Armstrong 7-inch Rifled Breech Loading Gun (1861 - 1902)

The Armstrong 7 inch (110 pounder) rifled breech loaded gun was constructed using Armstrong’s method of shrinking concentric wrought iron hoops over a toughened and rifled A tube.
The rifling consisted of 76 grooves, and the shell was coated with a thin sleeve of lead that gripped the rifling.
The 7 inch gun was ordered by the British Government, despite Armstrong’s view that the mechanism was unsuited to heavy guns. The first guns entered service in 1861, but it became clear in naval use that the shells did not have the velocity to penetrate the armour of warships of that era. While the Royal Navy then reverted to muzzle loaded guns, albeit rifled rather than smoothbore in 1864, the 7 inch rifled breech-loaded Armstrong guns were supplied to the coastal defence forts (Palmerston Forts) built during 1860 -1870s. Some of the 7 inch guns remained in service until 1902.
Many of these Palmerston’s Forts were designed to protect major ports from an invading force that landed nearby and attacked from the landward side. These forts became known as ‘Palmerston’s Follies’ as the guns faced inland.
The 7 inch Armstrong guns were well suited to defending against an invading army, firing explosive shells against siege works, segmented shell agains large bodies of men or equipment and canister shot at short ranges. The guns and their crews had to be protected. This was either by mounting the guns in casemates or the novel disappearing gun mounting invented by Sir Alexander Moncrieff (1829 - 1906) in 1858. The Moncrieff mounting allowed the gun to be reloaded while protected by a thick parapet, then raised to fire, only exposing the gun briefly. The Moncrieff system also allowed the gun to be trained over a wide arc, unlike the casemate guns which were limited by the gun port.
This animation was created using Cinema 4D, Quicktime and iMovie.
Music: Light Expanse (Unicorn Heads)
Primary reference: 7-inch Rifled Breech-Loading Guns of 72 cwt and 82 cwt, on Moncrieff and Sliding Carriages - 1892. (Melbourne Public Library)
My thanks also to members of the Portsdown Artillery Volunteers and Royal Armouries, Fort Nelson.

[@tisFrancesfault]

I really enjoyed the demonstration of the disappearing gun mechanism.

[@NobleHereticLP]

Aka: The Peeka-Boom

[@ZerokillerOppel1]

I found the fuze system very interesting.

[@britishmuzzleloaders]

Wonderful Rob! Love the gun system videos! So much work and it shows.

[@shanepatrick4534]

You sir are an artist. This level of skill is incredible.

[@gvii]

Excellent model work, as always. These are not only very entertaining, but they really let you wrap your head around how these things work. Something that can often be very hard to do with just words or a simple illustration.

[@vbbsmyt]

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[@zhengqiangwang9620]

@@vbbsmyt Hello, could you please send me a 3D drawing of the Moncrieff RBL 7-inch gun? I want to make it into a model. Thank you very much.

[@gumpyoldbugger6944]

The best channel going explaining how these old weapons were designed and worked.....simple, clear and concise and not cluttered by a bunch of needless verbiage. Please keep up the excellent and interesting work.....ps. music choice is great as well.

[@neilwilson5785]

Brilliant work. I wish this content was around when I was decades younger! Anyway, now I get to see it.

[@sinfulhappiness]

Wow. That fuse timer mechanism is sweet. Love the video!

[@MM22966]

Thank you, Mr. Brassington. I'm reading David Weber's Safehold scifi book series right now, and they talk about building guns just like this, jumping from effectively 16th-century tech to late 19th-century in a matter of years. It's very helpful to see what this intermediate gun technology actually looked like/operated. (I had no idea there was a vent block like that in Armstrong guns, for example.)

[@battleoid2411]

Thats series is a great read

[@MM22966]

@@battleoid2411 You saw Weber got pretty tired of writing it (or maybe was forced to to tie it off) towards the last book. The man writes too much!😂

[@battleoid2411]

@@MM22966 yeah, he goes all out on his books, its what I love about them but yeah it takes a lot of effort for him to write them

[@HYEOL]

Late Christmas Gift. Thanks

[@hrunchtayt1587]

My man Rob back at it with the most baller Victorian era weapon breakdown

[@vbbsmyt]

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[@vectorbrony3473]

An excellent display of a 110 lb armstrong gun! When I was with the Palmerston Artillery volunteers we went to Crownhill fort for a weeken special. Sadly at the time their Moncrieff gun was in poor condition and we couldn't elevate it. But they have fixed it now and it's impressing to see. The one we had at Fort Nelson was always good for display and I still have "fond" memories of how heavy the breach block was and keeping your footing with hobnail boots. If I may, I'd suggest the 32lp SBBL gun next . This was a 32 pounder with the rear cut away and replaced with a sliding breech. They were mainly used in caponiers to act as anti infantry guns. Firing Case shot and Grape shot down the ditch and clearing away enemy forces trying to scale the walls.

