Also known as: bolt, rifle bolt.
| Class | Solid rifled projectile |
|---|---|
| Cavity | None; solid throughout |
| Use | Battering and penetration |
| Counterpart | The smoothbore round shot |
The rifled solid shot
A bolt is the solid, elongated projectile of a rifled gun, taking the place that round shot held in the smoothbore. Cast solid with no cavity, bursting charge, or fuze, it relied on its mass and velocity to batter masonry, penetrate armor and works, and smash materiel.
Bolts were made in the various rifled systems, each with its own sabot or band to take the rifling, and surviving bolts are distinguished from shells by being solid throughout, without the fuze seat and cavity of an explosive projectile.
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.
- Hackley, Frank W. Civil War Explosive Ordnance. Revised November 10, 1960. U.S. Naval School, Explosive Ordnance Disposal.