Can tank barrels bend?

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Tank barrels bend all of the time. The weight of the barrel and the heat from firing cause deformation. The rising sun or uneven heating can also cause deformation.

Many tank barrels are wrapped in thermal blankets to help slow or even out this process and a lot of tanks have special reflectors at the edge of the barrel to help a laser calculate how much the barrel has drooped.

However, a barrel is a very sensitive and highly machined instrument which needs to be re-bore sighted once a collision like that occurs. If the barrel is bent, it will need to be replaced.