QF 6 pounder 6 cwt Hotchkiss Mk 1 - 2
Mk V tank showing short 6 pounder gun barrel
Type	Tank gun
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1917 - 19??
Used by	United Kingdom
Wars	World War I
Production history
Designer	Hotchkiss
Specifications
Barrel length	Bore: 52.12 inch (1.32 m) 23 calibres Total: 60 inch (1.52 m)
Shell	Fixed QF, HE 6 lb (2.7 kg)
Calibre	2.244 in (57 mm)
Breech	Vertical sliding block
Recoil	hydro-spring
Muzzle velocity	1,350 ft/s (411 m/s)[1]
Effective range	7,300 yards (6,675 m)

The Ordnance QF 6 pounder 6 cwt Hotchkiss Mk 1 and Mk 2 was a shortened version of the original QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss, and was developed specifically for use in the sponsons of the later Marks of British tanks in World War I, from Mark IV onwards.

History

Closeup of Mk I gun in Mk V tank at Imperial War Museum London

The original 6 pounder had turned out to be too long for use with the current British heavy tank designs, which mounted guns in sponsons rather than turrets, the muzzles of the long barrels sometimes digging into the mud when the vehicle crossed trenches. The 6 pounder 6 cwt Mk I of single tube construction was introduced in January 1917 in the Mark IV tank. The Mk II gun was developed at the same time, having a built-up barrel construction.^[1]

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (May 2008)

See also

• List of artillery#Tank guns

Notes

References

• I.V. Hogg and L.F. Thurston, British Artillery Weapons & Ammunition 1914-1918. London: Ian Allan, 1972.

Surviving examples

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (May 2008)

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