US Weaponry advances in the Late 1800's Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

US Weaponry advances in the Late 1800s - Essay ExampleThe bullet was driven out of the muzzle at a velocity of about 1,200 feet per second, and it could travel more than 1,000 yards.In 1874, the U.S. Army also used the Colt single action Army revolver. This pistol fired six .45- tidal bore cartridges. The good range of the Colt revolver dropped off rapidly over 60 yards. During the campaign, the Army employed various kinds of artillery as well. Colonel Nelson A. Miles, for example, had two Gatling guns that fired a .50 caliber bullet. The Gatling gun was capable of firing up to 300 rounds per minute. At the Battle of Red River on August 30, 1874, Col. Nelson Miles used the Gatling against the Southern Cheyennethe first quantify the gun was used in combat west of the Mississippi River. Miles also brought along a 10-pounder Parrott rifle, which was actually a small cannon. The Parrott rifle fired a shell that measured 8.8 inches long by 2.86 in diameter. The shell exploded upon impac t and the shell casing became the shrapnel. The maximum range of the 10-pounder Parrott rifle at tailfin degrees elevation was about 2,000 yards. 1By 1877 Bulldog was the first Gatling gun to feature a fully enclosed bronze housing over the position and breech. The Bulldog was a five-barrel .45 cal. tripod mounted weapon. A few were mounted on a light cavalry cart. A rear mounting hand appetizer permitted a very high rate of fire of up to 1,000 spm(single point mooring), almost twice the rate of a typical World War II machine gun. By 1889, it was a ten-barrel .45 cal. gun fully encased in a bronze jacket. A side mounting hand crank produced a rate of fire of up to 800 spm, but could be rear mounted to increase the rate up to 1,500 spm. Internal components were strengthened to withstand the punishment from the high rate of fire. This model had a new flexible yoke that permitted a wider angle of traverse and elevation than