Museum story
The Canadian Forces established the museum in 1962 to preserve and interpret the heritage of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery. It serves as the Regiment’s central museum and presents the history of Canadian Gunners across domestic service, overseas wars, peacekeeping, and modern operations.
The institution’s artillery focus naturally includes armored and tracked systems. Self-propelled guns show how artillery mobility, protection, fire control, and battlefield support changed as armies mechanized.
Sources: 1
Collection character
The museum reports more than 65,000 artifacts, including over 170 artillery pieces and vehicles. Its public collection list ranges from early guns and anti-tank weapons to Cold War missile systems and modern self-propelled artillery.
The official catalog explicitly lists an M7 self-propelled howitzer, a 105 mm Abbot self-propelled gun, a Soviet 2S3 152 mm self-propelled gun, and an M109 A4+. Those entries support exact links to four Armor Archive profiles while avoiding model assumptions for vehicles described less precisely.
What to expect
Visitors encounter a specialized national collection rather than a general armor museum. Galleries and large equipment explain the development of Canadian artillery, the people who served it, and the vehicles that moved or carried increasingly powerful weapon systems.
Because the museum is inside CFB Shilo, current gate procedures matter. The official visitor page states that adults entering the base must present valid government-issued photo identification, and group or guided visits should be arranged in advance.
Sources: 3
What the museum holds
The museum’s public collection page names artillery, mortars, air-defense systems, missiles, radar equipment, self-propelled guns, carriers, and support vehicles. This guide preserves those names while grouping them for easier browsing.
Early and First World War artillery18 entries
- 3-pounder smoothbore gun
- 9-pounder rifled gun
- 9-pounder smoothbore gun
- 40-pounder gun
- 6-pounder smoothbore by J. & H. King, 1796
- 12-pounder BL gun
- 13-pounder quick-firing gun
- 18-pounder quick-firing Mk II, represented by two catalog records
- 60-pounder gun
- QF 4.7-inch Mk IV
- 4.5-inch quick-firing howitzer
- BL 8-inch howitzer Mk VI
- French 75 mm field gun
- United States 75 mm Model 1917
- Canon de 105 mle 1913 Schneider
- 10.5 cm FH 16
- 7.7 cm Feldkanone 96 n.A.
- German 17 cm trench mortar
Second World War field, anti-tank, and mortar systems24 entries
- 10.5 cm leFH 18/40
- 10.5 cm Leichtgeschütz 42
- L5 105 mm pack howitzer
- 122 mm M1938 howitzer
- M114 155 mm howitzer
- 155 mm Long Tom
- M1A1 155 mm howitzer
- 15 cm sFH 18
- 17 cm Kanone 18
- 25-pounder gun-howitzer
- M30 4.2-inch mortar
- 4.2-inch smoothbore mortar
- 5.5-inch howitzer
- 5 cm Pak 38
- 6-inch 26-cwt howitzer
- 6-pounder Mk II anti-tank gun
- 7.5 cm Pak 40
- M1A1 75 mm pack howitzer
- 95 mm infantry howitzer Mk II
- 45 mm M1937 anti-tank gun
- QF 2-pounder Mk IX/X
- 24 cm Schwerer Flügelminenwerfer
- 30 cm Raketenwerfer 56
- Canon de mle 1936 Schneider
Air defense, missiles, and sensors12 entries
- 3.7-inch Mk II anti-aircraft gun
- 35 mm Oerlikon Skyguard
- Bofors light anti-aircraft gun
- 90 mm M1A2 gun
- ADATS
- Javelin surface-to-air missile
- M2 .50-caliber anti-aircraft gun
- M-55A 20 mm anti-aircraft gun
- ZPU-4 anti-aircraft gun
- MGR-1 Honest John rocket
- GL III(c) Radar No. 3 Mk I
- GL III(c) Radar No. 4 Mk I
Self-propelled and support equipment10 entries
- FV433 Abbot 105 mm self-propelled gun
- 2S3 152 mm self-propelled gun
- M109A4+ 155 mm self-propelled howitzer
- M7 self-propelled howitzer
- Universal Carrier
- 25-pounder artillery limber
- Field artillery tractor
- M243 fire-control trailer
- Honest John loader M405A1
- M33/M242 trailer
Armor Archive cross-links
These links connect museum holdings to existing Armor Archive vehicle profiles. They are not the museum’s complete inventory; use the collection guide above for broader holdings context.
Collection focus
Canadian artillery · Self-propelled artillery · Military vehicles · Weapons systems · Regimental history.
Armor Archive vehicle cross-links
These source-backed links appear reciprocally on Armor Archive vehicle profiles. A museum can hold many more vehicles than the Archive currently has profile-to-museum links for.
The official museum collection list includes a Soviet 2S3 152 mm self-propelled gun.
Evidence source ARM-MUS-SRC-000157 ↗The official museum collection list includes a 105 mm Abbot self-propelled gun.
Evidence source ARM-MUS-SRC-000157 ↗The official museum collection list includes an M109 A4+ 155 mm self-propelled howitzer.
Evidence source ARM-MUS-SRC-000157 ↗The official museum collection list includes an M7 Self-Propelled Howitzer.
Evidence source ARM-MUS-SRC-000157 ↗Sources
- The Royal Canadian Artillery Museum, Official Website Official museum source
https://en.rcamuseum.com/ - The Royal Canadian Artillery Museum, Our Collection Official collection catalog
https://en.rcamuseum.com/our-collection-2/ - The Royal Canadian Artillery Museum, Hours and Admission Official museum source
https://en.rcamuseum.com/hours-bookings/