152-mm siege gun M1910

152mm Siege Gun M1910
Type	Field Gun
Place of origin	Russian Empire
Service history
In service	1915–30
Used by	Russian Empire Soviet Union
Wars	World War I, Russian Civil War
Production history
Designer	Schneider et Cie
Manufacturer	Putilov
Produced	1915–28
No. built	100
Specifications
Weight	6,777 kilograms (14,941 lb) (emplaced)
Barrel length	4.27 metres (14.0 ft) (L/28)
Caliber	152.4 millimetres (6.00 in)
Breech	Interrupted screw with de Bange obturation
Recoil	Hydraulic recoil, pneumatic recuperation
Carriage	box
Elevation	-7° to +37°
Traverse	4.3°
Rate of fire	2 rpm
Muzzle velocity	650 metres per second (2,100 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	14,870 metres (16,260 yd)

The 152 mm siege gun model 1910 (Russian: 152-мм осадная пушка образца 1910 года) was a heavy gun used by the Russian Army in World War I. The gun was designed by the French arms manufacturer Schneider and the first prototype was evaluated in Russia in 1909-10. A total of 73 guns were ordered from the Putilov Plant in 1912. However, only 51 guns were delivered by the end of the Civil War. A further 49 guns were ordered by the Red Army Artillery Administration in 1926 and 1928. All usable guns were upgraded to 152 mm gun M1910/30 in the early 1930s.

In 1906 the Russian War Department held a competition among Russian and foreign gun makers to find a 152mm siege gun to replace the obsolete 19th century designs in service. Only two manufacturers' designs were chosen to progress to field trials - those of Schneider and Krupp. The Schneider design was chosen after trials in 1909-10. The trials were a sham since the Schneider gun was preferred even before the trials were conducted. A licence agreement had been signed in 1907 between Schneider and Putilov for the production of a number of Schneider designs including the 152mm gun in anticipation of the final decision. The gun was adopted as the "152 mm Siege Gun Model 1910" (Russian: 152-мм осадная пушка образца 1910 года).

In June 1912 the War Department ordered 56 guns from Putilov. A further 17 guns were ordered by the Marine Office in 1914, but these would have required extensive modifications since they were intended as coastal defence/railway guns. Putilov decided to complete the order for the Russian Army first then build the extra 17 guns. It was intended that production would be completed by July 1918. The Marine Office order was never completed since the revolution intervened in April 1917. Production proceeded fairly slowly. By 1 Jan 1917 36 guns had been completed, by 1 Dec 1917 43 guns. During the revolution and Civil War production was very slow, only 3 guns were completed in 1919, for a total production of 51 guns. In 1926 the Red Army Artillery Administration ordered 26 152mm guns from "Red Putilovets" the former Putilov factory. In 1928 a further 23 guns were ordered bringing the Red Army inventory of 152 mm guns to 67 in 1930.

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