Falconet Cannon

By Crusader1307

Developed in the late 15th Century, The Falconet Cannon was developed in England (and heavily copied in France and Germany). Falconets were known to be heavily engraved with pictures of reptiles (particularly Snakes). Barrels were around 4-feet long and ranged in 3 to 5-pound solid shot. The Falconet had an impressive effective range of 5,000 yards. Some variations were designed to fire Grape Shot rounds. Often described as an “oversized Flintlock musket”, they were cheaper to make than Sakers and Culverns. The Falconet was among one of the “first” cannon types to feature a functional gun carriage system (somewhat). In the 17th Century, Falconets were often placed on Quarter Decks of warships and used s an effective anti-boarding weapon. Both British and Colonial Forces used Falconets during The American Revolutionary War.