QF 6 pounder 6 cwt Hotchkiss

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

QF 6 pounder 6 cwt Hotchkiss Mk 1 - 2

Mk V tank showing short 6 pounder gun barrel
Type Tank gun
Place of origin Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom
Service history
In service 1917 - 19??
Used by Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom
Wars World War I
Production history
Designer Hotchkiss
Specifications
Barrel length Bore 52.12 inch (23 calibres)
Total 60 inch

Shell Fixed QF, HE 6 lb (2.7 kg)
Calibre 2.244 in (57 mm)
Breech Vertical sliding block
Recoil hydro-spring
Muzzle velocity 1,350 ft/s[1]
Effective range 7,300 yards

The Ordnance QF 6 pounder 6 cwt Hotchkiss Mk 1 and Mk 2 was a shortened version of the original QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss, and was developed specifically for use in the sponsons of the later Marks of British tanks in World War I, from Mark IV onwards.

Contents

[edit] History

Closeup of Mk I gun in Mk V tank at Imperial War Museum London
Closeup of Mk I gun in Mk V tank at Imperial War Museum London

The original 6 pounder had turned out to be too long for use with the current British heavy tank designs, which mounted guns in sponsons rather than turrets. The 6 pounder 6 cwt Mk I of single tube construction was introduced in January 1917 in the Mark IV tank. The Mk II gun was developed at the same time, having a built-up barrel construction.[1]


[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Hogg & Thurston 1972, Page 39

[edit] References

  • I.V. Hogg and L.F. Thurston, British Artillery Weapons & Ammunition 1914-1918. London: Ian Allan, 1972.

[edit] Surviving examples


British Empire weapons of the First World War