ML 8-inch shell gun
| Ordnance ML 8 inch gun | |
|---|---|
54 cwt gun | |
| Type | Naval gun |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1825–1860s |
| Used by | Royal Navy |
| Production history | |
| Designer | General William Millar, R.A. |
| Unit cost | £172 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 7,280 pounds (3,300 kg) (65 cwt version) 6,048 pounds (2,743 kg) (54 cwt version) |
| Barrel length | 9 feet (2.7 m) (65 cwt version) 8 feet (2.4 m) (54 cwt version) |
| Shell | 49 pounds 14 ounces (22.6 kg) (Common shell); 51 pounds 8 ounces (23.4 kg) (Martin's shell) |
| Calibre | 8.05-inch (204.5 mm) |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,464 feet per second (446 m/s) (49 lb 14 oz Common shell); 1,506 feet per second (459 m/s) (51 lb 8 oz Martin's shell) |
| Maximum firing range | 3,300 yards (3,000 m) |
The ML 8-inch shell guns of 50 cwt, 54 cwt and 65 cwt were the three variants of British cast iron smoothbore muzzle-loading guns designed specifically to fire the new generation of exploding shells pioneered in the early to mid-nineteenth century by Henri-Joseph Paixhans.