Also known as: Archer bolt, Archer shell.
In the Half Shell Book: This subject is treated in Civil War Artillery Projectiles: The Half Shell Book, pp. 183-184.
| Class | Confederate rifled projectile |
|---|---|
| Forms | Bolt (solid) and shell |
| Driving system | Lead sabot cast onto the projectile base |
| Common calibers | 3-inch and 3.3-inch |
Description
The Archer projectile was a Confederate rifled projectile whose base carried a lead sabot cast onto the iron body. On firing, the soft lead was forced into the rifling to seal the bore and impart rotation, and surviving Archer projectiles often retain the sabot intact.
The pattern was made both as a solid bolt and as an explosive shell, and it is found chiefly in 3-inch and 3.3-inch calibers, some shells fitted with a Bormann time fuze. Identification rests on the body form and the lead base sabot together with any recovery history.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- Melton, Jack W., Jr. Civil War Artillery Projectiles: The Half Shell Book. Blue Ridge, GA: Historical Publications LLC, 2018.
- Hackley, Frank W. Civil War Explosive Ordnance. Revised November 10, 1960. U.S. Naval School, Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
- United States Military Academy Ordnance Museum. A Descriptive Catalogue of the Collection.