THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
223 
cast-iron or bronze ordnance, with the capabilities of which we are all well 
acquainted. I will take the different natures of guns in the following 
order :— 
Field guns (including position pieces). 
Siege and garrison guns. 
Naval and coast battery guns. 
It is now pretty generally acknowledged that rifled ordnance should be used 
in preference to S.B. guns for land service. The English, Americans, 
French, Prussians, and other leading powers, are supplied with rifled guns 
both for field and siege service; a proportion of S.B. pieces may be retained, 
but chiefly with a view to economy. In the late American campaigns 
considerable numbers of S.B. guns were employed by both sides, but this 
may be easily accounted for; the country is so densely wooded that case-shot 
ranges are frequently the only ones practicable, and, no doubt, both sides 
were obliged to use any guns that they could procure. 
You are all aware that the advantages gained by substituting rifled for 
S.B. guns, are 
Increased accuracy of Are, 
Destructive effects at greater ranges, 
Capacity of shell. 
The two latter being due to the elongated forms of the projectiles fired from 
rifled guns. 
By placing the weights of projectiles, the proportional charges, and the 
bursting charges of the shells, of different field guns in a table, the relative 
values of the latter as weapons may be compared. 
Rifled Field Guns . 
Nature of gun. 
Weight 
of gun. 
Charge. 
Projectiles. 
Remarks. 
Shrapnel or 
segment. 
Common shell. 
Weight. 
j Burster. 
British:— 
cwt. 
lbs. 
oz. 
lbs. 
oz. 
lbs. oz. 
20-pr... 
16 
19 
10 
20 
8 
1 0 
12-pr.. 
8 
10 
8 
9-pr. .. 
6 
n 
8 
5 
French:— 
Canon de 12 . 
12 
i 
1 o 
25 
4 
1 1 
n 4 . 
£>2 
II 
11 
7 
8 
12 
0 7 
American:—■ 
20-pr. .. 
16* 
1 
10 
19 
8 
18 
12 
The weights in the co¬ 
10-pr. 
8 
II 
10 
8 
9 
12 
lumn of shrapnel for 
3-in.. 
7* 
II 
10 
0 
10 
0 
American guns are 
those of solid shot. 
The Prussian 12-pr. steel rifled gun weighs rather more than 7 cwt, } the charge is -jL, and the 
projectiles weigh about 13 lbs. 
