Cannon in the early 17th century were of a plethora of calibers and all were too heavy to be moved during battle, as they had been developed as siege weapons. Gustavus Adolphus reduced the number of calibers of guns fielded to guns firing 24-, 12- and 6-pound cannonballs (roughly 10, 5 & 2.5 kg) in order to simplify logistics. Guns used in the field were limited to bronze cannon; others, such as guns made of cast iron were placed in castles and fortresses.
Gustavus Adolphus' tactics were based on use of effective firepower. While heavy cannon were effective at the start of the battle, they could not be moved from the hill that they usually were deployed on (the guns themselves weighed from roughly 300 kilograms to 3 tons). As such, the artillery could not respond effectively to developments in battle.
In order to fill the gap, the so-called leather cannon was developed. A relatively thin copper tube was reinforced by heavy ropes and finally clad in leather (alternatively clad in leather straps first and then rope). While the weapon was light enough to be mobile, and at the same time was cheaper in construction, it turned out to be flawed. The reinforcing material acted as an insulator, and did not let heat dissipate fast enough. Thus, after only a few shots the gun became red-hot. The heat would either deform the tube and drastically decrease accuracy or prematurely ignite the gunpowder, severely injuring the loader. As a weapon, it turned out to be a fiasco.
Still, the weapon did demonstrate the usefulness of mobile fire support. Before Sweden's entry in the Thirty Years' War, a new weapon had been developed, the bronze 3-pound regimental cannon. It could be towed by one horse or three men and had a range and rate of fire three times greater than the muskets of the period.
While short-lived, the leather cannon was copied by numerous nations of Europe, most notably Scotland.
In Korea, which was then called Joseon Dynasty, leather guns make their appearance in government records from at least 1649. They were hailed for their lightness, and therefore, superior manoeuvrability. The only difference between the Korean leather cannon and that of Europe was that the Korean counterpart was covered in thick Korean paper heavily saturated with grease. For several decades after its adoption, hundreds of leather cannon were produced, denoting their popularity. Similar to its European counterpart, it also fired iron shot weighing about 4 pounds.
In episode 141 of the American TV show MythBusters, the Build Team constructed and tested the leather cannon. The Swedish-type gun had better muzzle velocity than an American Civil War era field gun, but it was prone to burst. - Wikipedia
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