[kronckew]

yup, hadn't exactly noted that, the slightly flattened end twists threw me off.

they must have had a very good blacksmith, dedicated and willing to spend all that extra time forging it so nicely round. i'm sure the performance difference was worth the effort and reduction in productivity.

shame he spent so little effort on engraving naval scenes on it tho. that would make all the difference.

the one in this photo is not quite so beautifully finished.

note the lack of a weld fillet on the join to the shot halves, and the bars, while round, do show hammer marks from forging.

just for interest, the bar on the attached one appears to have been shrunk fit into the shot (heat the shot, hammer the cold rod into the expanded hole). there is an area around the join on the flat of the shot that looks discoloured, possibly by this type of operation. or were they cast along with the shot? seeing the face opposite the flats might be informative. could they have been threaded and screwed together hot to join them? should we set up a barshot factory? i'm sure mythbusters would test for us.