Whitworth 3pdrs and other mountain guns

[Cannon Cocker]

Being a nut for mountain guns and Whitworth in particular, I found these photos of what seems to be a RML 3pd Whitworth.  The tag on the photo has the words Glanville in it.  I have gone to the Australian Glanville Fort site to find more information, but there is no mention of this gun.  I have contacted them by email and have gotten no response.  I would like to know a little...actually everything about this gun, and maybe give and receive information about other mountain guns.  Anyone have a clue.  I know there have been other similar threads, but the search has been disabled to all but the sponsors and a few others, so I have to start another.   

[Cannon Cocker]

The files were too big to take the two different photos on the first post.

[steelcharge]

Are you sure it's a 3-pdr?
This Wikimedia page says it's a 2-pdr, but I don't know since I'm no expert on Whitworth guns.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2_pounder_-_profile_-_fort_glanville.jpg

[Cannon Cocker]

I think it's a 1.7" bore, which Whitworth would have called 3pdr because it shot a bolt of almost 3 pounds.  I think it's one of possibly 2 or 3 in existence.  I think this gun is the same as the gun in Bermuda at Fort St. Catherine.  I know their gun is 1.7", they call it a 3pdr, and it looks like it's the same gun. 

[Cannon Cocker]

Speaking of Mountain Guns, here is a little gun I might pick up if I can get a few dozen people to go in on it with me who want to let me be the guardian. 

http://www.joesalter.com/detail.php?f_qryitem=20785

[steelcharge]

The reason why I thought they we're called 2-pounders, was that I remembered the South African "Orange Free State" bought some 2-pdr Whitworth RML's and used them in actions against the natives. But after searching for a while in the internet, several sources seem to say that these 1.7" guns were referred to as either 2, 2.5 or 3-pdrs.

Since your interested in the Whitworth mountain guns, you might like this article about Whitworth guns used by Boers, lots of photos etc. Didn't read it (yet) myself, but looked like an interesting read. Since it's a full magazine in pdf, just look for the right pages in the contents page.

http://www.justdone.co.za/atmag/ArmyTalk_Issue_02_April_2008_e.pdf

[Cannon Cocker]

Wow. Thanks Steelcharge.  An article I haven't seen and a photo of a Whitworth I haven't seen.  That's like finding 2 quarters when I was 7. 


Yes, when you've got a gun that has bolts and shells that weigh somewhere between 2 and 3 pounds, and have never heard that Whitworth named them 3pdrs, it's easy to see why there would be confusion.  Although there were a few oddball sizes, like 1pdrs, and a 1.92" with no pdr. designation, the most common where the 1.7" (3pdr), 2.17 (6pdr), and of course the 2.75 (12pdr) field guns.