BL 60-pounder gun

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.
TypeHeavy field gun
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1905–1944
Used byBritish Empire
United States
Russian Empire
Soviet Union
WarsWorld War I
World War II
Production history
DesignerElswick Ordnance
Designed1904
No. built1,756 (Mk. I)[1]
VariantsMk I, Mk II
Specifications
Barrel lengthBore Mk I: 13 ft 3 in (4.04 m)
Bore Mk II: 15 ft 4 in (4.67 m)[2]
Crew10

Shell60 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
Calibre5 inches (127 mm)
Recoil55 inches hydro-spring constant (Mk I – III)
54 inches hydro-pneumatic variable (Mk IV)[3]
CarriageWheeled, box trail
Elevation-5° to +21.5° (Mk I)
-4° to +35° (Mk. II)[3]
Traverse4° L & R[b]
Rate of fire2 rpm
Muzzle velocity2,080 ft/s (630 m/s) (Mk I)
2,130 ft/s (650 m/s) (MK II)[3]
Maximum firing range10,300 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forces in the inter-war period and in frontline service with British and South African batteries until 1942 being superseded by the BL 4.5-inch medium gun.

  1. ^ a b Clarke 2004
  2. ^ Hogg & Thurston 1972, Pages 117 & 119
  3. ^ a b c Hogg & Thurston pages 117, 119
  4. ^ Handbook of Artillery, US Ordnance Dept, May 1920, Page 192, 195


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