Also known as: Parrott gun.
| Type | Cast-iron rifled gun with wrought-iron reinforcing band |
|---|---|
| Designer | Robert P. Parrott, West Point Foundry |
| Calibers | Field (10- and 20-pounder) through heavy seacoast sizes |
| Trade-off | Economical to produce; the breech band could fail in service |
Design and service
The Parrott rifle was cast of iron and strengthened by a wrought-iron band shrunk, red-hot, over the breech where the pressures were greatest. This let a relatively cheap cast-iron gun stand rifled charges, and Parrott rifles were produced in large numbers from 10- and 20-pounder field guns up to heavy seacoast pieces.
The system's economy was its virtue and its weakness: Parrott rifles were plentiful and hard-hitting, but the reinforcing band could loosen or the gun burst at the muzzle in hard service. They were used extensively by Federal forces and, in the Confederate Brooke rifle, answered by a related banded design.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- 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.
- CivilWarArtillery.com research archive: cannon identification pages, manuals, and reports.