guide Complete Guide to Picking Ammo Belts (Updated May 2023)

[blastedryan 967]

Just now, Ska_King_Felix said:

I KNOW that the tracer compound burning in flight negatively affects the spread and ballistics.

That doesn't mean it does ingame *cue Gaijin mismodeling comments*.

[Ska_King_Felix 1,450]

Still, the tracers give away your position (they just have to look at the direction the tracers are going to know where you are).  In this respect, I'd take Stealth or Universal, as they have fewer tracers.

[blastedryan 967]

2 minutes ago, Ska_King_Felix said:

Still, the tracers give away your position (they just have to look at the direction the tracers are going to know where you are).  In this respect, I'd take Stealth or Universal, as they have fewer tracers.

That isn't relevant to the discussion. This topic is about which belt maximizes damage.

 

On 1/5/2018 at 2:17 PM, EpicBlitzkrieg87 said:

The belts that were chosen in this list represent the maximum damage you can get out of the guns they are referred to

 

[Ska_King_Felix 1,450]

We need a better definition of damage output.  Is it the maximum output of damage, or the maximum damage possible before a player notices?

[bearchills 427]

6 hours ago, Ska_King_Felix said:

We need a better definition of damage output.  Is it the maximum output of damage, or the maximum damage possible before a player notices?

As far as I'm concerned, that has no business in this particular discussion. I don't think we need to include psychological factors and speculation in the definition of damage output. 
It's a pretty cut-and-dry topic; which belts deal the most damage.
Whether or not someone notices you firing on them has nothing to do with the amount of damage dealt once rounds hit home.
I understand what you're saying, and you're not wrong that people tend to take evasive action and maneuvers when they notice they are being shot at. All the same, imho, I thought that this thread was intended to inform players of which belts actually do more damage when they Do make contact; None of this, "but what if they see me shooting" stuff

Edited January 9, 2018 by bearchills

[Ska_King_Felix 1,450]

Fair point.  Then tracers are the bets for late-war M2/M3 .50 cals.  Still keep Stealth, though.

Edited January 9, 2018 by Ska_King_Felix

[EpicBlitzkrieg87 8,350]

16 hours ago, blastedryan said:

Well now I know you have no actual factual basis for any of your belt choices.

 

I choose whichever deals the most damage. I'd still be using tracers if they really are the best.

And just to be sure, which mode are you thinking of? Because AB and RB have different damage models, and I'm pretty sure we're referring RB to you.

Edited January 9, 2018 by EpicBlitzkrieg87

[Skeletovich 59]

On 1/5/2018 at 8:17 PM, EpicBlitzkrieg87 said:

 

 

13mm MG 131 (turret): Armored Targets

 

 

Actually,the default is better,it does contain more incendiary rounds.....

[EpicBlitzkrieg87 8,350]

1 hour ago, DinoTheSkeleTon said:

Actually,the default is better,it does contain more incendiary rounds.....

Ok, thanks for the info. I have this bad idea that says Default is bad for everything except for American 20mms. I should have double-checked.

[TheElite96 5,839]

And now I'll be the one to come in here and remind you all to try to stay on topic.

I understand that the recent replies here are about blastedryan's data regarding ammo belts, however the purpose of this thread is to guide people in the direction of the best ammo belts, so please discuss and do that instead!

Of course, if you have suggestions for the OP on how to improve his list, then I don't see an issue with that being here.

 

It would also be a good idea to take any discussions regarding "old" data and going back & forth between this somewhere else...such as PM.

 

Edited January 10, 2018 by TheElite96

[EpicBlitzkrieg87 8,350]

18 hours ago, TheElite96 said:

understand that the recent replies here are about blastedryan's data regarding ammo belts, however the purpose of this thread is to guide people in the direction of the best ammo belts, so please discuss and do that instead!

Of course, if you have suggestions for the OP on how to improve his list, then I don't see an issue with that being here.

Thanks for coming.  I think he's taken it too far for me to consider his suggestion though. Ridiculous how he keeps blabbering about his data that he's never shown and backed himself up with.

