Mk.III (Britain) · ZIS-2 (USSR)
105 mm	Sharir (Israel)
120 mm	IMI MG251 (Israel)