| Until the 20th century sights on British field guns were attached directly to the piece. On Armstrong guns simple battle sights were provided on breech and trunnion ring, while for normal laying on the 12-pr a tangent sight was fitted to a removable carrier clamped to the rear of the breech piece. The socket was inclined 2° 16' to the left to provide a mean correction for drift. Although the sight was graduated to 3400 yards (3109m) only, the gun was capable of much more. However, the pole-type trail limited elevation to about 12° thus limiting the range. Nevertheless, the equipment more than satisfied the tacticians of the day whose thinking had advanced little since Waterloo. The only range table now available ends at 8° 20' with a range of 3000 (2743m). |
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WL Ruffell Issue 97 March 1988 |
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