RML 64 pounder 64 cwt gun

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RML 64 pounder 64 cwt gun
64 pounder gun firing - fort glanville.jpg
Fortification mounted MK III gun firing at Fort Glanville Conservation Park, South Australia
Type Naval gun
Fortification gun
Place of origin  United Kingdom
Service history
In service 1865 - 190?
Used by British Empire
Production history
Designer Woolwich Arsenal
Designed 1864
Manufacturer Woolwich Arsenal
Elswick Ordnance Company
Variants Mk I, II, III
Specifications
Weight 64-long-hundredweight (3,300 kg)
Length 9 ft 10 inches[1]
Barrel length 97.5 inches bore
Shell Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value).[2]
Calibre 6.3 inches (160 mm)
Action RML
Breech none – muzzle-loading
Muzzle velocity wrought-iron tube : 1,252 feet per second (382 m/s)
Mk III steel tube : 1,390 feet per second (420 m/s)[3]
Effective firing range 5,000 yards (4,600 m)[2]

The RML 64 pounder 64 cwt gun was a Rifled, Muzzle Loading (RML) naval, field or fortification artillery gun manufactured in England in the 19th century,[2] which fired a projectile weighing approximately 64 pounds (29 kg). "64 cwt" refers to the gun's weight rounded up to differentiate it from other "64-pounder" guns.

Description

The calibre of 6.3 inches was chosen to enable it to fire remaining stocks of spherical shells originally made for the obsolete 32 pounder guns if necessary.

Mark I (adopted in 1864) and Mark II (adopted 1866) guns, and Mark III guns made from 1867 - April 1871 had wrought-iron inner "A" tubes surrounded by wrought-iron coils.

Mark III guns made after April 1871 were built with toughened mild steel "A" tubes, and earlier Mark III guns were re-tubed with steel and were classified as a siege gun in land service. Remaining guns with iron tubes were used for sea service.[4]

Rifling of all guns consisted of 3 grooves, with a uniform twist of 1 turn in 40 calibres (i.e. 1 turn in 252 inches).[4]

Ammunition

The gun's standard shell was "common shell", for firing on troops in cover, ships and buildings, weighed 57.4 pounds (26.0 kg) when empty with a bursting charge of 7.1 pounds (3.2 kg). Shrapnel shells could also be fired; a 66.6 pounds (30.2 kg) shell with a 9-ounce (260 g) bursting charge propelling 234 metal balls.[5]

Surviving examples

The sole surviving Mk I gun, at Fort George, Scotland.

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ http://riv.co.nz/rnza/hist/gun/rifled5.htm
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 1,252 feet/second firing a 64-pound projectile with 8 pounds R.L.G. gunpowder is quoted for wrought-iron tubed guns in "Treatise on Construction and Manufacture of Service Ordnance, 1879", page 363. 1,390 feet/second firing a 65-pound projectile using 10 pounds R.L.G.4 gunpowder is quoted for Mk III steel tube gun in Table XII in "Text Book of Gunnery 1902".
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Treatise on Construction and Manufacture of Service Ordnance, 1879, pages 292, 261-265
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Bibliography

External links

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