First of all, nice to see that people are enjoying and using the firing range
I've heard alot of discussions about the T34/85 in 2.5 allready so I thought I would chime in.
About your penetration tables in that book: keep in mind that the ammunition used was not AP ammunition, as we have it ingame, but APBC wich has a balistic cap. According to the book that you linked to on page 99: "Critical penetration data for Russian APBC is currently unavailable, namely performance against face hardened armor ...". All those figures are based on different sources using converted success chances and stuff like that. "Penetration estimates for Russian AP against homogenous FHA were prepared by those nose hardness analysis and vary from data published on The Russian battlefield Site". So infact, you have alot of estimations from different sources with converted and freely chosen chances of success, that use a completely different ammunition type than what we have ingame.
As for the T34/85 in FH2: the normal AP of the T34/85 can penetrate the front of the turret of the Panther (Ausf. A aswell as Ausf. G) but not the Tiger I, but you have to be very precise to land a shot and not hit the mantlet on the Panther. When you hit the mantlet it will bounce off obviously and you are most likely toast in the time you try to hit that sweet spot. The optics of the Russian tanks were inferior to the German technique and the guns less accurate. We have this represented in the game, so trying to kill the Panther (110m round sloped mantlet) or Tiger I (100 mm @ 20°) from the front with normal AP round with the T34/85 is pure suicide and I wouldn't even try it so in short: NOT RECOMMENDED!
The Russians didn't bring the APCR ammunition because they were bored. With this ammunition they had the capability to penetrate the Tiger I aswell as the Panther, wich is possible right now in FH2, even on the mantlet of the Panther, wich according to other sources I've found (http://www.wwiivehicles.com/soviet-union/guns.asp) is an overstatement when you get to ranges reaching 1000m. So there is nothing bugged or anything in that regard and with the limitations of the engine in mind those tank characterics are impleneted pretty well.
Maybe my words not clear enough, and I never said that T-34-85 can pentrate Tiger I turret front armor, that place have almost 120~150 thickness, only a little place is 110mm.
Let me reorganize my views:
1. I mention the <WWII Ballistics- Armor and Gunnery> is because that Russia, German and USA or other Countries are used different standard on gun penetration test, they used different target panel, diffenrent penetrate rate to mensurate gun's penetration, and diffenrent conversions to their penetration table, so to compare these guns with its own countries table is unreasonable. The <WWII Ballistics- Armor and Gunnery> is only book I found that try to conversions these date in same standard, and it's based on USA army formula which is be tested in test ground.
And I don't want to argue that what penetration 85mm gun should have, I just want to said that 85mm gun has more penetration than Panzer IV's 75mm L48.
2. I give the photo 85mm penetrate Tiger I in Kubinka test ground is want to said that 85mm gun could penetrate Tiger I hull front at 1000m in test ground, also it is in a ideal condition, there are no angle divergence between gun directing and hull directing.
Combined with the above two points, I test T-34-85 in FH2 game Firing Range map, I use its normal AP shoot Tiger I and Panthers at 10m, but 85mm can't penetrate Tiger I hull front and Panther turret front, but Panzer IV can do it, even in a large incidence angle, Panzer IV's normal 75mmL48 AP even can penetrate Tiger I turret front, it is so close distance, I don't think this is accurate problem, isnt' it?
So, I hope you check these date.
And I want to said some other things, in fact, only a little part of German tanks ( like Tiger I and Panther) has better accurate than Russia and USA tanks, some of Russia and USA tanks even have more accurate than Germans, like T-34-85, IS-2 and M4A3E8, Firefly, all of them have better magnification of aim sight and gun accurate than Panzer IV, IS-2's 122mm gun even have same accurate as 88mm L71. Of couse, these have nothing to do with this topic
I hope that I has reorganize my views by these words.
Thanks!