[@vbbsmyt]

vectorbrony. Thanks for your comment. As a PAV team member you will, perhaps, have noted that at Fort Nelson, the gunner on the left fires the gun, while in the video, he is on the right. I am informed that the PAV team are working from the 1885 drill book, while the video drill is from the 1992 manual. So both are correct. I will see if I can find drawings (essential) and a manual for the 32 pounder SBBL gun, but no promises. R

[@Ratzfourtyfour]

New year, new video.

[@garygenerous8982]

Amazing work as always detailing how these amazing Victorian era marvels work. Thank you so much for everything you do and as usual I look forward to your next video with great anticipation. If possible do you think you could do a history of shell development in one of your future videos? I would really be interested in seeing how they evolved over time all in one video. But no matter what you do I know I will love it!

[@vbbsmyt]

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[@ThatZenoGuy]

The shell simulation is very interesting! You should try making a video on the Type 3 "San Shiki" AA rounds that Japan used in WW2. Or if you want to try something rarer, the "Brandshrapnell" incendiary AA rounds Germany made in WW2.

[@AspiringSteampunk]

Absolutely excellent work! The RBL Armstrong was always a bit curious to me. I never knew about the tin gas seal which makes a lot more sense in hindsight than a straight conical fit between the breech-piece and breech face, but I still have to wonder why he went with a plug-secured block to close the breech, since it kind of seems you get the disadvantages of both sliding-block and screw-plug breeches. I will say, the combination of the gas seal, booster charge, loading tray breech insert, and uninterrupted screw explain why the RN felt the guns were excessively labor-intensive. Though, next to the RML 12.5-inch this seems positively convenient.

[@vbbsmyt]

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[@thomasmalthus3257]

he is back!

[@vbbsmyt]

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[@thomasmalthus3257]

@@vbbsmyt i will, godspeed and good luck on future work.

[@GizmoDuck_1860]

This is outstanding. Thank you for the time and effort in sharing. We really appreciate it. This is amazing knowledge

[@mibo747]

As every 3d work - PERFECTION!

[@vbbsmyt]

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[@thegeneralissimo470]

Excellent as always. Nothing like a cup of tea and a good weapon animation.

[@firearmsaddictloveguns]

Thanks for this wonderful video. Yesterday I actually posted a Short on a 7” Armstrong that’s on the HMS Warrior in Portsmouth UK. It was great seeing the workings, I never knew about the tin gas seal.

[@sahhaf1234]

so nice to see a new video from you..

[@SilencedMi5]

Astonishing level of detail. Outstanding work! Thanks for being so meticulous and presenting this so well.

[@ptonpc]

It's a good day when Robert uploads. I feel the wooden fuse is more impressive that the bigger stuff. Happy New Year!

[@vbbsmyt]

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[@ptonpc]

@@vbbsmyt Already subscribed for a while. Good luck!

[@vbbsmyt]

many thanks R

[@4thforcon426]

another outstandingly made video. complex breech lock mechanism and shells. Ahead of its time. thank you

[@vbbsmyt]

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[@rollertoaster812]

I just discovered this channel yesterday, and I've already watched almost every video. Wonderful rendering and animation! I really get a truly inside look at how these weapons work. Your channel deserves 100 times the subscribers!

[@vbbsmyt]

Thank you, could I ask you to subscribe, if you haven't already done so. Getting close to 100K.

[@rollertoaster812]

@@vbbsmyt done!

[@jasonshull3106]

Stunning video. Thank you.

[@iceman7975]

Yet again you have excelled yourself with another high quality presentation .Well Done .🥇

[@katana1430]

These never cease to amaze me.

[@gemmeliusgrammaticus2509]

Impressive video as always!

[@KV2Tank]

Amazing work as usual!

[@roberts1938]

Great show! Happy new year! Many successful presentations. I didn't realize shooting this gun was so complicated.

[@51WCDodge]

Fascinating, thanks for including the bursting shell.

