0.55 Inch Boyes
The 0.55 Inch Boyes is a British anti-tank rifle named for the Captain leading the development team. There were two main types, a early model which differed primarily in that the earlier one had circular muzzle break and T shaped bipod, and the later a square muzzle break and a V shaped bipod. There were also different cartidges, with a later one offering better penetration.
Description A bolt action rifle fed from a 5 shot magazine, the weapon was large and heavy with a bipod at the front and a separate grip below the padded butt. It was fitted with a muzzle brake intended to reduce the recoil from firing a 0.55" (14mm) round. Effective to about 300 yards as an anti-tank, anti-vehicle weapon. Effective range against unarmoured targets (eg infantry) would be much further. Although useful against the early tanks, the increase in armour during WW2 left it largely ineffective for anti-tank duties and it was replaced in service by the PIAT anti-tank device. It still some use against bunkers, machine gun nests, and lighter vehicles. It also continued to be used in the Pacific theater against Japanese tanks, who did not replace their older lightly armored tanks spread out across the pacific and south east asia, with newer ones later in the war. The weapon had been be designed with these lighter tanks in mind. - Overall Length: 1.6 m (5'2")
- Weight: 16 kg (around 36 lb)
- Muzzle Velocity: 990 metres per second
- Armour penetration: 21 mm (approx 3/4") at up to 100 yards
Usage - Australian Forces - Nicknamed "Charlie the bastard" for its savage recoil.
- The British Army
- Canadian Forces
The Boyes Rifle was sometimes mounted to a Universal Carrier ('Bren Gun Carrier') instead of a Bren Gun.
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