[Lumberjack] 
Sit down, relax, Strap on your Goggles, Grab an extra box of ammunition, and get ready for the largest, most intricate, nerd out, break down of the Lumberjack Heavy Mortar that i have yet to do.(side note this is my first post about the Lumberjack)
This Guide is for Game patch 1.3.9 but seeing as how the Lumberjack has not changed much since it conception i am sure these numbers will be future proof. This guide will strive to explain some game theory behind shooting and piloting with a Lumberjack, the attributes of each ammunition, and when each individual ammunition should be used.
Shooting a Lumberjack is one of the few positions currently in the game that can benefit from the Gunner class. The Lumberjack’s .8 second arm time means that it can benefit from range reducing ammunition such as Greased, Heatsink, Incendiary, or most noticeably Lochnagar. The Lumberjack is also the second farthest shooting Gun in the game, only beaten out by the Mercury Field Gun.
The Lumberjack’s base damage is Shatter, and its secondary AOE damage, is Flechette. When the Lumberjack is within its .8 second arm time all of its AOE damage is removed meaning it only does its base Shatter damage, with this in mind it is still possible to shoot out Guns and Engines because these components are unaffected by Flechette to begin with.
When shooting Lumberjacks there are a few things to keep in mind:
How far away is the enemy?Knowing the range will allow you to be able to compensate the required amount to hit with accuracy. Lumberjacks have a the most bullet drop of any gun in the game(even more than the mine) this means it is vital to choose the correct ammunition for the range of the engagement.
What Speed is the enemy moving?Knowing the speed of a target will allow you to lead the your shots. The distance of a target divided by the speed of the bullet gives you the time that you will need to lead your shots.
What way is my ship turning and moving?Bullets fired from a Lumberjack inherit the movement of the ship. This means it is vital that you communicate with you captain as to when you are shooting, se he can be still, and when you are reloading, so he can maneuver.
Tips for Piloting a Lumberjack:Shooting a Lumberjack is just as much the pilots job as it is the gunner’s. Without an incredibly stable firing platform the Lumberjack is nearly impossible to shoot effectively. There are several ways of stabilizing you gunners firing platform.When piloting a ship with a Lumberjack try only to turn one way at a time. If you make a hard turn to the left avoid cranking the wheel to the right to slow your turn, this creates a fishtail effect creating a shaky firing platform and inturn missed shots. In the event you need to make a long sustained turn be sure to burn a small amount of kerosene or moonshine once you leave your phoenix claw turn. Here is an example of a flawed turn with only phoenix claw:
as you can see the ship drifts quite aways after all helm tools have been switched
off and the helm has been released. Here is a turn with a kerosene air break:
This turn is a lot more snappy, it also is incredibly stable, there is also no fish tail from a reverse turn.
The Lumberjack has a short turn radius, meaning that it is up to the captain to keep the gun in ache at all time, on a ship like a Lumber-fish or Lumber-spire, this is vital, because the Lumberjack is a large portion of the damage. But on the other Hand the Lumberjack has the highest vertical angle of any gun in the game, meaning that you will never have to gain altitude!
This brings me to tools that a pilot flying a ship with a lumberjack should bring.
Phoenix Claw, will allow a pilot to keep the short turning radius of the lumberjack constantly in ache of the enemy.
Kerosene, this will allow you to do the maneuver that i showed above as well as giving you a good boost to speed and engine power in rams, without burning out your engines.
Chute Vent, will allow you to escape changing enemies, while taking advantage of the Lumberjack’s impressive vertical angle, unlike Hydrogen which will only provide you with an escape. Chute Vent can also be used, to great effect, to crush enemies, once their balloon is knocked out.
Ammunition:I have broken the Ammunition choices into five Groups
Lesmok,
Mid Range,
Close Range,
Incendiary, and
Lochnagar. Each of the ammunitions in these groups have the same firing pattern as the other once in their groups, but each ammunition in unique in their own way!
[Lesmok] Lesmok is the Longest range ammunition available to gunners making invaluable on large maps!
Max range: 2805m
Shell life: 6 Seconds
Arming distance: 374m
Arming time: .8 seconds
Reload time: 7.7 seconds
Projectile speed: 467.5
Seconds of lead time:
500m 1.07
800m 1.71
1000m 2.14
1200m 2.57
1500m 3.21
2000m 4.28
2500m 5.34
Lesmok: Lesmok has a massive buff to range, extending it over 1200m beyond the normal range. With only a reduced clip size this is a must have ammunition. The bullet lift also helps in mid range engagements, flattening out the bullet drop.
