3.1.1
Weapons
Weapons c.1700-1900
Weapons c.1700-1900
The Industrial Revolution transformed the British landscape. These developments led to significant and marked changes in the nature of warfare, especially within weapons.
Changes in weapons before 1850
Changes in weapons before 1850
- Between 1700-1850, weapons largely stayed the same, with the slight variation being a development of a new type of musket in 1715: the Brown Bess musket.
The Brown Bess musket
The Brown Bess musket
- Used by most infantrymen from 1720-1840.
- Muzzle loaded.
- 2-3 shots per minute.
- Inaccurate and unreliable, but used for 130 years!
Changes in weapons after 1850
Changes in weapons after 1850
- The majority of changes in weaponry happened after 1850 and can be remembered with the mnemonic BRASS.
BRASS
BRASS
- B– Breech Loading guns.
- R– Rifling.
- A- Ammunition.
- S– Steel Casting.
- S– Smokeless Powder.
BRASS
BRASS
The majority of changes in weaponry happened after 1850 and can be remembered with the mnemonic BRASS.
B– Breech Loading guns
B– Breech Loading guns
- Breech loading guns led to far quicker reload times, meaning the weapons could fire at a significantly increased rate.
- Combined with brass cartridge technologies, this led to the development of the first ‘machine gun’ in the 1860s and the ‘Gatling Gun’ - these could fire 150 rounds per minute at a range of 2000 metres.
R– Rifling
R– Rifling
- Rifling was where the inside of the barrel had grooves in it, so that the bullet’s spin could be controlled.
- This resulted in the bullet being more accurate and therefore also increasing the distance the bullet could be fired.
- Rifling in rifles had been used since the 1830s but rifling in artillery only became possible in the 1860s.
- By 1900 artillery could fire up to 10km away.
A- Ammunition
A- Ammunition
- Breech loading guns became possible due to developments in ammunition cartridges.
- Brass cartridges containing one bullet and the gunpowder required to power the bullet were all contained inside a brass case.
S– Steel Casting
S– Steel Casting
- Artillery were able to be rifled due to advances in technology that allowed them to be made out of solid steel rather than iron. - Steel was much stronger than iron and it was a lot easier to be rifled than iron.
- More advance in technology allowed steel to be manufactured cheaper and quicker leading to artillery being mass produced.
S– Smokeless Powder
S– Smokeless Powder
- Allowed you to see your enemy more clearly - accuracy of weapons more important.
- More need for cover/protection now smoke doesn’t hide troops.
- Line formation became a less effective tactic.
- Charging enemies became more daunting.
- Commanding officers became more susceptible to snipers.
1Medieval Warfare c.1250-1500
2Early Modern Warfare c.1500-1700
3Industrial Warfare c.1700-1900
4Modern Warfare c.1900-present
5The Historic Environment
5.1London & the Second World War, 1939-45
Jump to other topics
1Medieval Warfare c.1250-1500
2Early Modern Warfare c.1500-1700
3Industrial Warfare c.1700-1900
4Modern Warfare c.1900-present
5The Historic Environment
5.1London & the Second World War, 1939-45
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