Schneider-Canet 75mm field gun M. 1904

 

 

 

 

Bulgarian designation :

75-мм скорострелно полско оръдие “Шнайдер”

Schneider designation :

Matιriel de campagne ΰ tir rapide de 75 mm, modθle 1903 PR

Calibre :

75mm L/32

Weight of the barrel :

383.7 kg

Weight of the breech-block :

13.5 kg

Weight of the carriage :

633 kg

Weight in action :

1017 kg

Weight of the limber :

370 kg (empty) – 683 kg (loaded)

Weight in marching order :

1700 kg

Weight of ammunition wagon :

1661 kg

Length of the whole gun :

4.200 m

Barrel length :

2.400 m

Rifling

length :

1.966 m – 26.5 calibres

twist :

uniform, 1 in 30 calibres

angle of twist :

6°

Number of barrel grooves :

24

Height of the line of fire :

945 mm

Shield

weight :

60 kg

height:

1.70 m

thickness :

4.75 mm

Schneider ammunition

 

Cartridge

size :

75 x 280 x 90 R

weight :

1.13 kg

shelled :

8.21 kg

charge :

580 g of Poudre BM3 (French smokeless powder)

Shrapnel E.C. 1

weight :

6.5 kg - charge: 90 g of black powder

240 bullets x 11.5 g

fuze :

time and percussion - weight : 480 g

max. range :

5900 m

Shrapnel E.C. 2

weight :

6.5 kg - charge: 80 g of black powder

311 bullets x 10 g x 13 mm

fuze :

time and percussion - weight : 350 g

max. range :

5900 m

Krupp ammunition

 

Cartridge

size :

75 x 280 x 90 R

weight :

1.13 kg

shelled :

8.138 kg

charge :

508 g of Rottweil smokeless powder

H.E. Shell

weight :

6.5 kg – charge: 140 g of Picric acid

fuze :

percussion

max. range :

6300 m (afterwards increased to 8000 m)

Shrapnel

weight :

6.5 kg - charge: 82 g of black powder

320 bullets x 10 g x 13 mm

fuze :

time and percussion - weight : 284 g

max. range :

5900 m

H.E. Shrapnel

weight :

6.5 kg - charge: 195 g of Trotyl

294 bullets x 10 g x 13 mm

fuze :

time and percussion

max. range :

5900 m

Ehrhardt ammunition

 

H.E. Shrapnel

weight :

6.5 kg - charge: 220 g of Trotyl

225 bullets x 10 g x 13 mm

fuze :

Ehrhardt Doppel Zόnder c/1907 

max. range :

5900 m

Muzzle velocity :

500 m/s

Remaining velocity :

at 1000 m – 375 m/s

at 2000 m – 304 m/s

at 3000 m – 271 m/s

at 4000 m – 249 m/s

at 5000 m – 232 m/s

at 6000 m – 223 m/s

official data furnished by Schneider, Canet, et Cie., Le Creusτt, France

Angle of descent :

at 100 m – 0° 8’

at 500 m – 0° 40’

at 1000 m – 1° 36’

at 1500 m – 2° 46’

at 2000 m – 4° 14’

at 2500 m – 5° 58’

at 3000 m – 7° 58’

at 3500 m – 10° 13’

at 4000 m – 12° 46’

at 5000 m – 18° 56’

at 6000 m – 26° 43’

Quadrant angle at max. range :

20°

Line of sight

height :

1130 mm with ordinary sight

1197 mm with collimateur

length :

760 mm with ordinary sight

Elevation :

+ 16° / - 5°

Traversing angle :

6°

Recoil :

1270 mm 

Wheels

weight :

136 kg

height :

1.33 m

track :

1.45 m

Transport :

drawn by six horses

Ammunition :

gun limber – 38 shells, wagon limber – 38 shells, wagon body – 60 shells

12 ammunition wagons for every battery

Remarks :

Quick firing field gun, recoil system with hydraulic buffer and springs, swinging block breech mechanism, traverse on axle. It had twin spring columns under the gun, on either side of the buffer. They occupied less vertical space than a single column, allowing the gun to be kept lower down on the axletree. The carriage had no axletree seats, since the limber could carry three gunners.

The shield was made of hardened Nickel steel and was designed to withstand the bullets of the Romanian rifle even at close range. It was composed by two parts and had four little windows for convenience of laying. The lower shield was in two separate portions, the upper part fixed, while the lower one mobile. Unlike the Krupp shields it had not folding top.

The gun was equipped with collimateur with aiming circle and a spirit level mounted on a special support. The sight was graduated up to 6000 m. It was not fitted for an independent line of sight, but the panorama sight was adopted before the outbreak of the Balkan War. It had also a mechanical fuze setter.

An armoured observatory weighting 27 kg was carried on one of the ammunition wagons. It could fire both Schneider and Krupp shells, while the Brisanzschrapnell Ehrhardt (Rheinmetall) was introduced in 1912.

Effect of the fire of a four guns quick-firing battery