The RML 9-pounder 8 cwt gun and the RML 9-pounder 6 cwt gun were British Rifled, Muzzle Loading (RML) field, horse and naval artillery guns manufactured in England in the 19th century, which fired a projectile weighing approximately 9 pounds (4.1 kg). "8 cwt" and "6 cwt" refers to the weight of the gun to differentiate it from other 9-pounder guns.
RML 9-pounder 8 cwt gun | |
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Type | Field gun |
Place of origin | United Kingdom |
Service history | |
In service | 1871–1895 |
Used by | British Empire |
Production history | |
Designer | Woolwich Arsenal |
Manufacturer | Woolwich Arsenal |
Variants | 9 pdr 8 cwt Mark I (Land Service) 8 cwt Mark II (Naval Service) 6 cwt Mark I (N.S.) 6 cwt Mark II (L.S.) 6 cwt. Mark III (N.S.) 6 cwt Mark IV (N.S.) |
Specifications | |
Mass | 8-long-hundredweight (400 kg) or 6-long-hundredweight (300 kg) |
Shell | 9.1 pounds (4.1 kg) (common shell) 9.8 pounds (4.4 kg) (shrapnel) |
Action | RML |
Breech | none – muzzle-loading |
Muzzle velocity | 1,330 feet per second (405 m/s) |
Effective firing range | 3,500 yards (3,200 m) |
The 9-pounder 8 cwt Rifled Muzzle Loader was the field gun selected by the Royal Artillery in 1871 to replace the more sophisticated RBL 12 pounder 8 cwt Armstrong gun, which had acquired a reputation for unreliability.[1] The gun was rifled using the system developed by William Palliser, in which studs protruding from the side of the shell engaged with three spiral grooves in the barrel.[2] In 1874, a 6 cwt version was introduced for horse artillery and was later adopted for field artillery use, replacing the 8 cwt version. All variants used the same ammunition, which took the form of shrapnel shell, case shot and common shell.[1]
The 9-pounder remained in front-line service with the Royal Artillery until 1878 when the RML 13 pounder 8 cwt gun was introduced, however it remained in use with colonial forces until 1895 and saw action in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, the First Boer War of 1881[1] and the Anglo-Egyptian War in 1882.[3] A number were issued to British Artillery Volunteer units, with the 1st Ayrshire and Galloway Artillery Volunteers being issued with some guns as late as 1901.[4]