The US Government funded many line throwing gun projects.   There were about 30 companies who made line throwing guns from the late 1800's to 1952.  Famous names included, American Manf., Galbraith, General Ordnance, Naval Co., Sculler and Steward.

Production ceased in 1952 in favor of rockets.  Some line guns even look like guns, such as the examples shown made by Winchester and the Naval Company.

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These line guns are used primarily for shore based rescue operations.  The shooter would fire, aiming over the victims head and then pull the line within reach of the victim.  They are are also useful for rescuing victims that have fallen through the ice, or are stranded on a cliff or burning building.

Boats in distress need larger lines.  Lyle guns were designed to throw projectiles weighing approximately 15 pounds, carrying heavier rope over 1000 feet.

Pictured is a early Lyle Gun made by Edmund S. Hunt, of Weymouth, Massachusetts.  David Lyle actually tested Hunt's guns.   The Hunt gun featured a unique projectile, in that it contained the line coiled inside it and played out during flight.  The cannon barrel shown is bronze, and measures 18 1/2” long. The bore is 2 1/2” across. It is mounted on a wooden base which measures 10 1/2” x 29 3/4”.  Circa 1878
The Cannon is the property of  Ellis Props and Graphics, the photo used with their permission.

    
This iron gun was made by the Sculler Safety Co (Circa 1940).  The barrel is 28 inches long with a 2.5 inch bore.  Click on images to see larger pictures.

   Here are examples of a few line throwing guns made by different manufacturers.

Private collection

For the most part, these cannons were designed to be compact and easy to operate. Most had a elevation adjustment achieved by placing a pin in holes, which held the barrel at a certain angle.  At least one Japanese line gun has a horizontal adjustment.  It fired using 12 gauge blanks.

Lyle guns have tremendous recoil (several feet) and need to be lashed down (many people were injured just by the recoil).  All fired using black powder charges, with a couple of exceptions of those using black powder cartridges.  Black powder was used in pre-measured bags, and was coarser than the fa grade, no longer manufactured.   Extensive tests were conducted to determine the optimum powder charge.  The idea being that the powder would ignite and the pressure would start pushing the projectile out of the barrel and stop burning just as the projectile exited.

Modern day shooters of these cannons should take note! The fa grade was much coarser and slower burning than today's ffg grade. It could be dangerous to put 5 ounces of ffg powder in a Lyle gun.

Barrels were made mostly of cast iron with bore diameters of about 2.5 inches.  A few were made of Bronze, and fewer of Manganese/Bronze.  

This  cannon and its projectile were made by the Naval Company, June 1944.  The waffle design barrel is made of manganese/bronze and is 34 inches long and weighs 75 lbs. (2.5 inch bore).  It was  restored to it's original factory condition.  A clear coat of urethane was applied to protect it from oxidizing.

Earlier Lyle guns fired using standard cannon fuse. Aboard ship this proved too unreliable as most rescue operations were during turbulent, stormy weather.  Friction primers were a much better choice (these were also used during the Civil War and are in use today).  A friction primer consist of a small brass tube (3/16 inch) filled with a flash powder that gets ignited by sparks from a friction pin that is quickly pulled out of the tube using a string (lanyard) attached to the loop.   It is similar to the effect of lighting a safety match.

Shown is a friction primer by itself, and then one inserted in a breech plug, which is screwed into the breech of a Lyle gun.   The bolt has a 3/16 inch hole running through it.

Later, another design used a primer method consisting of a 22 or 32 caliber blank configured in a mechanical assembly.  By pulling on a string (lanyard) a spring/trigger would be released to fire the blank cartridge, which in turn ignited the powder in the barrel.

Shown, is a  earlier 32 caliber firing mechanism for a Lyle gun.  These were also made in the 22 caliber size.  This device screwed into the breech section of the barrel.

More reliable firing devices came later, and included this stainless steel 22 caliber model shown below.  A 22 cal. blank was inserted by unscrewing the lower section.  The top section was spring loaded, requiring one to to pull up on the head and rotating 90 degrees to the cocked position and then inserting a safety clip on the shaft. At this time the head was turned back such that it was now resting on the safety clip. The safety clip was attached to a 10 foot lanyard.   
(From the collection of T. Parks).
 

We sell igniters (duplicates of the one shown above.
Click here.

Lyle guns saved thousands of lives

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