Also known as: reinforcing band.
| Method | Wrought-iron bands shrunk hot over the breech |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Strengthen the gun where pressure is highest |
| Users | Parrott and Brooke rifles, and converted smoothbores |
Strength at the breech
Banding, or hooping, strengthened a gun by shrinking bands of wrought iron over the breech. Heated so they expanded, the bands were slipped on and allowed to cool and contract, gripping the gun tightly and putting the breech under compression so it could better resist the pressure of firing.
The method let cheap cast-iron guns take the higher pressures of rifled charges, and it defined the appearance of the Federal Parrott and the Confederate Brooke rifles, as well as many smoothbores converted to rifles during the war.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- United States Army, Ordnance Department. The Ordnance Manual for the Use of the Officers of the United States Army. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1862.
- CivilWarArtillery.com research archive: manuals, reports, and manufacturing references.