Edited January 11, 2018 by EpicBlitzkrieg87

[TheElite96 5,839]

@EpicBlitzkrieg87 Maybe so, that's up to you on whether or not you want to take his suggestions. However as I said before it's time to get back on topic. I will start hiding and cleaning up posts that are off topic from here on out. So with that, please get back on topic.

 

Cheers

Edited January 11, 2018 by TheElite96

[Cole4862 56]

This is great. Thank you!

[EpicBlitzkrieg87 8,350]

14 hours ago, Cole4862 said:

This is great. Thank you!

Np  

[TheElite96 5,839]

Thread has been cleaned.

 

From here on out guys, please stay on topic! Any further off topic or derailing replies will be hidden.

Take personal disputes to PM, do not place them here on the public forums.

 

Edited January 12, 2018 by TheElite96
additional info

[SelfeDestruction 1]

Great info guys, but I have a question. Why doesn't every ammo belt (hover over info box) list the muzzle velocity of the rounds? You might see MV rating on 1 out of every 8 or 10 belts. If you are going to put it on one, then it should be on all of them. It's crucial information right before battle so you can factor in the Kentucky windage and know how far of a lead you need for an enemy plane.

Edited April 10, 2018 by SelfeDestruction

[Ska_King_Felix 1,450]

20 hours ago, SelfeDestruction said:

Great info guys, but I have a question. Why doesn't every ammo belt (hover over info box) list the muzzle velocity of the rounds? You might see MV rating on 1 out of every 8 or 10 belts. If you are going to put it on one, then it should be on all of them. It's crucial information right before battle so you can factor in the Kentucky windage and know how far of a lead you need for an enemy plane.

Different rounds have different muzzle velocities (i.e., M23 incendiary rounds on .50 cals travel at 1,040 meters per second, while AP rounds travel at 867 meters per second).  This is why muzzle velocity is only listed for belts that are composed of purely one type of round.

[Ska_King_Felix 1,450]

On 1/5/2018 at 12:17 PM, EpicBlitzkrieg87 said:

As a player who has every plane in the game (excluding premiums, I have a lot but not all) and spent a huge chunk of my time into the game, I know this game very well. I decided to share my knowledge with beginners and all other players with picking ammo belts to help them pick the correct ones. I see a lot of players picking tracers for every gun which is not correct although there are only a few guns that have tracers as the best ammo belt option.

 

Note #1: The listing is based on where the gun came from, not where it's located in the tech tree (for example the Lewis machine gun is found on the S.81 Italian bomber in the Italian tech tree but is of US origin and design so on this guide it's located under the US section).

 

Note #2: This list is mostly applicable for picking belts for enemy aircraft engagements. For guns capable of ground attacking non-soft targets (medium tanks, heavy tanks, light pillboxes etc) I included the appropriate belts for them too.

 

Note #3: This guide is not opinionated. The belts that were chosen in this list represent the maximum damage you can get out of the guns they are referred to. Some players would rather use tracers on the type 99 mk II Japanese 20mm for example as personal preference (I did that for a very long time too, thinking tracers were the best for Japanese 20mms but I was wrong), but Universal has the most damage output.

 

Note #4: This list also includes Stealth ammunition belts for specific guns because they're as good as the other best ammo belts but are better, in the sense of making surprise attacks on enemy planes because usually players only react to being shot at when they see tracers flying past them, and only react to stealth ammo when they're hit. If you are able to lead stealth ammo, that's great; it's another option for you rather than only Universal on MG 17s for example. 

 

 

 

Guns marked as "(turret only)" are available only as defensive armament/on turrets of bombers and/or attackers.

Hold CTRL then press F to search for the gun you want. Here's the guide!  

