Schneider-Canet 75mm mountain gun M. 1897

Bulgarian designation :

75-мм нескорострелно планинско оръдие “Шнайдер”

Calibre :

75mm L/13

Weight of the barrel :

102 kg

Weight of the carriage :

164 kg

Weight in action :

266 kg

Barrel length :

9.750 m

Barrel grooves

number :

24

depth :

1.25 mm

angle of twist :

progressive, 5° 07’ to 7° 10’

Battering charge :

400 g of black powder

165 kg of smokeless powder

Common shell

weight :

4.3 kg - charge : 94 g of gunpowder

max. range :

4000 m

Shrapnel

weight :

4.3 kg – charge : 40 g of gunpowder

170 bullets x 11 g

max. range :

2200 m

Muzzle velocity :

294 m/s

Remaining velocity :

209 m/s at 3000 m

Elevation :

+ 20° / - 6°

Transport :

4 loads: 1 – barrel; 1 – trail; 1 – wheels and shaft; 1 – two ammunition boxes weighting 48 kg each

Ammunition :

138 shells

Remarks :

Slow firing mountain gun with screw breechblock mechanism with a plastic obturator. It fired the same projectiles as the 75mm field gun M. 1886, but it employed a lighter battering charge. At first it was composed by black powder, but later the gun was modified to use the pyroxylin smokeless powder. To reduce the recoil, the carriage was equipped with brakes that acted on the naves of the wheels and prevented them to turn freely.

The information about this gun is scarce. According with the Militärwissenschaftliche Mitteilungen 37 (1906), p. 473, it weighted only 98 kg, and the data might be corrected, since its barrel had the same length of the Krupp mountain gun M. 1886, but was equipped with a lighter breechblock. On the contrary, if the Bulgarian data, reported by Angel Angelov, is correct, the difference of the weight might be caused by the addition of a hoop to strengthen the barrel.