Also known as: bar shot.
| Class | Antirigging projectile |
|---|---|
| Form | Two iron masses or half-balls joined by a bar |
| Use | Naval; cutting rigging and spars |
Cutting rigging
Bar shot joined two masses of iron, often two half-balls, by a solid bar. Thrown from the gun, it tumbled end over end so that the whipping bar and weights would sweep through and cut a ship's rigging, sails, and spars.
Like chain shot, bar shot was primarily a naval projectile aimed at disabling a vessel rather than sinking it, and it was of little use in land warfare.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- United States Army, Ordnance Department. The Ordnance Manual for the Use of the Officers of the United States Army. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1862.