Schneider-Canet 75mm & 70mm mountain gun type MC²

I. Features

Gun-body in hardened and tempered steel.

Breech with eccentric screw mechanism, interrupted threads, opening with an uninterrupted single action of the hand-lever.

Repeat firing device with hammer and safety arrangement against premature fire and prolonged fires.

Sleigh composed by a block of forged steel, where the housing for the buffer, the recuperator and the air recupeartor-tanks are drilled.

Recoil hydraulic buffer independent of the recuperator, and containing the check buffer.

Cylinder with air recuperator-tanks requiring only couplings watertight to the liquid.

Cradle of stamped steel sheet carrying the bronzed recoil slides.

Arc sight with level of the angle of sight and goniometer with optical sight. Prismatic device for back aiming.

Carriage of stamped steel sheet, that can be dismantled in two section, with trail-chest.

Crancked axle-tree, that enables to change quickly the height of the axis of the gun.

Traversing on axletree bed.

Padded kneeler, fixed to the trail of the carriage, for the aimer and the firer.

Trail spade composed by a fixed ploughshare in forged steel, and a moveable part in steel sheet.

Gun-shield that can be dismantled, made by steel sheet of the French artillery type.

Portable ammunition shield, made by steel sheet of the French artillery type.

Mechanical fuze-setter for time and percussion fuzes.

Fixed ammunition with shrapnel or thin-walled high explosive shell loaded with high explosive (Schneiderite).

Pure nitrocellulose powder made in France.

Ammunition box of metal.

Packs and loading method designed with the help of the French Alpine artillery.

II. General properties

The power is at least equal to the power of the known mountain guns.

The steadiness on firing is identical to the steadines of the best field guns.

The extent of the field of fire for elevation is very remarkable, thanks to the cranked axletree, in order to allow the correction of the highest angle of sight envisaged in mountain warfare.

The return in firing position is always complete under the highest angles by means of the force of the pneumatic recuperator, as well as constant and without shock thanks to the action of the check buffer assures a return in firing position regular and without shock. The leakage of the air is impossible, since the air recuperator-tank is arranged like a bottle filled half with water, and half with liquid, and resting on its top.

The safety of use is complete; the eccentricity of the breech and the mechanical safety-piece of the firing gear prevent any trouble.

The protection of the cannoners is perfectly assured thanks to the gun-shield that can be mounted on the carriage during the shooting, and to the ammunition shield that shelter the shell-handlers.

The rapidity of fire can reach a rate of 25 – 30 rounds per minute thanks to the easiness of the handle the gun, and to the use of the fuze-setter for time and percussion fuzes.

Transport on pack animals, with details giving every kind of guarantee. All loads are within the limits of weight usually accepted. Loading and unloading are carried out by quite trained cannoneers in one minute and half.

III. Numerical references and data

Main data Calibre : Shell weight: Muzzle velocity : Barrel Barrel length : Weight of the gun with the breech-block : Weight of the breech-block : Carriage Height of the line of fire – axle in low position : Height of the line of fire – axle in high position : Height of the line of sight – axle in low position: Height of the line of sight – axle in high position: Length of the line of sight : Diameter of the wheels : Track : Elevation – axle in low position : Elevation – axle in low position : Traverse (2° 30’ each side) : Weight of the complete carriage : Weight of a wheel : Weight of the gun-shield : Weight of the ammunition shield : Weight in action – without shield : Weight in action – with shield : Ammunition Weight of the projectile : Weight of the charge : Weight of the empty cartridge case with tube : Weight of the shelled cartridge : Number of the shrapnel bullets weighting 10 g : Weight of the bullets : Weight of the bursting charge : Weight of the charge of Schneiderite of the H. E. shell : Weight of a empty ammunition box : Weight of the cartridges (8) : Weight of a loaded ammunition box : Weight of the fuze-setter with its bracket :

70 or 75 mm 6.5 kg 500 m/s 1200 mm 109 kg 12 kg 753 mm 1087 mm 1008 mm 1342 mm fictive 900 mm 930 mm - 10° / + 20° 0° + 30° 5° 323 kg 30 kg 60 kg 42 kg 432 kg 500 kg 5 kg 0.143 kg 0.667 kg 5.810 kg 244 2.440 kg 0.060 kg 0.605 g 11.300 kg 46.480 kg 57.780 kg 11.500 kg

SOURCE :

This is the translation of an advertisement of the French firm Schneider-Canet published in 1908 (SCHNEIDER & C^IE. Matériel de montagne à tir rapide de 70 & 75 mm, type MC²). The two guns were almost identical, the only difference being the calibre (70mm L/17.1 and 75mm L/16, the length of the gun being the same, 1.2 m). The the Bulgarian Army however used a different kind of projectiles, weighting 5.1 kg.