Also known as: Armstrong shell.
In the Half Shell Book: This subject is treated in Civil War Artillery Projectiles: The Half Shell Book, pp. 185-186.
| Class | Rifled-artillery projectile system |
|---|---|
| Designer | Sir William Armstrong (1810-1900), Britain |
| Driving system | Soft-metal coating engaging shallow polygrooved rifling |
| Origin | British import; comparatively rare in Civil War use |
System and use
Sir William Armstrong of Newcastle developed a rifled ordnance system in which an iron projectile was given a coating of soft metal that engaged the many shallow grooves of the Armstrong bore, taking the rifling without a separate expanding sabot. The approach reflected Armstrong's background in precision engineering.
Armstrong guns and their projectiles reached North America only in small numbers during the American Civil War, and surviving Armstrong projectiles are correspondingly uncommon. Attribution should rest on the characteristic soft-metal coating and body form together with documented provenance.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- Melton, Jack W., Jr. Civil War Artillery Projectiles: The Half Shell Book. Blue Ridge, GA: Historical Publications LLC, 2018.
- United States Army, Ordnance Department. The Ordnance Manual for the Use of the Officers of the United States Army. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1862.
- Hackley, Frank W. Civil War Explosive Ordnance. Revised November 10, 1960. U.S. Naval School, Explosive Ordnance Disposal.