Palliser Shot and Shell - Palliser Shot

Palliser Shot

Palliser shot was made of cast iron, the head being chilled in casting to harden it, using composite molds with a metal, water cooled portion for the head. At times there were defects that led to cracking in the projectiles but these were overcome with time. Bronze studs were installed into the outside of the projectile so as to engage the rifling grooves in the gun barrel. The base had a hollow pocket but was not filled with powder or explosive: the cavity was necessitated by difficulties in casting large solid projectiles without their cracking when they cooled, because the nose and base of the projectiles cooled at different rates, and in fact a larger cavity facilitated a better quality casting. The hole at the base was threaded to accept a copper gas check. This prevented propellant gases from blowing around the projectile providing obturation as the driving band had yet to be perfected. Later designs did away with the studs on the projectile body with the gas checks being set with grooves to impart spin to the projectile.

At the Battle of Angamos (October 8, 1879) the Chilean ironclad warships fired 20 250 pound-Palliser gunshots against the Peruvian ironclad Huáscar, with devastating results. It was the first time that such piercing shells were used in actual combat.