QF 2-pounder naval gun

QF 2 pdr Mark VIII ("pom-pom")
Quadruple 2 pdr MK VIII guns on Mk.VII mounting aboard HMAS Nizam August 1941
TypeAutocannon
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1917–1940s (Mk II)
1930–1940s (Mk VIII)
Used byBritish Empire
Japan
Thailand
Russian Empire
Kingdom of Italy
Netherlands
WarsFirst World War
Second World War
Production history
DesignerVickers Armstrongs
Designed1915 (Mk II)
1923 (Mk VIII)
VariantsLow-velocity (LV) & high-velocity (HV)
RHI, LHI, RHO, LHO for multiple mountings
Type 91 HI Shiki (Japanese)
Specifications (Mk.VIII HV)
Mass850 lb (390 kg)
Length8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)

Shell40×158mmR
Calibre40 mm (1.6 in)
Barrels1, 4 or 8
Rate of fire115 rpm
Muzzle velocitynew gun: 732 m/s (2,400 ft/s)
worn gun: 701 m/s (2,300 ft/s)[1]
Effective firing range3,960 m (13,300 ft) A/A ceiling
Maximum firing range6,220 m (20,400 ft) at 701 m/s (2,300 ft/s)[2]
Feed system14-round steel-link belt
Filling weight71 g (2.5 oz)

The 2-pounder gun, officially the QF 2-pounder (QF denoting "quick firing") and universally known as the pom-pom, was a 40 mm (1.6 in) British autocannon, used as an anti-aircraft gun by the Royal Navy.[note 1] The name came from the sound that the original models make when firing. This QF 2-pounder was not the same gun as the Ordnance QF 2-pounder, used by the British Army as an anti-tank gun and a tank gun, although they both fired 2 lb (0.91 kg), 40 mm (1.6 in) projectiles.

  1. ^ Naval Weapons of WW2, Campbell, p. 71
  2. ^ Campbell, p.71


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