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RBL 20-pounder Armstrong gun facts for kids

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RBL 20-pounder gun
RBL 20 pounder Armstrong field gun.jpg
16 cwt field gun with limber
Type Naval gun
Field gun
Place of origin United Kingdom
Service history
In service 1859 – 19??
Used by British Empire
Production history
Designer W.G. Armstrong Co.
No. built 412
Variants 13, 15 and 16 cwt
Specifications
Mass Naval : 13 long hundredweight (660 kg) or 15 long hundredweight (760 kg)
Field : 16 long hundredweight (810 kg)
Barrel length Naval : 54 inches (1.372 m)
Field : 84 inches (2.134 m) bore & chamber

Shell 21 pounds 13 ounces (9.894 kg)
Calibre 3.75-inch (95.2 mm)
Breech Armstrong screw with vertical sliding vent-piece (block)
Muzzle velocity Naval : 1,000 feet per second (300 m/s)
Field : 1,130 feet per second (340 m/s)
Effective firing range 3,400 yards (3,100 m)

The Armstrong Breech Loading 20-pounder gun, later known as RBL 20-pounder, was an early modern 3.75-inch rifled breech-loading light gun of 1859.

History

The gun was effectively a larger version of the successful RBL 12 pounder 8 cwt Armstrong gun. There were different versions for land and sea service.

Sea service

The RBL 20 pounder of 13 cwt and 15 cwt for sea service was introduced in 1859. It is 2½ feet shorter than the land version giving it a bore of only 54 inches (14.43 calibres), and hence a short stubby appearance. Its short barrel only allowed it to attain a muzzle velocity of 1,000 ft/second.

The 15 cwt gun, identifiable by the raised coil in front of the vent slot, was intended for broadside use in sloops. The more lightly constructed 13 cwt gun was known as a pinnace gun and was intended for boat use.

Land service

The RBL 20 pounder of 16 cwt for land service was introduced in 1860. It has a bore of 84 inches (22.36 calibres) and hence has the appearance of a typical field gun. After it became obsolete for regular Royal Artillery use, a small number were re-issued to Volunteer Artillery Batteries of Position from 1889, alongside 16-pounder RML guns and 40 Pounder RBL guns. The 1893 the War Office Mobilisation Scheme shows the allocation of twelve Artillery Volunteer position batteries equipped with 20 Pounder guns which would be concentrated in Epping, Essex in the event of mobilisation.

Surviving examples

See also

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