Davis gun
The Davis gun was the first true recoilless gun developed and taken into service. It was developed by Commander Cleland Davis of the United States Navy in 1910, just prior to World War I.
Davis gun
British military · Public domain
- Field
- recoilless rifle
- Region
- United States
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Documentary summary
The Davis gun was the first true recoilless gun developed and taken into service. It was developed by Commander Cleland Davis of the United States Navy in 1910, just prior to World War I.
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wikidata · Q3655443 · wikipedia · Davis gun
In this article
Development
Development
Davis' design connected two guns back to back, with the backwards-facing gun loaded with lead balls and grease of the same weight as the shell in the other gun, acting as a counter. His idea was used experimentally by the British and Americans as an anti-Zeppelin and anti-submarine weapon mounted on the British Handley Page O/100 and O/400 bombers and the American Curtiss Twin JN and Curtiss HS-2L and H-16 flying boats. The direct development of the gun ended with the end of World War I in November 1918, but the firing principle has been copied by later designs.
Aircraft used
Aircraft used
The gun was tested on various aircraft and some aircraft were designed to carry the gun: Airco DH.4 Armstrong-Whitworth FK.5 and FK.6 - "escort fighter" triplane Curtiss F5L - patrol flying boat used by US Navy Felixstowe Porte Baby - large flying boat Handley-Page O/100 - twin engined bombers with 6pdr Davis gun added for ground attack and anti-submarine Handley-Page O/400 - larger version of the O/400 Naval Aircraft Factory N-1 - patrol floatplane designed by US Navy, four prototypes built, project canceled Short Type 184 Short 310-B seaplane Pemberton-Billing PB.29E Pemberton-Billing PB.31E - long endurance anti-Zeppelin night fighter with 37mm Davis gun, prototypes only Robey-Peters RRF.25 Gun-carrier - two Davis guns. Single prototype for Royal Navy completed
Surviving examples
Surviving examples
There are examples at the Naval Aviation Museum at Pensacola, Florida, the Imperial War Museum in London, and the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort, Kentucky.
Places
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Places
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- United States
Named but not plotted · 1
Davis gun is associated with United States.
Country
Description
The gun was made in three sizes: 2-pounder, 6-pounder and 12-pounder; 1.57 in (40 mm), 2.45 in (62 mm), and 3 in (76 mm) in caliber respectively, firing 2-pound (0.91 kg), 6-pound (2.7 kg), and 12-pound (5.4 kg) shells. The 3-inch gun carried a pressure of 15 tons per square inch (2,109 kg per cm2) when fired. Usually a Lewis machine gun was mounted on top of the Davis gun's barrel for use in sighting and as an auxiliary and anti-aircraft weapon.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Williams, Anthony G. The Cannon Pioneers: The early development and use of aircraft cannon. August 2014.
- 2.United States. Navy Dept. Bureau of Ordnance. Ammunition : instructions for the naval service, 1923. Government Printing Office. 162. 1923.
- 3.www.big-ordnance.com. DAVIS AMMUNITION.
- 4.Williams give 57mm calibre
- 5.www.navweaps.com. United States of America Experimental and Miscellaneous 3" (7.62 cm) Guns.
- 6.Trimble, William F. Wings for the Navy: A History of the Naval Aircraft Factory, 1917-1956. Naval Institute Press. 35–36. 1990. 0-87021-663-5.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 1
- Russell, Mark. Bring Out the Big Guns: British Military Aviation & the Development of the Heavy Cannon, 1914–39. The Aviation Historian. 28. 60–69. 2019. 2051-1930.
References
Citations
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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