Ordnance QF 17-pounder

Ordnance QF 17-pounder
17-pounder in Batey ha-Osef museum, Israel
Type
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1943–present
Used byBritish Commonwealth
Wars
Production history
Designed1941–42
Produced1942-
Specifications
Mass3 long tons (3.05 t)
Barrel length
  • 13 ft 9 in (4.19 m)
  • 55 calibres
Width2.2 m (7 ft 3 in)
Height1.6 m (5 ft 3 in)
Crew5-6
ShellFixed QF 76.2×583mmR
(R/135mm)
Calibre3 inches (76.2 mm)
BreechVertical sliding breech
RecoilHydro-pneumatic
CarriageSplit trail carriage, with gun shield.
Elevation-6° to +16.5°
Traverse60°
Rate of fire
  • 20 rpm cyclic
  • 10 rpm practical
Muzzle velocity
  • 2,900 ft/s (880 m/s) APCBC HE
  • 3,050 ft/s (930 m/s) APCBC [2]
  • 3,950 ft/s (1,200 m/s) APDS
Effective firing range1.5 km (0.93 mi)
Maximum firing range10.5 km (6.5 mi)[3]

The Ordnance Quick-Firing 17-pounder (or just 17-pdr)[note 1] was a 76.2 mm (3 inch) gun developed by the United Kingdom during World War II. It was used as an anti-tank gun on its own carriage, as well as equipping a number of British tanks. Used with the APDS shot, it was capable of defeating all but the thickest armour on German tanks. It was used to "up-gun" some foreign-built vehicles in British service, notably to produce the Sherman Firefly variant of the US M4 Sherman tank, giving British tank units the ability to hold their own against their German counterparts. In the anti-tank role, it was replaced after the war by the 120 mm BAT recoilless rifle. As a tank gun, it was succeeded by the 84 mm 20 pounder.

  1. ^ "Il y a 53 ans, la guerre de Bizerte : Le témoignage du général Elkateb". Leaders Tunisie (in French). 13 July 2014.
  2. ^ "17-Pounder: Britain's Long Arm".
  3. ^ Foss, Christopher (1977). Jane's pocket book of towed artillery. New York: Collier. ISBN 0020806000. OCLC 911907988.


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