 

FRA:

 

 

7.5mm MAC 1934: Universal

7.5mm MAC 1934 (turret): Armored Targets

7.5mm Mle 33: Universal

7.5mm Mle 33 (turret): Armored Targets

7.5mm Mle 1923: Universal

7.5mm Mle 1923 (turret): AP-T

7.5mm Darne 1933: Universal

7.5mm Fabrique Nationale Mle 38: Universal

20mm Hispano HS.9: Universal

20mm Hispano 404: Universal

20mm Hispano 404 (turret): Universal

20mm M50: Air Targets

30mm DEFA: Air Targets

 

IT:

 

 

7.7mm Breda-SAFAT: Air Targets

7.7mm Breda-SAFAT (turret): Universal

12.7mm Breda-SAFAT: Air Targets

12.7mm Breda-SAFAT (turret): Universal

12.7mm Scotti (turret only): Universal

102mm 102/35 mod 14: Ground Targets (enemy aircraft)/Armored Targets (ground targets)

 

JP:

 

 

7.7mm type 89: Universal

7.7mm type 89 'special' (turret): Armored Targets

7.7mm type 89 (turret): Armored Targets

7.7mm type 92 (turret only): Armored Targets

7.7mm type 97: Universal

7.7mm type 97 (turret): Armored Targets

7.7mm Te-1 (turret only): Universal

7.92mm type 98 (turret only): Armored Targets

12.7mm Ho-103: Air Targets

12.7mm Ho-104 (turret only): Universal

13mm type 2 (turret only): Universal

13.2mm type 3: Ground Targets

20mm type 99 mk I: Universal

20mm type 99 mk I (turret): Air Targets

20mm type 99 mk II: Universal

20mm type 99-II mk. 5(turret only): Air Targets

20mm Ho-1 (turret only): Air Targets

20mm Ho-3: Universal

20mm Ho-5: Universal

20mm Ho-5 (turret): Air Targets

30mm type 5: Tracers

30mm Ho-155: Tracers

37mm type 94: Default

37mm Ho-203: Default

40mm Ho-301: Default

57mm Ho-401: Default:

75mm Type 88: Ground Targets (enemy aircraft)/Armored Targets ground targets)

 

GB:

 

 

7.7mm Vickers E: Universal

7.7mm Vickers K (turret only): Universal

7.7mm Browning: Universal

7.7mm Browning (turret): Universal

(British) 12.7mm M2 Browning (turret only): Universal

20mm Hispano Mk.I: Stealth

20mm Hispano Mk.II: Air Targets

20mm Hispano Mk.V: Air Targets

30mm ADEN: Air Targets

40mm Vickers S: Air Targets (enemy aircraft)/Armored Targets (ground targets)

47mm Vickers P: Default

57mm Molin Class M: Default

 

USSR:

 

 

7.62mm PV-1: Universal

7.62mm DA (turret only, on TB-3): Universal

7.62mm ShKAS: Universal

7.62mm ShKAS (turret): Universal

12.7mm UB Berezin: Air Targets

12.7mm UB Berezin (turret): Universal

20mm ShVAK: Ground Targets/Stealth

20mm ShVAK (turret): Air Targets

20mm B-20M: Ground Targets/Stealth

20mm B-20S: Ground Targets/Stealth

20mm B-20E (turret only): Air Targets

23mm VYa-23: Universal

23mm NS-23: Air Targets

23mm NS-23K: Air Targets

23mm NR-23: Air Targets

23mm NR-23 (turret): FI-T

37mm NS-37: Air Targets

37mm N-37: Air Targets

37mm N-37D: Air Targets

45mm NS-45: Default

 

GER:

 

 

7.92mm MG 15: Universal/Stealth

7.92mm MG 15 (turret): APT

7.92mm MG 17: Universal/Stealth

7.92mm MG 17 (turret): AP-T

7.92mm MG 81: Universal/Stealth

7.92mm MG 81 (turret): AP-T

13mm MG 131: IAI/Stealth

13mm MG 131 (turret): Default

15mm MG 151: Air Targets

20mm MG C/30L: HEFI-T

20mm MG FF: Air Targets

20mm MG FF (turret): Universal

20mm MG FF/M: Air Targets

20mm MG 151: Air Targets/Stealth

30mm MK 108: Universal/Stealth

30mm MK 103: Air Targets (enemy aircraft)/Armored Targets (ground targets)

