Accession Number

1986.008.0619

Alternate object names

Powder Gauge;Rule

Creation Date

circa 1620

Description

A bronze gunner’s rule was used to measure the bore diameter of a cannon. The blade-like device had numerical scales engraved into both faces (now corroded and illegible) that indicated the appropriate size and weight of shot for the diameter. The multiple scales had calculations for iron, lead, or stone shot. It has an ornate handle that might have had a now-unknown function.