Round shot is a type of projectile fired from guns or cannons. A solid projectile made, in early times, from dressed stone but, by the 17th century, from iron. 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 and grapeshot, round shot was one of the early projectiles used in firearms. As the name implies, round shot is spherical with a diameter slightly less than the bore of the firearm it is to be used in. Round shot was popular during most of the age of sail, being replaced after the invention by Benjamin Robins of the extruded 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 without the use of a wadding or discarding sabot. Round shot has been totally replaced by modern bullets in small arms and by shells in artillery. Round shot is used in historical recreations and historical replica weapons. Pellet shot (now simply called 'shot') is still used in shotguns. Grape shot is still occasionally used in artillery - usually with an explosive spreader - for antipersonnel operations.
See also
External links
- Photo of stone round shot from the Castello Sforzesco in Milan, Italy