[@-YellowFruit-]

Damn! I remember watching these animations so many years ago and he's still making them! Keep it up!

[@vbbsmyt]

Thank you, could I ask you to subscribe, if you haven't already done so. Getting close to 100K.

[@phillipharding1538]

Brilliant as always

[@vbbsmyt]

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[@melon444]

Canon ship 75mm bilek: Life in chad 🗣️🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🦅🦅🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🆙🆙🆙

[@AA-sr9ul]

Thank you a lot. It is so impressive!

[@masaharumorimoto4761]

Very cool, much appreciated, the wooden fuse is super neat!!

[@womble321]

Another masterpiece thank you.

[@vbbsmyt]

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[@Fester94]

Veey fascinating animations. Great job!

[@NoobGaming-eo9in]

Nice job on the animation! I'm always excited to see a new vbbsmyt upload!

[@vbbsmyt]

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[@notbobrosss3670]

What a Happy New Years gift.😊

[@dxb338]

sweet music. like mid period grateful dead meets post-rock

[@EXO9X8]

Bravo! Im very glad I was not an artillery man of that era.

[@blabbergasted4380]

Thank you!

[@garywheeler7039]

Amazing renderings. The descending carriage gun was made obsolete when battleships gained very thick side armor. Then a gun needed to drop a shell onto the deck from a high angle to be successful. Like happened with the HMS Hood.

[@ZaHandle]

Hood most likely didn’t got a deck shot since she’s too close for that. She most likely got hit under the belt armor from a short shell. Although that’s just a single theory of many more

[@garywheeler7039]

​@@ZaHandle My understanding is that she got hit behind her funnel from behind as she turned in an area they had planned to upgrade the armor to but spent time showing the flag around the world instead>

[@magnemoe1]

More likely the descending carriage guns could not be scaled up to WW 1 level battleship gun size effectively and rate of fire for WW 1 5-8" guns was was much faster, you also lacked overhead protection who was bad as air-burst became more accurate.

[@enricopasetti6684]

Another masterpiece. Sir, you're an artist.

[@vbbsmyt]

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[@mootpointjones8488]

Fascinating, thank you.

[@PanzerschrekCN]

Amazing work!

[@rosmundsen]

Very good video. Thank You Sir.

[@radekkolodziejczyk9831]

Thank you.

[@carlosvillarroel4168]

Magnificent, as usually

[@polygonalfortress]

bravo sir!

[@josephleister9198]

Wonderful visualization....these looked pretty accurate for their day too....thanks for posting.

[@vbbsmyt]

Glad you like it. If you are not already a subscriber, please subscribe and help me get to 100K subscribers

[@guillaumeroncin5870]

Ah, the really good surprise of the day : A video from vbbsmyt ! Thank you.

[@vbbsmyt]

Thank you, if you have not already done so, please could you please subscribe to this channel - I hope to reach 100K subscribers. Regards R

[@williamwilliams7706]

Amazing work.

[@johnwood164]

Very informative.

[@JohnDoe-pk8lc]

Ayo dats really cool rob

[@dubsy1026]

Great stuff

[@theprancingprussian]

back when we needed him most

[@andrewmountford3608]

Excellent as always. There is a gun in Whampoa, HKG & I wondered how it would actually work. These videos make it very clear.

[@vbbsmyt]

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[@demos113]

Lovely work.

[@seventysix2545]

Wow, I loved the internals of the shell, that fragmentation would have been hell

[@chrissouthgate4554]

This was the gun used on HMS Warrior. It also helped convince the RN to stick with muzzle loads for a lot longer. Thanks for the work though!

[@ravikanthyella9361]

Wonderful, so much effort taken to make it easily understandable for newcomers like me. Thank you for the video.

[@Panzerargentino1]

Emplaced in HMS warrior I believe.

[@garyneilson1833]

Very interesting video, I did like that you included how the shell was assembled and what happened after it was fired

[@user-mk7kp2gq1c]

С наступившим! Спасибо!

[@chooseyouhandle]

That's one big gun

[@livikolumina5220]

HAPPY NEW YEAR BREECHLOADER FANS!! LONG LIVE THE ROYAL NAVY, HOPE THE ROYAL NAVY IS ON OUR SIDE!!

[@mestevep12]

Very good !!

[@ronhudson3730]

Fascinating! Did this model have the flash problem around the breech that the naval versions did? Did that problem result in their being removed from ships?

