The M-10T had elevation angles ranging from −3 to +18°. Traverse aiming was achieved by rotating the turret, while precision aiming was possible within a small sector of the gun's own traverse range. The tank howitzer's ammunition load comprised 36 separate-loading rounds (the shell was separate from the cartridge case), which is why the KV-2 had two loaders. Due to separate loading, the rate of fire was as low as 2-3 rounds per minute. The rounds were stored in the turret and along both sides of the fighting compartment. The KV-2 was designed exclusively for fire support and therefore only had high-explosive fragmentation shells.
However, these were so destructive that they could take out any enemy tank. Amidst the chaos early into the war, the KV-2 had to fire any available shells from the field howitzer, but with a smaller charge—which wasn't hard since the loader would put such charges into the open shell casing. The tank howitzer was shorter than the field one and thus had reduced firing range—11,300 meters vs 12,500 meters. However, the KV-2 was an assault tank and engaged targets within direct line of sight, rather than firing at long ranges. Being an assault tank, it featured strong 75 mm armor on all sides. Its 152 mm gun mantlet boasted armor 110 mm thick, a record for that time! A total of 204 KV-2 tanks were built in 1940-1941.
