US Army 8-Inch Rifle in Zanesville, Ohio

Aug 17

US Army 8-Inch Muzzle Loading Rifle Number 12 in Zanesville, Ohio. Many thanks to friend-of-the-page Phil Spaugy for sending these photos!

This 8-Inch MLR is from the first series of 10-Inch Rodman smoothbores converted in 1876. This Rodman was Cyrus Alger 10-Inch Number 21 cast in 1865. As originally manufactured, it weighed 15,080 pounds. In 1876 it was taken to the West Point Foundry where the original 10-Inch bore was reamed out to 13.5-inches. Then the rifled sleeve was inserted into the enlarged bore. The finished 8-Inch Rifle had a total weight of 16,050 pounds.

The "rings" visible at the muzzle are (from the outside in): the original cast-iron barrel, a threaded locking ring, the wrought iron rifled sleeve.

While the resulting rifle may have been something of a money-saving compromise, it was a "drop in upgrade" that could work with existing carriages and fortifications.

As an earlier conversion, this example likely had a wrought-iron sleeve whereas later conversions utilized a steel sleave.

Whereas the original 10-Inch Smoothbore fired a (roughly) 128-pound shot with an up to 20 pound propellant charge (though heavier charges could be used if ironclad vessels threatened), the converted rifle would have fired a heavier projectile. The equivalent US Navy 8-Inch MLR fired up to a 180 pound rifle projectile with a 30 pound propellant charge. I suspect the Army used similar projectiles - if not the same ones.