A range table was a list of angles of elevation a particular artillery gun barrel needed to be set to, to strike a target at a particular distance with a projectile of a particular weight using a propellant cartridge of a particular weight. They were used for several centuries by field and naval gunners of all countries until gradually replaced by computerised fire-control systems beginning in World War II (1939–1945).
This gun used a standard "fixed" cartridge with shell, hence a single set of tables applied to all its ammunition.
Different propellant charges were used to achieve required range, angle of descent and flight time. This is typical of mortars and howitzers.
(Provisional) Range Table For 3-Inch Stokes Mortar, Printed in September 1917.[1]
Cartridge : ballistite, reinforced with Charges : 5 grains, guncotton yarn
Rings :, .3 mm flake cordite
Projectile : Bomb, 10 lb. 11 oz (4.85 kg)
| Cartridge Only | 1 Ring | 2 Rings | 3 Rings | 4 Rings | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range | Time of Flight | Range | Time of Flight | Range | Time of Flight | Range | Time of Flight | Range | Time of Flight | ||
| degs | yds | secs | yds | secs | yds | secs | yds | secs | yds | secs | |
| 45 | 240 | 7·1 | 420 | 9·6 | 550 | 11·6 | 660 | 13·2 | 800 | 15·0 | |
| 50 | 233 | 7·6 | 411 | 10·4 | 538 | 12·5 | 649 | 14·3 | 780 | 16·2 | |
| 52 | 228 | 7·8 | 404 | 10·7 | 530 | 12·9 | 639 | 14·7 | 767 | 16·6 | |
| 54 | 222 | 8·0 | 395 | 10·9 | 518 | 13·2 | 626 | 15·1 | 748 | 17·0 | |
| 56 | 215 | 8·2 | 384 | 11·2 | 503 | 13·5 | 608 | 15·4 | 726 | 17·4 | |
| 58 | 207 | 8·4 | 371 | 11·4 | 486 | 13·8 | 589 | 15·8 | 701 | 17·8 | |
| 60 | 197 | 8·5 | 357 | 11·7 | 467 | 14·1 | 567 | 16·1 | 672 | 18·2 | |
| 61 | 193 | 8·6 | 349 | 11·8 | 457 | 14·3 | 554 | 16·3 | 656 | 18·4 | |
| 62 | 187 | 8·7 | 340 | 11·9 | 445 | 14·4 | 542 | 16·4 | 640 | 18·5 | |
| 63 | 182 | 8·8 | 332 | 12·0 | 434 | 14·5 | 528 | 16·6 | 623 | 18·7 | |
| 64 | 176 | 8·8 | 323 | 12·1 | 422 | 14·6 | 514 | 16·7 | 605 | 18·8 | |
| 65 | 170 | 8·9 | 313 | 12·2 | 409 | 14·8 | 499 | 16·9 | 586 | 19·0 | |
| 66 | 164 | 9·0 | 303 | 12·3 | 396 | 14·9 | 483 | 17·0 | 567 | 19·1 | |
| 67 | 158 | 9·0 | 292 | 12·4 | 383 | 15·0 | 468 | 17·1 | 547 | 19·2 | |
| 68 | 152 | 9·1 | 281 | 12·5 | 369 | 15·1 | 451 | 17·2 | 526 | 19·4 | |
| 69 | 145 | 9·2 | 270 | 12·5 | 354 | 15·2 | 434 | 17·4 | 505 | 19·5 | |
| 70 | 138 | 9·2 | 259 | 12·6 | 339 | 15·3 | 416 | 17·5 | 483 | 19·6 | |
| 71 | 131 | 9·2 | 247 | 12·7 | 324 | 15·4 | 398 | 17·6 | 460 | 19·7 | |
| 72 | 124 | 9·3 | 235 | 12·8 | 308 | 15·5 | 379 | 17·7 | 437 | 19·8 | |
| 73 | 117 | 9·3 | 223 | 12·9 | 292 | 15·5 | 360 | 17·8 | 413 | 19·9 | |
| 74 | 109 | 9·4 | 210 | 12·9 | 275 | 15·6 | 340 | 17·9 | 389 | 20·0 | |
| 75 | 102 | 9·4 | 197 | 13·0 | 259 | 15·7 | 320 | 18·0 | 364 | 20·1 | |