James Richard Haskell

Who was James Richard Haskell?

James Richard Haskell was an American inventor chiefly remembered for his invention of a multi-charge gun which was intended to increase muzzle velocity by detonating additional propellant charges behind the projectile or shell as it moved up the gun's barrel and was a distant ancestor of the World War II German V-3 "supergun".

In 1854 Haskell began experiments with steel breech-loading rifled cannon and breech-loading small-arms, manufacturing 25 of the former, which were purchased by the Mexican Government.

In 1855 he began experimenting with multi-charge guns in partnership with Azel S. Lyman, who first originated the idea of applying successive charges of gunpowder to accelerate the velocity of a projectile.