3-inch ordnance rifle

3-inch ordnance rifle
3-inch ordnance rifle, model 1861
Type	Rifled cannon
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1860–1880s
Used by	United States, Confederate States
Wars	American Civil War
Production history
Designer	John Griffen, Jr. Samuel J. Reeves U.S. Ordnance Dept.
Designed	1854, 1862
Manufacturer	Phoenix Iron Works (Phoenixville, Pennsylvania)
Unit cost	$330–$350
Produced	1860–1867
No. built	1,100
Variants	1854 (Griffen gun)
Specifications
Mass	820 lb (371.9 kg)
Length	69 in (1.75 m)
Crew	9
Shell weight	9.5 lb (4.3 kg) shell 1.0 lb (0.5 kg) charge
Caliber	3.0 in (76 mm)
Barrels	1
Action	Muzzle loading
Carriage	900 lb (408 kg)
Muzzle velocity	1,215 ft/s (370 m/s)
Effective firing range	1,830 yd (1,670 m) at 5°
Maximum firing range	4,180 yd (3,820 m) at 16°

The 3-inch ordnance rifle, model 1861 was a wrought iron muzzleloading rifled cannon that was adopted by the United States Army in 1861 and widely used in field artillery units during the American Civil War. It fired a 9.5 lb (4.3 kg) projectile to a distance of 1,830 yd (1,670 m) at an elevation of 5°. The 3-inch rifle was not as effective in firing canister shot as the heavier 12-pounder Napoleon, but it proved to be highly accurate at longer ranges when firing common shell or spherical case shot. There was only one reported case of a 3-inch ordnance rifle bursting in action. This was in stark contrast to the similarly-sized cast iron 10-pounder Parrott rifles which occasionally burst without warning, inflicting injury on the gun crews. The Confederate States of America lacked the technology to manufacture reliable copies of the 3-inch ordnance rifle. However, the Confederate States Army respected the weapons and employed those captured from Federal forces.