Bar Shot

Bar Shot: The Rigging Killer

Bar shot consisted of two cast-iron spheres connected by a wrought-iron bar, either fixed or hinged at the center. The hinge design allowed rotation in flight, increasing tumble and spread. Gunners loaded it vertically down the cannon muzzle. Upon discharge, the bar's weight caused the shot to spin and separate slightly, creating a wider destructive arc through rigging and canvas.

Bar shot emerged as naval artillery evolved in the 17th century. English and Dutch gunners refined it by the 1680s to maximize anti-rigging damage. Pirates and privateers adopted it eagerly; it crippled prey without destroying cargo. Royal Navy vessels carried it routinely. By 1700, bar shot was standard aboard any warship or pirate vessel with cannon capability, making it one of the era's most feared projectiles.

Merchant vessels were the target. Sinking them destroyed cargo and profit. Bar shot disabled rigging—masts, yards, lines—forcing surrender without loss of plunder. Pirates preferred capture to destruction. Naval commanders used it to immobilize enemy warships before boarding. Its selective devastation made it economically and tactically superior to solid shot for both corsairs and legitimate navies.

Gunners stored bar shot in racks near the cannon. Before action, they selected caliber-matched pairs and checked the connecting bar for cracks. Loading required care: the shot was inserted vertically, then the cannon elevated and aimed at enemy masts or rigging. Fired in volleys, bar shot was most effective at 400–600 yards. A single hit could bring down a yard or shred sails beyond quick repair.

The gun captain directed fire; two or three crew members loaded and swabbed the cannon. The master gunner (or gunner's mate) selected ammunition and calculated elevation. On pirate vessels, experienced gunners were valuable—often pressed from captured ships or hired specifically. Accuracy required skill; poor aim wasted ammunition and opportunity. Larger vessels carried 4–12 gunners depending on armament.

Shot spheres were cast in iron molds, then finished by hand. The connecting bar was forged from wrought iron, shaped and fitted to the shot. Fixed bars were welded or pinned; hinged variants used a single iron pin through the bar's center. Quality varied; poorly cast shot could shatter on discharge. English foundries produced the finest; colonial and pirate sources often used inferior castings, reducing range and accuracy.

Fixed-bar designs were simpler and cheaper but less effective in flight. Hinged variants allowed the bar to rotate freely, increasing tumble and spread—preferred by experienced gunners. Some examples featured offset bars to increase rotation. Caliber ranged from 3-pounder (light) to 12-pounder (heavy); larger shot were rare due to weight and recoil. Chain shot—two balls connected by chain—was a lighter, more flexible variant.

1650s–1670s: Experimental use by English and Dutch navies. 1680s: Standardized design adopted by Royal Navy. 1690–1710: Widespread use by pirates, privateers, and naval vessels. 1715–1725: Peak effectiveness during final decades of Golden Age; remains in use into 18th century. Post-1750: Gradually superseded by explosive shells and improved solid shot.

Captain Henry Morgan's fleet (1680s) used bar shot extensively in Caribbean raids. Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge (captured 1718) carried bar shot in her gun racks. Royal Navy vessels HMS Swallow and HMS Weymouth employed it against Bartholomew Roberts's Royal Fortune (1722). The wreck of Whydah (1717) yielded bar shot fragments. Specific museum specimens are rare; most examples are reconstructed from period records.

Bar shot has been recovered from shipwrecks including the Whydah (1717, Massachusetts), Queen Anne's Revenge (1718, North Carolina), and various Caribbean wreck sites. The Smithsonian collections include examples from English foundries, circa 1690–1710. Condition varies; many are corroded or fragmentary. Hinged variants are rarer in the archaeological record than fixed designs, suggesting they were more expensive and less commonly lost.