350 Lb Cannon Ball

Assuming these cannonballs were cast iron, with the density @ 7.15 g/cc, I'm only getting 13.7" for the diameter. I'm thinking they were made of cast iron, so why the discrepancy?

How many guns/ammunition do you think are actually the 'named caliber'?

But balls were also made of any junk handy, so density due to porosity and inclusions may vary quite a bit.

But for what it's worth Solid Works says a 15" ball @ 7.15 g/cc = 456.47 lbs - which seems to equate well with a "450 pounder" in post #1

As you say 350 lbs equates to 13.78" = 350 mm bore - maybe it's French?

_{(or that cheap Russian ammo)}

Points well taken; and last comment: or if I were French (which I am most definitely NOT - mix of Irish, Scottish, Swedish & Portugese).

No I was just messing with you - energy god spoiled my fun though . I figured that it was a "Bomb Squad" issue was evidential enough to indicate a charge was possibly occupying a (central) volume.

Remember- the 350 lb shell carried a 17 lb explosive charge (which obviously was less dense than the cast iron).

Well the 350lb ball had a hollow space with an explosive charge, that seems to be the type mentioned by the OP's article, the 450lb ball was solid but probably not of very pure material...

How stupid of me to not think of that. No demolition person would rely on just the weight of the projectile to cause enough damage. What a concept!

Umm, well, as EG did point it out to you first, I'll give him a GA then

Redundant Post

And that, my friends, is why there are no 800 pound gorillas roaming around today.

OK, look, it's Friday and I'm tired.

How the heck did they load those heavy balls into the gun!?!?!?

"Give me a lever of the proper length and the right fulcrum and I will move the world."

Great reply and GA, though those with heavy balls are known to do great things.

I don't know but we used a 500 lb wrecking ball to nock down walls, we called it a cannon ball when it hit the wall it went down!!!