RBL 7-inch Armstrong gun

Ordnance RBL 7-inch gun
A gun on a wooden slide carriage in the 19th century.
Type
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1861–190?
Used byUnited Kingdom
Wars
Production history
DesignerW. G. Armstrong Co.
Manufacturer
Unit cost£425–£650 (equivalent to £47000–£72000 in 2013)
Produced1859–1864
No. built959
Variants82cwt, 72cwt
Specifications
Barrel length99.5 inches (2.527 m) bore (14.21 calibres)

Shell90 to 109 pounds (40 to 50 kg)
Calibre7-inch (177.8 mm)
BreechArmstrong screw with vertical sliding vent-piece (block)
Muzzle velocity1,100 feet per second (340 m/s)
Maximum firing range3,500 yards (3,200 m)

The Armstrong RBL 7-inch gun, also known as the 110-pounder, was a heavy caliber Armstrong gun, an early type of rifled breechloader.

William Armstrong's innovative combination of a rifled built-up gun with breechloading had proven suitable for small cannon. When it was applied to a 7-inch gun, it proved that the pressure caused by the explosive charge that was required to propel a 110-pound shot was too much for his breechloading system.