M1902 field gun

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M1902 field gun

Type	Light field gun
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1902 - 1920s
Used by	United States
Wars	World War I
Production history
Variants	M 1902, 1904, 1905
Specifications
Weight	gun & breech : 835 lb (1902 & 1904); 788 lb (1905); 2,520 lb gun & carriage total.
Barrel length	84 inch (bore); 87.8 inch (total)

Shell	Fixed ammunition, 15 lb shell
Calibre	3 inch
Breech	interrupted screw
Recoil	hydro - spring, 45 inch
Elevation	-5° - 15°
Muzzle velocity	1,700 ft/sec
Effective range	6,000 yards @ 15°
Maximum range	8,500 yards (approx.)

The M1902, a.k.a. M1905 3-inch gun (76.2mm) was the U.S. Army’s first steel, rifled, breech loading, recoiling field gun. These features improved the range, accuracy, and rate of fire of the gun, allowing it to be used more effectively in operations with infantry. These new capabilities allowed the gun to provide accurate indirect fire on targets not in a direct line of sight, which provided crucial firepower for infantry attacks. It was also one of the first artillery guns to have an armored shield to protect the crew from small arms fire.

General Pershing brought several of the guns with him during the Mexican Punitive Expedition in 1916-17 but they were not fired in combat.

The M1902/5 was used from 1905-1917. During World War I, the Army used the French 75s instead of the M1902s, which were mostly kept in the United States for training. Very few of the M1902s were used in combat in Europe. They were phased out of active service in the 1920s.

The gun fired 3 inches (76 mm) Shrapnel or Explosive Shells that weighed 15 Pounds^[1]. It had a muzzle velocity of 1,700 ft/s (520 m/s) with an effective range of 6500 yards, and a maximum range of 8500 yards. The maximum rate of fire was 15 rounds per minute.