Historic context :

Together with the 34 lines (8.7cm) M1877 fieldguns bought by Russia to Krupp in 1877, an order of 570 heavier and more powerful fieldguns with a caliber of 42 lines (107 mm - 1 line = 0.1 inch) was given the same year in order to equip the field artillery with 'battery fieldguns.

The '42 lines M 1877 battery gun', that belonged to the same family as the 34 lines M 1877 fieldgun, was also having no recoil counter-acting system. It was equipped with a priematic breech bloc system. The weapons were manufactured by Krupp, and later by Obuchov, and the carriages could be produced by numerous Russian plants.

These guns were used during the Russo-Japanese war, the First World War, and the Russian Civil war. On the battleground, these heavy fieldguns soon demonstrated their usefulness in 1904 during the Russo-Japanese war, when some disappointment was given by the lack of power of the new 3-inches modern guns. They were later used as coastal defense artillery and fortress artillery. Numerous such guns were captured by Finland during the Revolution, and used despite their obsolescence. Their last fight with that nation took place in 1941.

Technical data :

• Complete description : 42 lines battery gun M 1877 Krupp
• Design year : 1877
• Calibre : 106.70 mm (42 lines)
• Weight in firing position : 1903 kg
• Weight for transportation : 2127 kg with the ammo trailer
• Tube length in calibres : 0.00 19.7
• Grooves : 0 unknown
• Projectile weight : 12.5 - 15.6 kg
• Initial speed : 411 m/s (high explosive) - 373 m/s (shrapnell)
• Fire rate : 1.5 rounds / min
• Range : 5330 m (high explosive) - 3200 m (shrapnell)
• Elevation range : -3 to +20 degrees
• Direction range :