| Ordnance BL 5-inch howitzer | |
|---|---|
 Territorial Force gunners with howitzer in camp pre-WWI | |
| Type | Field howitzer |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1895 – 1919 |
| Used by |  United Kingdom Kingdom of Romania Russian Empire |
| Wars | Mahdist War Second Boer War First World War |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 2,672 lb (1,212 kg)[1] |
| Barrel length | 42 inches (1.07 m) bore (8.4 calibres)[2] |
| Shell | 50 lb (22.7 kg) Common shell 50 lb (22.7 kg) Lyddite shell 40 lb (18.1 kg) Amatol shell[3] |
| Calibre | 5-inch (127.0 mm) |
| Breech | 3-motion, interrupted screw[4] |
| Recoil | 5.5 in (140 mm), Hydro-spring constant[4] |
| Carriage | Wheeled, box trail |
| Elevation | -5° - 45°[4] |
| Muzzle velocity | 788 ft/s (240 m/s)[5] |
| Effective firing range | 4,800 yards (4,400 m) (50 lb shell); 6,500 yards (5,900 m) (40 lb shell) |
| Filling weight | 9 pounds 15 ounces (4.51 kg) (Lyddite) 5 pounds (2.27 kg) (Amatol) |
The Ordnance BL 5-inch howitzer was initially introduced to provide the Royal Field Artillery with continuing explosive shell capability following the decision to concentrate on shrapnel for field guns in the 1890s.
- ^ Hogg, Ian. Twentieth-Century Artillery. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2000. ISBN 0-7607-1994-2 Pg.46
- ^ Text Book of Gunnery 1902, Table XII page 336
- ^ Treatise on Ammunition 1915, accurate as at 1 August 1914, mentions that there are both "Heavy" 50 lb (23 kg) and "Light" 40 lb (18.1 kg) shells and mentions a 14 oz 13 dram cartridge for a 40 lb (18.1 kg) shell (page 142). But only 50 lb (22.7 kg) shells are listed in tables. It is possible the 40 lb (18.1 kg) shell was in process of being introduced in 1914.
- ^ a b c Hogg & Thurston 1972, page 113
- ^ Hogg & Thurston 1972 page113. Text Book of Gunnery 1902 gives 782 ft/s (238 m/s), firing a 50 pounds (22.7 kg) projectile, with 11oz 7dram Cordite size 3¾ propellant.