Gribeauval system

The Gribeauval system (French: système Gribeauval) was an artillery system introduced by Lieutenant General Jean Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval during the 18th century. This system revolutionized French cannon, with a new production system that allowed lighter, more uniform guns without sacrificing range. The Gribeauval system superseded the de Vallière system. These guns contributed to French military victories during the Napoleonic Wars; the Gribeauval system was "arguably the best artillery system in Europe at that time".

The Gribeauval system was introduced through royal order on 15 October 1765. Although much of the work is not directly attributable to Gribeauval (see Honoré Blanc), the systems of organization and uniformity in ordnance have been called le système Gribeauval.

Gribeauval's primary improvement came in the production of large artillery pieces. Prior to his improvements, guns were cast in a single piece by pouring molten iron or bronze around a clay cylinder core. After the metal cooled, the clay was removed, leaving the gun's bore. However, the clay cores resulted in imperfect bores, which prevented the use of tight-fitting cannonballs. Because rounds did not fit tightly, much of the explosive power of the gunpowder was lost.

Gribeauval created a new system of production, initially developed by Jean Maritz, casting guns as a single, solid block, and then drilling the bore on a large machine: the entire barrel of the gun rotated against a massive drill bit, and the cutting head was advanced by means of weights and cogs. The resulting guns had a tighter manufacturing tolerance between the bore and ball. This allowed the gun barrels to be made thinner without sacrificing range and shorter without reducing accuracy. Both improvements reduced weight, which in combination with improved gun carriages designed by Gribeauval, allowed the new fieldpieces to be more easily moved about.

Gribeauval developed comparatively light cannon used for field artillery::

The 1-pdr Rostaing gun and the Swedish 4-pdr Battalion Guns were retained from the previous system.

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