Parrott carriages

[little seacoast]

Hi, I have ordered a 1/2 scale Parrott barrel from Dominick and have now turned my thoughts to how to mount it. Dominic makes a really nice Marsilly carriage that I am considering but what other options would be period appropriate?  I am a fairly skilled woodworker and could possibly build a field carriage, but what type/model?  Any suggestions welcome! Thanks, Pete

[RocklockI]

part of it will depend on what model Dom is making for you .

Where are the sights mounted ....? certain types had different sights ...among other things ,but sight location is kinda a determiner to type /size .

what sort of parrot/carriage do you desire ?

1/2 scale thats a bigggy .

[little seacoast]

The sights are breech and trunion mounts. As for the type of Parrott, I'm not sure what is meant.  The pics he sent of one he has just made show a slight tapering of the barrel with very little swell between trunions and breech reinforcing ring- a Confederate version?  I would prefer a more pronounced swell and taper, what type is that?  It will be months before he can get to this so there is time to learn more.  I really like the mounts he shows on his website for naval guns but I'm concerned about portability- not as young as I once was.

[dynomike]

I would go with a #2 field carrige.

[RocklockI]

by type i meant size ,as the bigger ones had the sights like you describe .

for me with my 1/3 scale i like the full length sight radius , cause i need all the help i can get ,accuracy wise .

but i dont think any big ones had the sights like that .

if you want a muzzle swell that amounts to much i'd go confrderate . i think the first year or two of union ones had a swell but then it was got rid of ....parrots didnt have too big a swell between trunions . there's a sloping foward shoulder on the breech ring on mine , csa .

you got time ,like you said so thats good .

[artillerybuff]

A 10 Pdr. Parrott barrel weighed approximately 850 lbs. was mounted on a No. 1 Field Carriage.  The early US models had a 2.9" bore with a flared muzzle.  Later on they went to 3" bores for ammo compatibility and dropped the muzzle flare.  Both used a trunnion rim base mounted front sight and a Stadia rear sight.  These barrels had an OAL of 78".

The CS 10 Pdr. barrel weighed close to 1,150 lbs., yet was still mounted on a No. 1 Field Carriage!  They had a straight taper from the chase to the muzzle with a slightly larger flare, and had a larger breech band that required a beveled leading edge to clear the carriage cheeks.  These used a muzzle mounted front sight and a breech rear sight.  These barrel were approximately 79" long.

I am not sure how long a 1/2 scale piece would be, but even if it is around 3' or so you would still be better off with a muzzle mounted front sight.  The longer the sight radius the better for me!

Cheers~   Anthony

[little seacoast]

Looking back trough the threads there is a posting 8/31/09 by SFS004 of an absolutely beautiful  carriage that looks very like what I have in mind.  What model/style of carriage is this?

[SFSO04]

I based mine on the No 1 field carriage using plans from Antique Ordinance Publishers. It is not exact but I like how it turned out. Take your time and it will be easy. You can't go wrong with Dom, either.

Robert