3-inch M1902 field gun
| 3-inch M1902 field gun | |
|---|---|
M1905 model
|
|
| Type | Light field gun |
| Place of origin |
 United States
|
| Service history | |
| In service | 1902–1920s |
| Used by | US Army |
| Wars | World War I |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Watervliet Arsenal |
| Designed | 1902 |
| Produced | 1902–1917 |
| No. built |
|
| Variants | M1902, M1904, M1905 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | gun & breech : 835 lb (379 kg) (1902 & 1904) 788 lb (357 kg) (1905); 2,520 lb (1,140 kg) gun & carriage total. |
| Barrel length | 28 calibers, 7 feet (2.1 m) (bore) |
|
|
|
| Shell | Fixed ammunition, 15 lb (6.8 kg) shell |
| Calibre | 3-inch (76.2 mm) |
| Breech | Interrupted screw, De Bange type |
| Recoil | hydrospring, 45 inches (1.14 m) |
| Carriage | wheeled |
| Elevation | -5° to +15° |
| Rate of fire | 15 rounds per minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,700 ft/s (520 m/s) |
| Effective firing range | 6,000 yd (5,500 m) at 15° elevation |
| Maximum firing range | 8,500 yd (7,800 m) approx. |
| Feed system | hand |
The 3-inch field gun M1902 (76.2 mm), a.k.a. M1904 and M1905, was the U.S. Army’s first nickel steel, quick-firing field gun with a recoil mechanism. Like its predecessor the 3.2-inch gun M1897, it was a rifled breechloader.
The features of rifling, breech loading with fixed ammunition, and a hydraulic-spring system to absorb the gun's recoil and quickly return it to the firing position combined to improve the range, accuracy, and rate of fire of the gun compared with previous weapons, allowing it to be used more effectively in operations with infantry. These new capabilities allowed the gun to provide accurate indirect fire on targets not in a direct line of sight, which provided crucial firepower for infantry attacks. It was also one of the first US artillery guns with an armored shield to protect the crew from small arms fire. The gun fired 3 inches (76 mm) steel, shrapnel, or explosive shells that weighed 15 pounds (6.8 kg). The use of nickel steel construction meant that the M1902 could fire a heavier shell at a higher muzzle velocity and greater accuracy (due to tighter rifling) than any other field gun of American origin to that point. It had a muzzle velocity of 1,700 ft/s (520 m/s) with an effective range of 6,500 yards (5,900 m), and a maximum range of 8,500 yards (7,800 m). The maximum rate of fire was 15 rounds per minute.
This was not the same weapon as the 3-inch M1902 seacoast gun, which was designed by Bethlehem Steel and was mounted in fixed defenses.
This weapon replaced the 3.2-inch gun M1897 in most combat units, but both weapons remained in service until after World War I. General John J. Pershing brought several of the guns with him during the Mexican Punitive Expedition in 1916–17, but they were not fired in combat.
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Wikipedia