Miniature French Gribeauval 12 pounder cannon - Napoleonic Wars - 1/30 scale

Completely scratchbuilt and handmade miniature (1/30 scale) of the French "Gribeauval" 12 pounder cannon from the Napoleonic Wars.
The 12, 8 and 4-pounder cannons designed by Lieutenant General Jean-Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval (15 September 1715 – 9 May 1789) revolutionized the French artillery in the second half of the 18th century by being much more lighter and easy to maneuver than the equivalent caliber guns in use on the main contemporary europeean armies. Other innovations included an elevating screw, a calibrated rear gunsight and interchangeable parts for cannon carriages.
The "Gribeauval" system replaced the previous Vallière system in 1765, and its siege guns were first used during the American Revolutionary War, by General Rochambeau´s French expeditionary corps, especially at Yorktown in 1781. Later, Gribeauval field cannons, especially the 12-pdr, contributed largely to most French victories during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. These were very much appreciated by Napoleon, an artillery officer himself, who called them his "belles filles" ("pretty girls").
From 1803 onwards the "Gribeauval" system started being gradually replaced by the "Year XI system" (essentially an improvement of the former guns), but continued being largely used on europeean battlefields until the "Valée system" adoption in 1829.
The 12-pdr was the heaviest cannon in the Napoleonic French field artillery, firing a round shot that weighed 12 French "livres" ( a French "livre" = pound - weighed 489.41 grams). The trail chest (also known as "ammunition chest" or "limber box") held 9 round shot and some accessories, while the caisson carried an additional 48 round shot and 20 canister shot. The barrel itself weighed 1,800 pounds (816 kg), the carriage weighed 1,433 pounds (650 kg) and the limber weighed 787 pounds (357 kg), making a total weight of 4,020 pounds (1,823 kg). The "canon de 12 Gribeauval" was manned by a crew of fifteen men and drawn by six horses. A well trained 12-pdr crew could fire one round per minute. The maximum range of this gun was 1,800 metres (1,969 yards). However, the effective range was only 900 metres (984 yards) for round shots and 600 metres (656 yards) for canister shots.

The materials I used to make this miniature were the following:
-Cannon: brass, turned on an improvised lathe;
-Cannon carriage/ wheels and accessories: mahogany wood and brass;

I used only simple hand tools (mini vise, jewelers saw, manual drill, caliper, magnifying glasses, files, pliers and ball peen hammers) and a electric drill to make this miniature cannon. Although my miniature guns are fully functional and capable of firing I don´t intend to fire any blank or live cartridges because they are for display purposes only.

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