Master the science and craft of artillery with this authoritative reference.
This detailed volume covers the design, construction, and operation of the United States Army’s guns, carriages, and siege artillery, offering practical formulas, measurements, and historical context to help engineers, students, and enthusiasts understand how modern artillery works.
The book organizes complex topics into clear, technical sections—from the physics of gunpowder, pressure, and muzzle velocity to the mechanics of recoil, breech systems, and deformation. It includes descriptive diagrams, measurements, and data tables that illuminate the machinery behind field guns, siege pieces, and their supporting wagons and limbers. Readers will find practical guidance on components like rifling, sighting, range finding, projectiles, and fuzes, all presented in a way that supports hands-on study and evaluation.
- Learn how different gun designs manage recoil, use counter-recoil springs, and tolerate high pressures.
- Explore carriage and limber construction, wheels, trails, and how they enable field mobility.
- Understand projectiles, explosives, fuzes, and the evolution of ammunition types.
- Examine exterior ballistics, accuracy, and probability of fire with formulas and tables.
Ideal for readers of military technology history, artillery engineering, and historical weaponry, this edition provides a comprehensive snapshot of early 20th-century artillery theory and practice, grounded in real-world examples and equipment.