looking for movie clips of bar shot & grapeshot

[loulou]

Hello everyone,


I am trying to understand the movement and damage made by bar shot and grapeshot projectiles. I can't find good movie clips of them, especially the bar shot is totally neglected by youtube. It would be great if you could help me with animations, clips and links!


Thanks, Milou

[cannonmn]

I can't say for sure that you won't find anything on bar shot (aka double-headed shot) but to get a good idea of the effect you would need to have as a target the masts and rigging of a sailing ship, and that gets very expensive.  Double-headed shot was made to catch the rigging and sails if not masts, and rip and cut them attempting to disable the enemy ship's mobility, after which the battle would conclude fairly quickly.
 
Also, I really haven't seen anyone reproduce bar shot intended to be fired, although with wide availability of steel in all shapes and sizes it should not be too terribly hard these days.
 
If you find someone with about $10K minimum to set up a test, I'll provide the artillery, crews, and range if it can be concluded before Labor Day when I get very busy again.
 
Here's our little demonstration of canister ammo fired from an antique swivel gun, which you may take to be a small-scale demo of grapeshot fired from a larger gun.  We did another video a couple of years back where we fired bolts, chains, etc. from a 3" gun to see what it would do to some pallets.  That's on YT also, but I'd have to search for the right one out of our 283 videos there.
 
Can't seem to get the li'l TV screen to show up but here's the link to the canister one:
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsVaT694wI8

[Double D]

I believe Artilleryman has some stuff on that.

Here is a picture he sent me of bar shot used in an anti vehicle role



closer.

[Artilleryman]

That shot hit the side of a van near the bottom and gathered up the floor pan and carried to the other side of the van.

[Artilleryman]

The effect of 24 pdr bar shot fired from a field howitzer on a timber wall.

[Leatherneck]

Gods and Generals has the best portrayal of what one grapeshot fire does to a line of men.

[Artilleryman]

In "Gods and Generals" was that grape shot or was that canister?  By the time of the Civil War grape shot was considered obsolete.  Undoubtedly there was some use of it as supplies on hand were used up.  In 12 pdr canister there are 27 balls to 9 balls in grape shot.  In a demonstration for the History Channel we fired canister into eight "soldiers" at 120 yards.  All were hit, most more than once, and most fatally.  Depending on the source, 12 pdr canister was considered effective out to 300 to 400 yards.  Grape shot was considered effective to 600 yards.  Between the two I would want canister over grape shot for field artillery.  Against ships I would want grape shot.