- Round shot
Round shot is an obsolete solid
projectile without explosive charge fired fromsmall arms orcannon s. As the name implies, round shot is spherical; its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the gun it is fired from.Round shot was made in early times from dressed stone, but by the 17th century, from iron. It was used as the most accurate projectile that could be fired by a smooth-bore
cannon , used to batter the wooden hulls of opposing ships, forts, or fixed emplacements, and as a long-range anti-personnel weapon.Along with
pellet shot andgrapeshot , round shot was one of the early projectiles used infirearm s.Round shot was popular during most of the
age of sail , being replaced after the invention byBenjamin Robins of theextruded bullet around the mid-19th century.Round shot has the disadvantages of not being tightly fitted into the bore (to do so would cause jamming). This causes the shot to "rattle" down the gun barrel and leave the barrel at an angle unless wadding or a discarding
sabot is used.Round shot has been totally replaced by modern
bullet s insmall arms and by modern shells inartillery . Round shot is used in historical recreations and historical replica weapons.Pellet shot (now simply called 'shot') is still used in
shotgun s.ee also
*
Carcass (projectile)
*Chain-shot External links
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/sadiemenchen/604996746/ Photo of stone round shot] from the
Castello Sforzesco inMilan ,Italy
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