Ordnance QF 6-pounder

Ordnance QF 6-pounder 7 cwt
Ordnance QF 6-pounder 7 cwt
	QF 6-pounder at Rawalpindi
Type	Anti-tank gun; Tank gun
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1942 – 1960
Used by	See § Users
Wars	List of conflicts World War II ; First Indochina War ; Korean War ; 1956 Suez War ; North Yemen Civil War ; Nigerian Civil War ;
Production history
Designed	1940
Produced	1941 – 1945
Variants	See § Variants
Specifications
Mass	Mk II gun (L/43) 2,520 lb (1,140 kg) ; Mk IV gun (L/50) 2,679 lb (1,215 kg) ; US M1 gun (L/50) 2,679 lb (1,215 kg) ;
Barrel length	Mk II, III gun 8 ft 4 in (2.54 m) L/43 ; Mk IV, V gun 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m) L/50 ; US M1 gun 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m) L/50 ;
Width	5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)
Height	4 ft 2 in (1.28 m)
Crew	6
Shell	Fixed QF 57×441 mmR
Calibre	2.244 in (57 mm)
Breech	Vertical sliding-block
Recoil	Hydro-pneumatic
Carriage	Split trail
Elevation	-5° / +15°
Traverse	90°
Rate of fire	15 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	See ammunition table
Effective firing range	1,650 yd (1,510 m)
Maximum firing range	5,000 yd (4,600 m)
Sights	No.22c

The Ordnance quick-firing 6-pounder 7 cwt, or just 6-pounder, was a British 57 mm gun, serving during the Second World War as a primary anti-tank gun of both the British and United States Army (as the 57 mm gun M1). It was also used as the main armament for a number of armoured fighting vehicles.

Although designed before the start of the war, it did not reach service until the North African Campaign in April 1942, where it replaced the 2-pounder as an anti-tank gun, allowing the 25-pounder gun-howitzer to revert to its intended artillery role.