Ten Pounder Parrott Rifle Model 1861

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Excellent piece and ready to fire!

Made to original Unites States Government Specifications.

  Full size 1861 10 Pounder Parrott Rifle

Made by Cannons, Ltd.

    

Complete with all tools and ready to work!

  

  Specifications:

  Bore: 2.9 inches with steel liner

   Barrel length: 79.5 inches

Total length: Trail to tip of muzzle 143 inches (about 12 feet)

Weight: 2,227 pounds

Width: Hub to Hub: 77 inches

  Wheel Diameter: 58 inch wheels

  Carriage: Red Oak construction

The following inventory is included;

It is complete with a small ammo box, 2 sponge buckets (handmade), a tar bucket,  a brass sight, tompion, sponge rammers, a worm, handspike, prolonge rope, vent picks, vent cover, gimlet, lanyards, and much more!

   

 

Sorry - Sold!

Located in California for free pick-up or we can ship anywhere in the USA!

General information on Parrott Rifles!

Captain Robert Parker Parrott
By Jack Melton

Robert P. Parrott is known to many Civil War artillery researchers and collectors for his inventions of the projectile and cannon which bear his name. Born in Lee, New Hampshire, October 5, 1804, Parrott graduated 3rd in his class at West Point Military Academy in 1824. He was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the 3rd U.S. Artillery and was assigned to the southeastern states where he participated in the Creek Indian War. He was later assigned as assistant to the Chief of the Ordnance Bureau and, later, as an inspector of ordnance at the West Point Foundry at Cold Spring, New York. The foundry was a private firm and administered by civilians. Parrott, by this time a captain, resigned his rank and accepted the civilian position of superintendent of the foundry, October 31, 1836.

Parrott served the foundry well during the next 41 years. He became the lessee and operator of the foundry and experimented with the manufacturing of artillery. As a private citizen Parrott was able to experiment with cannons and projectiles without the usual red tape involved in government foundries. His accomplishments during his tenure included the perfection of a rifled cannon and its corresponding projectile (both named after him) patented in 1861, and the Parrott sight and fuse which were developed during the Civil War years. The fact that his foundry was used to manufacture his weapons is proved by the letters WPF (West Point Foundry) found on the Parrott gun tube, along with his initials RPP. Parrott's cannons were distinguished by a single reinforcing band around the breech of the iron tube. His first rifled cannon design, a 10-pounder (2.9-inch caliber), was turned out in 1860. By the next year he had developed the 20-pounder (3.67-inch caliber) and 30-pounder (4.2-inch caliber) versions, among other models. In 1864 the 3-inch Parrott rifle replaced the 10-pounder (2.9-inch caliber) rifle.

In 1867, Parrott turned the operation of the foundry over to other parties, but he continued to experiment with projectiles and fuses until his death on December 24, 1877.

They take their name from their inventor and manufacturer, Robert Parker Parrott, the superintendent of the West Point Foundry from 1836 to 1867. Our two cannons were made there, just across the Hudson River from West Point, in a cluster of brick buildings whose fires glowed red through every day and night of the Civil War. You can see the identifying initials RPP and WPF engraved on the muzzle face of each gun.

Even without the initials, the Parrott gun is easily recognized by the thick band of iron wrapped around its breech. This reinforcing band, at the point of greatest force, enabled the gun to be made of iron, rather than bronze. The Parrott Gun could thus be manufactured quickly and cheaply. It was a boon to the Union.

The Parrott Guns

Parrott Guns were also known as Parrott Rifles because of their rifled bore, five grooves running the length of the barrel with a right-hand twist. The grooves spun the projectile so it flew with a spiral motion, traveling farther and hitting the target with more power and accuracy.

The "30-pound" designation refers to the weight of the projectile the gun fired. The West Point Foundry made 10-, 20- and 30-pound Parrotts. The 30-pound Parrott fired two kinds of shells, each about 4 inches in diameter and 10-12 inches in length. One type was 30 pounds of solid iron and was known as a "bolt." The second type was hollow and packed with a matrix of black powder and lead balls, called case-shot. A fuse exploded the case-shot in the air or on impact. The solid bolt was used to destroy walls and other artillery pieces. Case-shot was intended for gun crews and troops.

Fully elevated, the 30-pound Parrott Gun could send a projectile almost four miles. Upon its return to earth, the 30-pound shell could pass through masonry walls, even solid stone. And the gun was accurate. At a range of a mile and a half, gunners could place three out of four shells within ten feet of their intended target. As the Confederacy learned in North Carolina.

The siege of Fort Macon, a coastal fort on the Outer Banks, had been dragging on for more than a month when the Union artillery was finally in place for the final assault. Most notably, three 30-pound Parrott Guns were emplaced a mile from the fort's outer walls. On April 26th, 1862, the Union guns opened fire and the Confederate guns returned the barrage. Early in the day, the rounds from the Parrotts were carrying over the fort, but by noon they had found their range. A single round hit three of the fort's largest guns in succession, knocking two out of action, killing three men and wounding five more. The parapets were soon swept clear. Shot passed through solid stone stairways and masonry walls, wounding men inside. And because the fort had been built by the Union, the Parrott gunners knew the exact location of the powder magazine. They began concentrating fire on the wall that shielded 10,000 pounds of gunpowder. When it began to crumble, the fort's commander, Col. Moses White, realized he was one round away from leading a band of angels. The white flag went up and the age of masonry fortifications came to a end.