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. | |
| Type | Heavy field gun |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1905–1944 |
| Used by | |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Elswick Ordnance |
| Designed | 1904 |
| No. built | 1,756 (Mk. I) |
| Specifications (Mk I gun on Mk I carriage) | |
| Mass | 4 ton 11 cwt 3 qtr 7 lb (4.664 t) |
| Length | 21 ft 7 in (6.6 m) |
| Barrel length | 14 ft (4.3 m) total 13 ft 4 in (4.1 m) bore (L/32) |
| Width | 6 ft 6+1⁄2 in (2.0 m) |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.7 m) without sights |
| Crew | 10 |
| Shell weight | 60 lb (27 kg) |
| Calibre | 5 in (130 mm) |
| Elevation | 21½° max elevation 5° max depression |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,080 ft/s (630 m/s) |
| Maximum firing range | 10,300 yd (9,400 m) early 12,300 yd (11,200 m) later |
| References | Handbook for 60 pdr Mk I & Allied Artillery of World War One |
| BL 60-pounder gun | |
|---|---|
| Specifications (Mk II gun on Mk IV carriage) | |
| Mass | 5 ton 10 cwt 14 lb (5.594 t) |
| Length | 24 ft 10+1⁄2 in (7.6 m) |
| Barrel length | 16 ft 1⁄4 in (4.9 m) total 15 ft 5 in (4.7 m) bore (L/37) |
| Width | 8 ft (2.4 m) |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Crew | 10 |
| Shell weight | 60 lb (27 kg) |
| Calibre | 5 in (127 mm) |
| Recoil | 4 ft 6 in (1.37 m) horizontal 2 ft (0.61 m) max elevation |
| Elevation | 35° max elevation 5° max depression |
| Traverse | 4° left and right |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,145 ft/s (654 m/s) |
| Maximum firing range | 15,700 yd (14,400 m) |
| References | Handbook for 60 pdr Mks II & II* on Mk IV carriage & Allied Artillery of World War One |
The Ordnance BL 60-pounder 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forces in the inter-war period and in frontline service with British and South African batteries until 1942 being superseded by the BL 4.5-inch medium gun.