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The Ordnance BL 2.75in mountain gun was a significantly modernized version of the 10-pounder mountain gun, and was given a modern recoil system that put it almost on a par with the cavalry and field artillery guns.
The 10-pounder was a breech loaded ‘screw gun’, with a barrel that could be split into two to be transported by mules. It had replaced an older 2.5in muzzle loading weapon that had performed badly during the Boer War, but still lacked any modern recoil system, making it badly outdated compared to the 13-pounders of the Horse Artillery or the 18-pounders of the Field Artillery.
The BL 2.75in mountain gun was a major update of the 10-pounder. It used the same breech loading barrel, but placed it on an entirely new carriage. This had a pole trail, a recuperator that was carried on the trunnions, a gun shield and cranked axles that allowed the height of the gun to be altered. The barrel was mounted on top of the recuperator mechanism. It fired a heavier 12.5lb shrapnel shell to a much more useful 5,600 yards, around 2,000 yards further than the 10-pounder. The gun could be split into six mule loads, or towed behind a team of horses.
The 2.75in mountain gun was accepted in 1911. A total of 183 were built during the First World War, of which 106 were still in service in 1918.
The 2.75in mountain gun was issued to the Indian Mountain Artillery, and was used on the North Western Frontier of India. One Indian mountain brigade used the type on the Western Front in November 1914, but it was of little use there. It was used on the Salonika front, where it was much more effective, and in Mesopotamia.
Name |
Ordnance BL 2.75in Gun Mk I on carriage mountain BL 2.75in Mk I. |
Calibre |
70mm (2.75in) |
Barrel Length |
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Weight for transport |
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Weight in action |
586kg (1,252lb) |
Elevation |
-15 to +22 degrees |
Traverse |
8 degrees |
Shell Weight |
5,67kg (12.5lb) shrapnel |
Muzzle Velocity |
393m/ sec (1,290ft/ sec) |
Maximum Range |
5,600 yards shrapnel |
Rate of Fire |
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