10-pounder Parrott rifle
| 10-pounder Parrott rifle | |
|---|---|
10-pounder Parrott rifle | |
| Type | Rifled cannon |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1861–1865 |
| Used by | United States Confederate States |
| Wars | American Civil War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Robert Parker Parrott |
| Designed | 1859–1860 |
| Manufacturer | West Point Foundry |
| Unit cost | $180 |
| Produced | 1861–1865 |
| No. built | United States: 2.9-inch: 228–255 United States: 3.0-inch: 279 Confederate States: 80+ |
| Variants | United States: 2.9-inch (1861–1862) United States: 3.0-inch (1864–1865) |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 890 lb (403.7 kg) |
| Length | 74 in (1.88 m) |
| Crew | 9 |
| Shell weight | 9.5 lb (4.3 kg) shell 1.0 lb (0.5 kg) charge |
| Caliber | 2.9 in (74 mm) 3.0 in (76 mm) |
| Barrels | 1 |
| Action | Muzzle loading |
| Carriage | 900 lb (408 kg) |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,230 ft/s (375 m/s) |
| Effective firing range | 1,850 yd (1,690 m) at 5° |
The 10-pounder Parrott rifle, Model 1861 was a muzzle-loading rifled cannon made of wrought iron-reinforced cast iron. One of a line of Parrott rifles, the 10-pounder was capable of firing shell, shrapnel shell (case shot), canister shot, or solid shot. It was adopted by the United States Army in 1861 and often used in field artillery units during the American Civil War. Midway through the war, the Federal government discontinued the nominally 10 lb (4.5 kg), 2.9 in (74 mm) projectile version in favor of a 3.0 in (76 mm) version. Despite the reinforcing band, the guns occasionally burst without warning, which endangered the gun crews. The Confederate States of America manufactured a number of successful copies of the gun.