Used Tanks, What is the armor rating of a M1A2 Abrams? Options

[AngelisStorm]

OMFG...I can buy a Hind with my Visa. The world is mine!!!!!

That is a whole pile of awsome.

Psycho, while it is often easier to pierce armor than it is to make better armor, that is not always the case. If they increase the bottom armor (and the top armor), it will slow the tank some (that's ok, tanks actually cruise along pretty good). Then as you say, they will make a better man-portable-tank-killer... presumably. Those actually aren't as good as they are often made up to be, and they tend to be really heavy. But that aside, they make a better anti tank weapon. Then either the tanks will go "screw it" and go for lighter, faster, and anti-missile tech (jamming, stealth, whatever) and then we'll just go back to shooting them with really big guns (.50 cal and whatnot). Or, if we follow the trend of recent history, and they will likely just make better armor. And rinse and repeat.

(Not really disagreeing, btw, I just think that tech will probably just keep swinging back and forth.)

But on buying Hinds... and kinda related to owning tanks in the US, does anyone remember the gentleman who lives in the Southwest (Arizona, I believe? But maybe New Mexico or Nevada) who a few years ago had 2 fully functioning Cobra Attack Helicopters? (As the story goes) he builds custom helicopters for a living. In several places in the country there are vast warehouses of military surplus that you can dig through and buy off the goverment (it's the super military surplus locations, and where most military surplus stores apparently get their stuff). Anyway, the helicopter gentleman over the years found enough Cobra parts to build 2 complete chopters. AND, even better, he has ALL the armaments for them to! Of course the guns are illegal, so they are disabled/not assembled (or maybe he had the special permits that private citizens can aquire for automatics weapons? I forget) and at least at the time, he had the missiles to. Because apparently (at the time), it was illegal to import or smuggle missiles into the US... but apparently thier is/was no law against a private citizen owning a missile... if the goverment was silly enough to sell you one. Which the Military Warehouse did. (Who knows how they didn't notice what they were doing.) On the special I was watching, he actually had a missile sitting in his waiting room, leaning against the wall. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[WearzManySkins]

One note any explosive or destructive device ie missile will require a Federal Tax Stamp to own/possess. As for cannons/howitzers they can be owned but the breach/block will have to be welded/fused shut. Unless it is a designed/built cannon made for firing black powder only ie replica.

One cannon recovered in a cadet bonfire cutting area had its breach welded, but seems someone packed the barrel with canon grade black powder, used a blasting cap and a solar cell aimed at the rising morning sun. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif) Morning formation was most interesting, next morning. The BQ Mad Bomber was the usual suspect. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif) After recovering the cannon, its barrel was filled up to the muzzle with lead.

Yes those salvage yards can have many interesting things in them, like a SR-71 type of drone that was briefly at one, pictures were taken but seemed to vanish quickly and said salvage yard no longer recalled seeing anything like it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif) Can we say OPPS!!

IIRC a couple were "caught" not long ago buying F-14 parts and selling/transshipping them to Iran.

WMS