Leather cannon

The aim was to construct a light and cheap weapon that would bridge the gap between the hand-held musket and the heavy stationary cannon.

In order to simplify logistics Gustavus Adolphus reduced the number of calibers to guns firing 24-, 12- and 6-pound cannonballs (roughly 11, 5.4 and 2.7 kg).

Guns made from cast iron were too heavy to be moved during battle, and were used only in fortresses or aboard ships.

Guns used in the field were limited to bronze cannon, but only the very lightest pieces could be moved during battle and usually only if the terrain was even.

While heavy cannon were effective at the start of the battle, they could not be moved from the hill that they usually were deployed on (the guns themselves weighed from roughly 300 kilograms (660 lb) to 3 tons (3,000 kg).

While the weapon was light enough to be mobile (it required only a two-man crew to pull into position and operate[3]), and at the same time was cheaper in construction, the basic design proved to be flawed.