Bronze could be made tougher than iron at certain stages of metallurgical development. A bronze breech-loading gun was therefore feasible in principle. Its expense and the higher failure rate among examples made production difficult. Iron was cheaper, could be produced in greater quantities and gave more consistent results.
Notable Point · 3:02:13-3:02:55
Bronze and iron in breech-loading gun manufacture
Bronze offered possible strength advantages, while iron allowed cheaper and more consistent gun production.