# Cannonballs

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannonballs/241682>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [April 23, 2004, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannonballs/241682 "2004-04-23T18:31:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannonballs/241682/21 "2004-04-27T06:00:30Z")

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> [@chukhung](#):
>
> In regard to rosin filled "carcasses"If they just burst on impact, was the idea to spray the target with a gooey inflammable and then ignite it later with heated shot or some other incendiary?
> 
> Or was the rosin in the carcass ignited just by firing it out of the cannon?

It had holes in it with quickmatch that ignited the rosin when the shot was fired, according to [this page](http://riv.co.nz/rnza/hist/gun/smooth4.htm) (toward the bottom). Also describes the other major types of cannon shot.

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**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannonballs/241682/22 "2004-04-27T06:36:33Z")

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> [@Sampiro](#):
>
> For the [Siege of Constantinople](http://www.historicist.com/articles/constantinople.htm) a Hungarian mercenary engineer named Urban designed a battery of supercannon.

The site I linked to in my previous post [also mentions those](http://riv.co.nz/rnza/hist/gun/found.htm) (halfway down, under “think big”). They stayed around long enough to pound the Royal Navy in 1807!

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**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannonballs/241682/23 "2004-04-30T07:10:00Z")

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I just want to add that I find it interesting that after 150 years or so, the world’s most modern armies have returned to using solid shots in smoothbore barrels for their largest direct fire cannons - namely, western 105mm and 120mm tank guns. Sure, tungsten-tupped saboted rounds are hardly iron cannonballs, but the principle remains the same.

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