[Mid range]Mid range munitions are capable of reaching out and wrecking enemy balloons and components while also being able get up close and still dish out the damage.
Max range: 1650m
Shell life: 6 seconds
Arming distance: 220m
Arming time: .8 seconds
Reload time: 7.7 seconds
Projectile speed: 275mps
Seconds of lead time:
500m 1.82
800m 2.91
1000m 3.64
1200m 4.36
1500m 5.45
Normal: Normal ammunition is the one the muse gods have blessed us with. it has a powerful damage, capable of two shot balloon pops, while buffed; and decent range and standard arm time. It is very useful at mid ranges as your fourth ammunition.
Charged: Charged ammunition is the only ammunition that is capable of performing a two shot balloon pop with out a buff hammer. this makes it invaluable in situations where you do not have a buff hammer, but in situations where a buff hammer is present, charged is out stripped by every other ammunition; charged is crippled by its slow rate of fire and reduced clip size.
Burst: Burst has only one down side, this is its deplorable rate of fire, the slowest rate of fire. But if a gunner can overcome this slit drag, Burst is an extremely relevant choice when it comes to ammunition. Burst has an increased clip size, no reduction in damage, and massively buffed AOE damage bloom. This increase to AOE bloom means that the Lumberjack’s secondary damage, Flechette, is stretched across a greater area, but what does this mean for the gunner? This AOE buff means that you don't even have to hit the balloon to destroy it, you just have to get close enough. Burst is also capable of a two shot balloon pop, while buffed.
[Close range]Close range munitions have a reduced arm time and max range making them perfect for close range engagements.
Max range: 1320m
Shell life: 6 seconds
Arming distance: 176
Arming time: .8 seconds
Reload time: 7.7 seconds
Projectile speed: 220mps
Seconds of lead time:
500m 2.27
800m 3.64
1000m 4.55
1200m 5.45
Greased: Greased rounds have increased rate of fire and clip size, but it suffers from a reduced damaged. Greased rounds are not capable of a two shot balloon pop, buffed or unbuffed, but its increased rate of fire means that you will be able to shoot three shots in about the same time other ammunitions can shoot two meaning that infact it has about an equal balloon pop time. Greased’s rate of fire also gives it the highest damage per second of any ammunition, but it does lack the damage per clip that other munitions in it’s class favor. Greased also can be used when a target is with in arming time, its high rate of fire means you will be able to land hits in quick succession on components increasing your chances of damaging or destroying them.
Heatsink: Heatsink is a very useful ammunition. Heatsink has the most increased clip size of any ammunition, and it pays for this with only a slight reduction in damage. This masvie clip allows a gunner to be able to juggle balloon popping on two different targets. While Heatsink is loaded the gun can not catch on fire and when it first slides in it extinguishes 3 fire stacks. This fire quark is very helpful because it allows a gunner to control his own fires, freeing up and engineer to focus on other tasks.
[Incendiary]Incendiary has the second shortest arm time of all the ammunition making it perfect for close ranges. Aiming of Incendiary ammunition is nearly identical to that of close range munitions, just slightly shallower.
Max range:1237m
Shell life: 6 seconds
Arming distance: 165m
Arming time: .8 seconds
Reload time: 7.7 seconds
Projectile speed: 206mps
Seconds of lead time:
500m 2.43
800m 3.88
1000m 4.85
1200m 5.83Incendiary: Incendiary, unlike “close range” munitions, does not have a reduction to damage, this means it is capable of landing a two shot balloon pop, while buffed. Incendiary does have a lackluster rate of fire and clip size, but Incendiary’s higher single shot damage can be used to quickly pop multiple balloons.
[Lochnagar]Lochnagar is a very powerful addition to a gunners arsenal. Lochnagar retains the same range as vanilla ammunition but has a greatly reduced arm time.
Max range: 1650m
Shell life: 6 seconds
Arming distance: 88m
Arming time: .32 seconds
Reload time: 8.5 seconds
Projectile speed: 275mps
Seconds of lead time:
500m 1.82
800m 2.91
1000m 3.64
1200m 4.36
1500m 5.45Lochnagar: Lochnagar has the shortest arm time of any ammunition, it also has the most damage from a single shell. Lochnagar does enough damage to take down a balloon with one shot, buffed or unbuffed. This means it is perfect for dropping a close target's balloon, but its ridiculously slow rate of fire means that it is out striped for damage per seconds by every other ammunition.
