Rare Inert WWI Armstrong Round

This is rare WWI Armstrong cannon muzzle loading round/shell. It is one of the earliest ideas for a rifled cannon. The idea was to have a barrel with deep helical grooves firing a shell with studs on it to ride in the grooves. The design was successfully developed by British inventor Sir William Armstrong and was a simple, reliable and highly accurate weapon. Armstrong guns were often found on larger ship and seacoast artillery. Armstrong supplied both armies in the American Civil War with these guns. This example has zinc studs and is believed to have been fired from a 3.4 inch French gun. The writing on the copper fuse would indicate that it was brought back a war souvenir.