6pdr ammunition

[Gunner]

Hi Guys:

Firstly, to Clive- sorry chum, no insult intended... as you know, Doug's book is dedicated to me and the museum so I'm very proud of it. I won't tell you how many copies I have purchaed to give to family and friends! For highly technical details about ammo, I tend to defer to Master Gunner Hogg. Mea Culpa!

For John: Hogg indicates that the 6 pounder used 2 pounds, five and 1/4 ounces of cordite plus or minus 1/4 ounce depending on the projectile. The US 57mm ammo used NH (non-hydroscopic) propellant which wasn't as "hot" and so had somewhat more propellant in each casing. This played hell with ballistic tables for a while when the US sent bulk stocks of NH without warning the UK of the difference. Reading between the lines, the UK stuck with cordite for high velocity guns and used the NH for other purposes (howitzers?). More research needed here.

This ballistic issue could also bring into question the recorded memories of Lt Stewart as the APDS round may be going faster, but how much? It is smaller, thus the imparted energy on the target is greater. Its all a function of same amount of powder moving a lighter and smaller projectile. I'll do some more digging to see if I can find MVs for the different rounds.

Geoff: Loading the guns trail first might make sense if they were going to be pushed out and deployed right away. Towing out would require an "Action Front" and spinning the gun 180 degrees.

Art: I thought the same thing... we never move our 6 pounder without draping someone over the muzzle as a counter weight. The tongue weight is just a bit too much for me old back and safety dictates that we make it as easy as possible on the detachment.

Cheers!

Mike