102 



iiKI'N \N K 



Rifling rery soon made it wav from small amis to can- 

 non. In IMA rifled hn-eeh loading cannon wit.- in 

 Tented by Mai Caralli. of the Sardinian artillery, *nd 

 by Bar<>n Wann<ndorff. of Sweden 



In I Ilium Armstrong (a. r.) built a rifled 



st^ gun hooped with wrought iron, which wa tried with 

 most satisfactory remit* In tin- I 'nit.-.l States the 

 1'arrott rifle was brought out about IV.r,, as a field- 

 piece, and rapidly gained in favor, and was as rapidly 

 improved till in 1862 it was the most powerful gun for 

 weight and size in eiintenofi. The first guns of this 



suite for all calibres, the R-in. gun was tin- only calibre 

 of the converted muzzle-loaders which was adopted 

 and manufactured for the service. Our forts were 

 then and still remain WMtnotad with casemates 

 adapted to guns pi about the size of the in- in. Rod- 

 man, and the 8-in. rifles converted from these were 

 the most economical guns that could replace them. 

 Two hundred and ten such rifles were obtained by con- 

 version, able to penetrate 8 inches of iron armor at 

 1000 yards, and these are now in service. 

 In the navy the xi.-in. Dahlgrens were converted 



Dahlgren Shell Gun on Marailly Carriage. 



type carried into action afloat were mounted on the New 

 Ironsides in 1862. 



The Parrott rifle is a cast-iron piece, strengthened by 

 shrinking a coiled hoop or band of wrought-iron over 

 that p_art of the body which surrounds the chamber. 

 The rifle grooves are of the plain rectangular type 

 about -ji 5 of an inch deep, the twist increasing to the 

 muzzle. 



The Merrimac in the fight with the Monitor carried 

 two 7- and two C-in. rifles reinforced at the breech by 

 steel rings _3 inches thick shrunk on. These were built 

 n the design of Lieut John M. Brook, of the Con- 

 federate navy. 



Guns of this kind, cast-iron hooped with wrought- 

 iron or steel, were the first steps in the development of 

 the modern all-steel built-up gun, and they naturally 

 suited men to thinking as to the ways in which existing 

 cast-guns could be improved and made to stand heavier 

 rhan.'1-s. and the various systems of conversion were 

 brought out in consequence. 



into 8-in. muzzle-loading rifles on the Palliser system, 

 and a number of 100-pounder Parrott guns were con- 

 verted into 80-pounder breech-loaders by lining them 

 with steel tubes fitted with slotted screw breech-plugs. 

 The breech of the 100-pounder is cut off at the base 

 ring and the hoop removed. The gun is then bored 

 from the breech to a short distance forward the trun- 

 nions, which is as far as the tube extends. The tube 

 is then screwed in from the rear. The band is then 

 replaced after being lengthened from 27 to 39 inches. 

 The rifling of the forward part of the original bore is 

 continued into the tube. A number of 60- and 30- 

 pounders were also obtained by conversion. 



These guns now form the rifled armament of most 

 of the wooden naval vessels in commission, as none of the 

 high-powered guns have been fitted to the old vessels. 

 They are fairly accurate at short ranges, but naturally 

 could not compete witli high-powered guns, and they 

 will be retired as the vessels carrying them are con- 

 demned. 



Parrott Rifle. 



About 1874 the idea of converting cast-iron muzzle- 

 loadmg smooth-bore guns into muzzle-loading rifles took 

 strong possession of this country, as there were a num- 

 ber of smooth-bore guns afloat and ashore that were of 

 little good as they were. 



The army experimented with a number of Rodman 

 can* con verted on the Palli.ser and Parsons systems, and 

 later by modify'niL' the Pallixcr system to the extent of 

 making the muzzle inserted tubes of steel, and while 

 it uiay be said to have given in general satisfactory re- 



The navy department obtained from the army in 

 1878 a 10-in. muzzle-loading Parrott rifle and had it 

 converted into a 9-in. breech-loading rifle. This has 

 been lived with satisfactory results with a powder charpe 

 of 4"i His. powder and MO H>s. battering shell. 



About I S.V.I the breech-loading system Ix'^an to gain 

 in favor in England, but the breech mechanism having 

 given trouble in several actions a prejudice sprang up 

 against the breech-loader, and from 1863 to 1865 

 heavy muzzle-loaders were gradually introduced. In 



