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LOT 1402
Rare World War I
British VSM Mk II Ordnance QF
18-Pounder Gun with Carriage, Class III/NFA Destructive Device - Serial no. 5732, 3.33” cal., 92 inch
round bbl., green finish. This is an impressive example of an Ordnance QF 18-pounder gun. These were introduced in British
military service in 1904 as a replacement for the BL 15-pounder, and became the standard field gun used in World War I and after.
Later variants remained in service with the British military until it was phased out in 1942 as replaced by the Ordnance QF
25-pounder. Approximately 10,000 QF 18-pounder guns were reportedly manufactured during World War I by Armstrong Whitworth, Vickers, Sons & Maxim (V.S.M.), Woolwich Ordnance, Beardmore, Elswick Ordnance Company in the United Kingdom, and Bethlehem Steel in the United States, with a limited amount made between the wars, and a small fraction surviving today. These
18-pounders were effectively used on all fronts during World War
I, and formed the backbone of the Royal Field Artillery as a gun with
quick-firing (QF) capability designed to be towed behind limber and horses. “Q.F. 18Pr MkII./V.S.M.(logo)1916./No5732”
marked on top of the breech, with Martin-Parry
316
Estimate: 15,000 - 25,000
Corporation manufacturer marked Mk I carriage with brass data plate on the left that reads “18Pr
Q-F-MkI./V.S.M. 1914/REG No C 32930”. Includes scope.
CONDITION: Very fine overall, retains most of the later applied green painted finish. Left tire shows heavy dry cracking and wear. Firing pin does not release, otherwise mechanically
functions fine. Optic is clear. NOTE: This Destructive Device is a National Firearms Act
(NFA), fully transferable Class 3, which is registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, (BATFE) under the provisions of 18 U.S.C. Chapter 44 and 27 CFR part 479, National Firearms Act.