The model of one-pounder cast iron gun on a field carriage of 1805, was manufactured in a foundry shop of ZSMK in 2002. Its construction was based on the drawings currently stored in the archive of the Museum of Military History of Artillery, Engineering and Signal Troops in Saint-Petersburg.
Army general count Bruce introduced an artillery scale based on English inches. The point of reference was a 2- English inch cast iron cannonball that was called a one-pounder shell. Its weight was notional, only used for determining the shell size. In order to make an efficient shot from such small gun, the powder cartridge should have equal weight with the shell.
According to the Artillery Office Journal, back in 1724, there was only one one-pounder cast iron gun in Kuznetsk. Starting from XVII century, small guns firing one-pound shells have been called falconets. Such guns were used in battles, by the first rows of infantry. They were easily movable light field guns that fired 500 g shells and could be loaded with case shot.
By early XVI century, the Russian state had learned to fabricate cast iron shells. The German Emperor’s ambassador Gerberstein wrote in his “Notes of Moscow Affairs”: “They cast shells from iron (cast iron) in Moscow that our governors also use”. Apart from Moscow, in XVI century the cast iron shells were cast in Pskov. Late in XVI century, they were also manufactured in TUla, KashIra, SErpukhov and other cities.
The historical sources provide no specific data on the use of cast iron for weapons manufacturing. But indirect data evidence that cast iron was used in industrial production in the time of Ivan IV. Apart from that, the list of border cities weapons also mention cast iron guns. It is reliably known that cast iron shops existed in Yuryev.
Army general count Bruce introduced an artillery scale based on English inches. The point of reference was a 2- English inch cast iron cannonball that was called a one-pounder shell. Its weight was notional, only used for determining the shell size. In order to make an efficient shot from such small gun, the powder cartridge should have equal weight with the shell.
According to the Artillery Office Journal, back in 1724, there was only one one-pounder cast iron gun in Kuznetsk. Starting from XVII century, small guns firing one-pound shells have been called falconets. Such guns were used in battles, by the first rows of infantry. They were easily movable light field guns that fired 500 g shells and could be loaded with case shot.
By early XVI century, the Russian state had learned to fabricate cast iron shells. The German Emperor’s ambassador Gerberstein wrote in his “Notes of Moscow Affairs”: “They cast shells from iron (cast iron) in Moscow that our governors also use”. Apart from Moscow, in XVI century the cast iron shells were cast in Pskov. Late in XVI century, they were also manufactured in TUla, KashIra, SErpukhov and other cities.
The historical sources provide no specific data on the use of cast iron for weapons manufacturing. But indirect data evidence that cast iron was used in industrial production in the time of Ivan IV. Apart from that, the list of border cities weapons also mention cast iron guns. It is reliably known that cast iron shops existed in Yuryev.
Cast iron bells and guns are assumed to be also manufactured in Moscow, TUla and KashIra. Inventories read that in 1554–1555, 1020 and 1200 “pood”(old Russian measure of weight – 16.38 kg) guns were cast in Moscow but no information is available about their after-life. Iron casting only got widespread in our country in XVII century, when the number of manufacturing ironworks increased.
