French
274 mm/45 (10.8") Model 1887/1893
Updated 23 May 2006
Secondary guns on a few pre-dreadnoughts.  Used as Railway guns during World War I.

Construction was a complicated built-up design, similar to other French heavy guns.  The two model types were similar, differing in constructional details.

Actual bore size was 27.44 cm (10.80 inches).
WNFR_10-45_m1893_Bouvet_pic.jpg

Bouvet
The 274 mm gun is in the larger port turret
.
Gun Characteristics
.
Designation 274 mm/45 (10.4") Model 1887/1893
Ship Class Used On Bouvet and Massèna
Date Of Design 1893/1896
Date In Service 1898
Gun Weight 77,074 lbs. (34,960 kg)
Gun Length oa 504 in (12.814 m)
Bore Length about 431 in (10.960 m)
Rifling Length 427 in (10.839 m)
Grooves N/A
Lands N/A
Twist N/A
Chamber Volume N/A
Rate Of Fire about 3 rounds per minute
.
Ammunition
.
Type Bag
Projectile Types and Weights
(see Notes 1, 2 and 3)		 APC - 579 lbs. (262.6 kg)
HE A - 575 lbs. (261 kg)
HE B - 524 lbs. (237.5 kg)
Bursting Charge N/A
Projectile Length N/A
Propellant Charge 149 lbs. (67.6 kg)
Muzzle Velocity APC - 2,559 fps (780 mps)
HE A - 2,428 fps (740 mps)
HE B - 2,575 fps (785 mps)
Working Pressure N/A
Approximate Barrel Life N/A
Ammunition stowage per gun N/A
Notes:

1) The "A/B" suffixes for HE rounds are my way to differentiate between projectiles, they were not official designations.

2) Some of these rounds may have been only for the railway guns.

3) I believe the reference "Les Materiels de l'armée de Terre Française 1940, pt2" contains typographical errors for both shell weights and muzzle velocities, which I have corrected in this table.

4) Propellant was in two bags.
.
Range
.
Elevation With 579 lbs. (262.6 kg) APC
N/A 26,680 yards (24,400 m)
Elevation With 575 lbs. (261 kg) HE A
N/A 26,680 yards (24,400 m)
Elevation With 524 lbs. (237.5 kg) HE B
N/A 29,530 yards (27,000 m)
.
Mount / Turret Data
.
Designation One-gun turrets
Weight N/A
Elevation N/A
Rate of Elevation N/A
Train about +150 / -150 degrees
Rate of Train N/A
Gun Recoil N/A
Loading Angle N/A
.
Data from
"Les Materiels de l'armée de Terre Française 1940, pt2" by Stephane Ferrard
"The Big Gun:  Battleship Main Armament 1860-1945" by Peter Hodges
---
Special help from Alex Baumans