Traditionally, cannons were made of bronze, but as artillery grew larger this became prohibitively expensive. Consequently, wrought and cast iron cannons became more common as the nineteenth century progressed. Often these guns were reinforced with bands of iron to prevent them from flying apart when fired, making it possible to use larger guns.
Desire for greater range and accuracy led to rifling the barrels of the new guns. Firing such a gun could result in damage to the barrel until flexible copper bands molded to the rifling were used to prevent wear.
This new technology allows recruiting of Field Artillery and Siege Artillery regiments and upgrading older artillery to these more modern units.
