Also known as: elevating screw, quoin.
| Function | Sets the gun's elevation |
|---|---|
| Screw | Turned beneath the breech to raise or lower it |
| Quoin | A wooden wedge slid under the breech |
Laying for elevation
To lay a gun for range, its breech was raised or lowered. Many field and siege carriages used an elevating screw under the breech that the gunner turned to set the angle precisely, reading the range from tables against the elevation.
Older and heavier guns often used a quoin, a wooden wedge slid in or out beneath the breech to change its height. Both did the same work of setting the elevation that, with the charge, fixed the range.
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.
- Gibbon, John. The Artillerist's Manual. New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1860.