Earliest rifled artillery?

[TobJohn]

Does anyone know the earliest example or record of a rifled cannon? Rifled firearms existed since the 16th, and possible 15th century, but I cannot find a rifled cannon from before the 19th century. Other "modern" artillery features, like breechloading, existed in that time, so it is a little strange that no one seems to have combined any of that with rifling. Maybe pressure was too much of a problem to make it feasible, considering smoothbore cannons struggled with bursting?

 

[BillinOregon]

Excellent question Warren. Hope you get some great answers. I can't think of anything prior to the Parrott rifles.

 

[Dusty_Traveler]

Well that was a fun rabbit hole.

I am no cannonist, but as Bill mentioned, and from what I read, rifled artillery didn't start appearing until the middle of the 19c.

::someone in the 1850's handling a minie ball:: "This upgrade has been fantastic. Heyyyyy waitaminute. What if we made it bigger?"

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Went to Fort Macon in NC, on the southern outer banks last week. It said that 32-pound rifled cannons during the Civil War, placed miles away, blasted away such that the Fort surrendered after 2-days.

There was a placard at that Fort that said it was 1st used against Fort Pulaski in Georgia, where rifled cannons signified the end of such brick/stone fortifications.

Hey, I found a link about it!!!!!

https://www.nps.gov/fopu/learn/historyculture/rifled-cannon.htm


“The result of this bombardment must cause...a change in the construction of fortifications as radical as that foreshadowed in naval architecture by the conflict between the Monitor and the Merimac. No works of stone or brick can resist the impact of rifled artillery of heavy calibre." Major General David Hunter

 

[smoothshooter]

Does anyone know the earliest example or record of a rifled cannon? Rifled firearms existed since the 16th, and possible 15th century, but I cannot find a rifled cannon from before the 19th century. Other "modern" artillery features, like breechloading, existed in that time, so it is a little strange that no one seems to have combined any of that with rifling. Maybe pressure was too much of a problem to make it feasible, considering smoothbore cannons struggled with bursting?

Rifled cannons require elongated projectiles with either copper expansion bands around their base or some kind of sabot arrangement.
No one was thinking about that kind of stuff prior to about 1840.

 

[tenngun]

French started experimenting with them in the 1840s.
With that came exploding shells by 1850
Scared the Brits and they started thinking about Ironclads
French said hmm we had better work on this. And ironclads were born, armed woth rifles guns up to 68 pounders
Very devastating in the Crimean war and out war between the states

 

[1950DAVE]

I thought Krupp of German artillery fame migh t have been first but a little surfing found this.
https://turnerbrigade.org/history/md18610708/md18610718a/

 

[TobJohn]

I thought Krupp of German artillery fame migh t have been first but a little surfing found this.
https://turnerbrigade.org/history/md18610708/md18610718a/

eureka!

 

[BillinOregon]

Tip of the hat, Dave. Many forget that we took our cues on swords, saddles and artillery from the French.
https://www.spotsylvania.va.us/2636...e time of the,employed in the Napoleonic Wars.

 

[1950DAVE]

Cannon folks might like this book. I read it a few yrs ago, very interesting.
Qq

 

[TobJohn]

Tip of the hat, Dave. Many forget that we took our cues on swords, saddles and artillery from the French.
https://www.spotsylvania.va.us/2636/The-Cutting-Edge#:~:text=By the time of the,employed in the Napoleonic Wars.

And Spotsylvania is a fun field trip idea!

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Love to hear the big cannons

 

[nkbj]

I thought Krupp of German artillery fame migh t have been first but a little surfing found this.
https://turnerbrigade.org/history/md18610708/md18610718a/

Wow. Just WOW!

 

[nkbj]

Cannon folks might like this book. I read it a few yrs ago, very interesting.
View attachment 339394Qq

You bet! It's on the shelves in this very room.

 

[nkbj]

I'd wondered what might have happened in world history if flintlocks had been given cylindrical bullets. It would have been a step much easier to introduce than changing cannons. This thread reignites my interest.

 

[Whitworth]

I read that book about 40 years ago. I seem to remember that Krupp was somewhat odd in having his office over a stable because he liked the smell of horse manure . Funny what you remember, or think you do

 

[1950DAVE]

Krupp didn’t mind playing both sides in warfare, much like modern day armament mfg's. It’s all about the bottom line.

 

[TobJohn]

Krupp didn’t mind playing both sides in warfare, much like modern day armament mfg's. It’s all about the bottom line.

And then just a *little* bit of slave labor and war crimes.

Mauser and Krupp really were arming the entire world from the late 1800s-ww2