Ammunition endurance is part of armament choice

An independent frigate had to balance gun power against the powder and shot it could store for a long deployment. Its single main gun deck made calibre choice especially consequential because there was no second full battery to offset a poor decision. The 24-pounder versus 18-pounder comparison shows that equal ammunition weight yields fewer heavier rounds: 2,160 pounds of shot represents ninety 24-pound balls but 120 18-pound balls. For the illustrative broadside in the video, that difference is roughly six broadsides instead of eight. A frigate operating far from friendly stores therefore might value two additional broadsides more than the greater effect of each individual shot. Endurance, cruising station, and access to resupply belonged in the same calculation as one-shot firepower.