Tank Gun Range and effectiveness

[perrya]

Does anyone know what the range of the MkV 6pdr gun in Ww1 used in the tank? I know there would a gun theory range, but could it actually aim and fire at a target more than 800 yards?

Thanks
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[phylo_roadking]

Strangely enough, nowhere where I've ever read anything about the WWI British range of "Mark" tanks have I seen anything about gun range. I'm assuming the range would be a lot less than the original naval version though, because I DO know the barrel length was shortened twice, once for original fitment in the Mark 1s, and a second time before fitting to the Mark IVs and all following Marks. So you can reckon that range would certainly be less....and THEN there's the question of effective range - would it have the same range of elevation as in its Naval installation? Also, there's the question of sighting, something I don't recall reading - mostly I've read about use rather than design. Certainly there'd be no blind-firing or directed fire, but more fire-on-acquisition...so whatever they used for sights may simply not have let them accurately fire at targets out to that range!

[Troy Tempest]

What caliber does the 6 pounder equate to?

[C.GILLONO]

57mm

[Troy Tempest]

Thanks for that mate, why did the British choose to use poundage instead of caliber?

[phylo_roadking]

Mere tradition, and refusing to go Metric along with the rest of Europe under the Original Corporal....

[greenhorn]

Long naval history of artillery named after weight of shot....
Four, Six , Twelve, Eighteen, Twenty Four, Thirty Two, Sixty Four Pounders.

I think mortars followed a similar pattern, but howitzer named by caliber?