[@johnpotter8039]

Wonderful! This video certainly answered questions for me. I am a long time fort and ordnance historian. Across the Pond, we had our wonderful Buffington-Crozier disappearing carriages, with weapons from 6" to 16". There is a lot of documentation as well as early movies, with some guns active during WW 2. I would love to see your work on U.S. coastal defense weapons. By the way, this past weekend, I visited Fort Fisher, in North Carolina. The famous Armstrong RML is well documented with photos and a copy on the standard friction recoil mount.

[@vbbsmyt]

John, thank you for your comments. I have been considering a project on the 8inch or 10inch Rodman coastal guns. Can you recommend any sites where I can get drawings of the guns, their carriages, ammunition and loading drills, and especially details of the Rodman manufacturing process. I would be grateful if you could. Regards Rob

[@johnpotter8039]

I have been fascinated by artillery for the past 60 years. Rodman cast both 15" and 20" smoothbores. There is a wonderful painting, by John Ferguson Weir, titled "The Cannon Foundry", painted at the West Point Arsenal, showing one Rodman vertical mould being poured and another set up with the water cooling plumbing. I have also been a member of the Coast Defense Study Group, CDSG, for the past 35 years. I will send in an inquiry to our journal, with your site contact information, or your e-mail, if that's ok. My colleagues have tons of primary source material.

[@morkovija]

to the youtube library of congress with this level of quality once again

[@vbbsmyt]

Glad you like it. If you are not already a subscriber, please subscribe and help me get to 100K subscribers

[@markfryer9880]

Fascinating animation. Impressive. Mark from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺

[@John____Smith]

Masterpiece job👌

[@TyphoonBlast]

Love the channel, can you do the 16’/50 MK7 naval cannons eventually? Those are my favorite big gun of all time

[@ParaBellum78]

Bravo!

[@BunnyBun11]

amazing!

[@blackspinnaker6643]

Wow thanks alot !!!

[@Miko19691]

Thanks.

[@user-ri4qi9lv1p]

Excellent video, with step by step explanation of the mechanics involved. Could the CAD files be used to make a 3D model?

[@joelfortin6634]

We have one (or 2 actually I think) of those cannons at my job. Beautiful pieces of engineering

[@kidkique]

wristwatches and guns - amazing mechanical machines

[@logoseven3365]

Amazing

[@randomuruguayan]

Amazing animations, as always, right on the point. Great detail too, keep up the good work. Have you considered making an animation of the type 93 japanese torpedo? It's quite the machine.

[@vbbsmyt]

As always, I would need good drawings. Where can I get these from?

[@TheGroundedAviator]

I think they had one of these in the fort that is now part of the Wellington Botanic Gardens. Now part of an area with a weather station, a Cub Scout hall and several observatories.

[@gaborv.6502]

Great video! Would you consider doing a video on the PaK 36 gun?

[@randomexcessmemories4452]

Could you do a video on the battleship turrets at the Maxim Gorky Fortresses (Coastal Batteries No. 30 and 35)? I'd love to learn more about them!

[@thebarronflights]

Impressive ❤

[@FabrizioAndreuccioli]

Happy new year :)

[@jennenredston8137]

Amazeng! The same gun in corregidor island in philippines, the vanishing gun. Amazeng animation!

[@jameson7276]

Awesome

[@TheArklyte]

I'm surprised that it took until 1897 for hydraulic recoil mechanism to be added to artillery.

[@user-fe6jb8mq4x]

Спасибо!

[@Shawn_the_Protogen]

Interesting breech loading system.

[@m-egreenisland7086]

I’ve seen one of those disappearing guns when I was younger.

[@user-kp6zg9re7f]

супер, оч интересно )) спасибо

[@stocchinet]

I honestly thought it was an humongous cannon until you showed a human figure next to it 😂

[@rossstenner4402]

Great start to the year, thank you. The tin cup used to obturate is something I wasn't aware of, was it hooked out and re used or a new one every time?

[@vbbsmyt]

The tin cup was the hardest item to research. I have not found an existing example or drawing (so far). It should have been removed from the vent piece after each shot using a special tool, but again I haven’t got the drawing. The tin cup, however, was essential. If, in the heat of battle, the old one was not removed, or a new one fitted in place correctly, there was a great risk of the blast expelling the vent piece explosively, to the detriment of the crew and surroundings. R

[@MM22966]

"Wanna see a magic trick?" BOOOM!!! "-and it's gone!"