Chain shot

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Chain shot is a type of old cannon round made of two small balls connected by a chain. Bar shot is the same idea but joined by a solid bar. They were used on sailing ships with black powder cannons to break masts or cut rigging. When fired, the pieces tumble and the chain fully extends, sweeping a wide area—up to about 6 feet of chain could pass through the target—though this made accuracy poor, so they were used at close range. It was also used on land as anti-personnel ammunition, such as by Magdeburg’s defenders in 1631 and in various Civil War and other battles. The practice faded as ships moved to armored steam power and guns changed to rifled, breech-loaded designs. In modern times, a similar effect is achieved with bolo shells in shotguns, though these are banned in some places like Florida and Illinois.