37mm BK 3,7: Air Targets (enemy aircraft)/Armored Targets (ground targets)

50mm BK 5: Air Targets (enemy aircraft)/Armored Targets (HVAP-T) (ground targets)

50mm Mk.241a: Air Targets (enemy aircraft)/Armored Targets (HVAP-T) (ground targets)

75mm BK 7,5: Air Targets (enemy aircraft)/Amored Targets (HVAP-T) (ground targets)

 

USA:

 

 

7.62mm Browning: Universal/Stealth

7.62mm Browning (turret): Armored Targets

7.7mm Lewis (turret only, found on the Italian S.81): Universal

12.7mm M2 Browning (early war): Ground Targets/Stealth

12.7mm M2 Browning (mid+late war): Universal/Stealth

12.7mm M2 Browning (turret): Universal

12.7mm M3 Browning: Universal/Stealth

20mm AN/M2: Default/Stealth

20mm AN/M3: Default/Stealth

20mm T-160: Air Targets

37mm M4: Ground Targets

37mm M10: Ground Targets

75mm T13E1: Ground Targets (enemy aircraft)/Armored Targets (ground targets)

75mm M10: Ground Targets (enemy aircraft)/Armored Targets (ground targets)

 

If you find anything missing or incorrect, please inform me.  

 

I hope this is helpful  

7

They gave AN/MX 20mm cannons Air Targets belts in Update 1.77 (HEF-I/HEF-I/AP-IT/HEF-I).  These work wonders.

[LuizBarros99 436]

On 05/01/2018 at 5:17 PM, EpicBlitzkrieg87 said:

20mm ShVAK: Ground Targets/Stealth

20mm B-20M: Ground Targets/Stealth

20mm B-20S: Ground Targets/Stealth

What about the Universal and Tracer Belts? Are they good? Because universal is Ground Targets+ 1 FI-T, and the Tracers is basically Stealth but with the API and FI having tracers.

 

I am doing this question because the Wiki says that the FI and FI-T deal the most Frag damage.

[Rapter29 183]

This doesn't really feel like a complete guide, just a list. I would expect a solid explanation of in-game bullet damage mechanics and other details in a guide to picking a belt. As opposed to just a; This is the best belt, use it.

 

Still though, I appreciate the work and the content. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

 

Regarding the French 404 Hispano 20mm, what made you choose the Universal belt over the Stealth belt. Are you considering the guns in isolation (i.e. as if they are the only gun on the plane) because for any plane that has the 404 and also a smaller caliber gun, I would think the tracers on the small caliber would be sufficient for purpose, and you can replace the 20mm Tracer round with the extra HEF-I round. 

If you are considering the guns only in isolation, then I think that it might be worth expanding the lists to include belt choices for guns when they are mounted alongside different guns. Might be a little confusing, but I think it would make the list more comprehensive and accurate.

Edited May 6, 2018 by Rapter29
20mm question added

[Ska_King_Felix 1,450]

Didn't make this list, but it should say "Universal/Stealth".  Also, 20mm has a different trajectory than, say, a 7.62mm MG.

[Pz_KpfW 110]

For Italian Breda-Safat 12.7mm, Tracer (APIT) is best. The bullets are slow and the APIT at least has some penetration.  The IAI in air targets and stealth belts does not seem to do much damage.
 

[ScrappyD 1]

Hey Blitzkrieg and everybody. I took this information and compiled it into a Google Sheet for easier viewing for myself and others.

Google Sheet

 

If there is anything that looks wrong, feel free to let me know!

 

Thanks!

Edited February 24, 2019 by ScrappyD

[Pz_KpfW 110]

On 06/01/2018 at 03:17, EpicBlitzkrieg87 said:

JP:

 

12.7mm Ho-103: Air Targets

 

Actually, the Strealth belts are best for Ho-103 12.7mm, especially against metal skinned aircraft. Tested in Ki-43.

[LincePatrulheiro 35]

Although some options are subjective overall the guide is pretty good! Thanks!