Each gun was long overall; its bore and rifling length were and , respectively. Maximum range with the heavy AP shell was obtained at an inclination of 45 degrees: . At the same elevation a lighter high capacity (HC) shell would travel . The guns weighed not including the breech; the turrets weighed slightly over . Originally designed to be mounted on destroyers built in the 1930s, these guns were so successful that they were added to a myriad of American ships during the Second World War, including every major ship type and many smaller warships constructed between 1934 and 1945. They were considered to be "highly reliable, robust and accurate" by the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance.