Ordnance BL 12-pounder 6 cwt
On the parade ground, probably at St John's Wood Barracks, c. 1897
Type	Light field gun
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1894–1916
Used by	British Empire
Wars	Second Boer War World War I
Specifications
Mass	Mk IV : 656 pounds (298 kg) (barrel & breech), 2,008 pounds (911 kg) (total)^[1]
Barrel length	Mk I : Bore 59 inches (1,499 mm);^[2] Mk IV : Bore 66 inches (1,676 mm), total 71.05 inches (1,805 mm)^[1]

Shell	Separate loading BL, 12.5 pounds (5.67 kg) Shrapnel
Calibre	3-inch (76.2 mm)
Elevation	−8° − 16°^[1]
Traverse	nil
Rate of fire	7-8 rounds/minute^[3]
Muzzle velocity	1,585 feet per second (483 m/s)^[1]
Maximum firing range	3700 yds (No. 56 Fuze, Time setting) 5800 yds (No. 57 Fuze, Time setting) 5400 yds (No. 56 Fuze, Percussion setting)^[3]

The Ordnance BL 12-pounder 6 cwt^{[note 1]} was a lighter version of the British 12-pounder 7 cwt gun, used by the Royal Horse Artillery in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

History

Problems arose when the standard BL 12-pounder 7 cwt gun was used in the great Indian cavalry manoeuvres of 1891. The carriage was found to be too complicated, and dust caused the metal surfaces of the axle traversing device to seize.^[4] It also proved too heavy for horse artillery, which was intended to support cavalry in battle, to manoeuvre.

The 12-pounder 6 cwt gun was therefore developed in 1892, when the new more powerful cordite replaced gunpowder, as a lighter version of the BL 12-pounder 7 cwt gun. It had a barrel 18 inches (460 mm) shorter, on a lighter and simpler carriage, and it entered service in 1894. In 1899 a primitive recoil-absorbing system was added. The weapon was made obsolete in British service by the acquisition of the modern quick-firing Ehrhardt QF 15-pounder in 1901, and was replaced by that and later by the QF 13-pounder from 1905.

The early No. 56 Fuze burned too fast, a maximum of only 13 seconds, and hence could only be time set for a maximum range of 3,700 yd (3,400 m). The No. 57 "Blue" Fuze was introduced during the Boer war. It had a slower burning powder train and hence could be time set for ranges up to 5,800 yd (5,300 m). A maximum range of 6,000 yd (5,500 m) was quoted in use in the First World War.^[5]

Combat use

Second Boer War

The gun was used by the Royal Horse Artillery, and together with the BL 15-pounder, it provided the main British firepower. Eighteen guns were also used by the Royal Canadian Artillery in this war.^[6] A total of 78 guns fired 36,161 shells.^[7]

World War I

A battery of 6 guns served in the East African Campaign as the 8th Field Battery. It arrived with the Calcutta Artillery Volunteers in October 1914, and the guns were towed by teams of oxen.^[8]

Surviving examples

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

British Empire small arms & ordnance of the Victorian era

Sidearms

Muskets and rifles

Artillery

Field Artillery	SBML 9 pounder 13 cwt RBL 9 pounder RBL 12-pounder RBL 20-pounder RML 9-pounder 8 cwt RML 13-pounder 8 cwt RML 16-pounder 12 cwt BL 12-pounder 7 cwt BL 12-pounder 6 cwt QF 12-pounder 8 cwt BL 15-pounder QF 1-pounder pom-pom
Mountain artillery	RML 7-pounder Mountain Gun RML 2.5-inch Mountain Gun
Howitzers, medium, and heavy artillery	RML 6.3-inch howitzer RML 6.6-inch howitzer BL 5-inch howitzer BL 5.4-inch howitzer
Siege & garrison artillery	4.1-inch 'Long Cecil' SBBL 32-pounder SBML 24-pounder SBML 8-inch 65 cwt RBL 40-pounder RBL 7-inch RML 25-pounder 18 cwt RML 40-pounder gun RML 64-pounder 64 cwt gun RML 64-pounder 58 cwt RML 64-pounder 71 cwt gun RML 80-pounder RML 6.6-inch gun RML 8-inch howitzer BL 5-inch gun Mk I – V BL 6-inch 30 cwt howitzer BL 9.45-inch howitzer
Coastal artillery	QF 3-pounder Nordenfelt QF 4.7-inch BL 6-inch Mk III, IV, VI BL 6-inch Mk V RBL 7-inch RML 7-inch RML 8-inch BL 8-inch Mk VII RML 9-inch BL 9.2-inch Mk IV & VI BL 10-inch Mk I BL 12-inch Mk I, VI, VII RML 12.5-inch RML 16-inch RML 17.72-inch

Mortars

13-inch 36 cwt mortar
10-inch 18 cwt mortar
8-inch 9 cwt mortar

War rockets

Congreve 6-pounder
Congreve 12-pounder
Congreve 24-pounder
Boxer
Hales 9-pounder
Hales 24-pounder

Machine guns

British Empire artillery of the First World War

British Empire artillery of the First World War
Armoured vehicle guns	QF 3-pounder Vickers QF 6-pounder Hotchkiss QF 6-pounder 6 cwt
Infantry guns	1.59-inch breech-loading Vickers Q.F. gun, Mk II
Field artillery	BL 12-pounder 6 cwt QF 12-pounder 8 cwt QF 12-pounder 18 cwt QF 13-pounder BL 15-pounder BLC 15-pounder QF 15-pounder QF 18-pounder QF 4-inch gun Mk III BL 4-inch gun Mk VII QF 4.5-inch howitzer
Medium & heavy artillery	QF 4.7-inch gun BL 5-inch howitzer BL 5.4-inch howitzer BL 60-pounder gun BLC 6-inch siege gun BL 6-inch gun Mk VII BL 6-inch gun Mk XIX BL 6-inch 26 cwt howitzer BL 6-inch 30 cwt howitzer BL 8-inch howitzer Mk I – V BL 8-inch howitzer Mk VI – VIII
Siege artillery	BL 7.5-inch Mk III naval gun BL 9.2-inch howitzer BL 9.2-inch Mk X naval gun BL 12-inch howitzer BL 12-inch Mk X naval gun BL 15-inch howitzer
Mountain artillery	RML 2.5-inch mountain gun BL 10-pounder mountain gun BL 2.75-inch mountain gun QF 2.95-inch mountain gun QF 3.7-inch mountain howitzer
Mortars	Garland trench mortar 3-inch Stokes mortar Vickers 1.57-inch mortar 2-inch medium mortar Newton 6-inch mortar 9.45-inch Heavy Mortar
Smoke and chemical weapons	4-inch Stokes Mortar Livens Projector Livens Large Gallery Flame Projector
Anti-aircraft guns	QF 1-pounder pom-pom QF 2-pounder "pom-pom" Mk II 75 mm AA gun QF 12-pounder 12 cwt QF 13-pounder 6 cwt QF 13-pounder Mk IV QF 13-pounder 9 cwt QF 3-inch 20 cwt QF 18-pounder QF 4-inch Mk V
Coastal artillery	QF 12-pounder 12 cwt QF 4-inch naval gun Mk I – III BL 6-inch Mk VII naval gun BL 9.2-inch Mk IX – X naval gun RML 9-inch
Railway guns	BL 9.2-inch railway gun BL 12-inch railway gun BL 12-inch railway howitzer BL 14-inch railway gun