| Ordnance BL 60 Pounder | |
|---|---|
 A 60-pounder Mk I at full recoil. Photographed by Ernest Brooks in action at Cape Helles during the Battle of Gallipoli, June 1915. | |
| Type | Heavy field gun |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1905–1944 |
| Used by | British Empire United States Russian Empire Soviet Union |
| Wars | World War I World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Elswick Ordnance |
| Designed | 1904 |
| No. built | 1,756 (Mk. I)[1] |
| Variants | Mk I, Mk II |
| Specifications | |
| Barrel length | Bore Mk I: 13 ft 3 in (4.04 m) Bore Mk II: 15 ft 4 in (4.67 m)[2] |
| Crew | 10 |
| Shell | 60 lb (27 kg) shell with 8 pounds (3.6 kg) Lyddite or 6 pounds (2.7 kg) Amatol.[a] Later 56 lb (25 kg) shell |
| Calibre | 5 inches (127 mm) |
| Recoil | 55 inches hydro-spring constant (Mk I – III) 54 inches hydro-pneumatic variable (Mk IV)[3] |
| Carriage | Wheeled, box trail |
| Elevation | -5° to +21.5° (Mk I) -4° to +35° (Mk. II)[3] |
| Traverse | 4° L & R[b] |
| Rate of fire | 2 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,080 ft/s (630 m/s) (Mk I) 2,130 ft/s (650 m/s) (MK II)[3] |
| Maximum firing range | 10,300 yd (9,400 m) (original 60 lb 2 c.r.h. shell), 12,300 yd (11,200 m) (modified 8 c.r.h. shell shape) (Mk. I);[1] 15,500 yd (14,200 m) (56 lb Mk 1D 10 c.r.h. shell, Mk. II gun) |
The Ordnance BL 60-pounder[c] was a British 5-inch (127 mm) heavy field gun designed in 1903–05 to provide a new capability that had been partially met by the interim QF 4.7 inch gun. It was designed for both horse draft and mechanical traction and served throughout the First World War in the main theatres. It remained in service with British and Commonwealth forces in the inter-war period and in frontline service with British and South African batteries until 1942 being superseded by the BL 4.5-inch medium gun.
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