A round shot is a solid spherical projectile without explosive charge, launched from a gun. Its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the barrel from which it is shot. A round shot fired from a l
Various types of round shot made from stone, iron and lead found on board the 16th-century carrack Mary Rose
Mons Meg with its 20-inch caliber (51 cm), 386 lb (175 kg) cannonballs
Cannonball equipped with winglets for rifled cannons, c. 1860
Vault full of cannonballs in the Omoa fortress, Honduras.
The operation of cannon required specialised crew and gunners, who were first enlisted by the Spanish in the 14th century. The nature of cannon operation often depended on the size of the cannon and w
Cannon in a Civil War re-enactment: Large amounts of gunpowder often affected visibility, and gunners hoped for a strong wind.
Firing of a 6-pound cannon
Mons Meg, a 15th-century cannon
Parts of a cannon, described in John Roberts, The Compleat Cannoniere, London, 1652.