New production artillery?

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WestKentucky

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I have seen a lot of stuff on here about the various cb revolvers, but I have never seen so much as a mention of the full size and scaled versions of the big boomers of yesteryear. Quite frankly I have had an insatiable desire to own a true piece of artillery since I was a kid and saw them at a re-enactment. The money does not seem far fetched, however I admit that this is just the tip of the iceberg as a carrier, limber, mule team, artillerymans setup, etc and a addition onto the home to store it would make the initial investment look like a drop in the bucket. So, who here has one, or has firsthand experience with one? I can see myself shooting something like this on the national holidays and I truthfully would not ever expect the fun factor to wear off.

https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index..._id/541/product_name/MC0605+Mountain+Howitzer
 
... I can see myself shooting something like this on the national holidays and I truthfully would not ever expect the fun factor to wear off.

Hear Hear!

I couldn't agree more.
I'm in a rural area where firing blank charges would be possible, but not enough room to fire balls.
If I ever retire, I'll have another lifetime worth of fun projects to tackle, and building a cannon would be worthy of making the list.
 
When I was a child in grade school, my father would not let me buy a genuine 12 pdr Napoleon that appeared arsenal new (no limber though). It was only $119.95 too and I saved the money up from odd jobs like janitorial work for relatives or even hauling trash for the school janitor. To this day, not getting it is one of my regrets.
 
Myself I'd get the Mountain Howitzer. If you make the carriage to the same specs as the original it disassembles into 2 pack mule loads so would be easier to store. The design never had a limber so none is needed.
 
A couple of friends use to shoot bowling balls from homemade mortars. If I remember correctly one would use a 1/4 pound of 2F and could lob a 16# bowling ball at least 300 yards [ his backyard butted up to the railroad tracks about 350 yds away ]. He'd buy them at garage sales for a buck or two. They would sink so deep in the ground he never dug one out. Once he got a 12# ball [ didn't know they made different weight balls ] and put it over the tracks into a farmers field. Wonder what he thought if it was ever plowed up. If I remember correctly they were made from oxygen tanks.
 
I didn't take a lot of pictures at Shiloh but here is a battery Commander signaling gun setup. Most of the gun line was prepositioned by truck, but they had one battery done right. A four horse team spotting a six or 12 pounder is impressive. Two mules with a howitzer is neat and precise. IMG_0770.JPG
 
While you can, with reasonable carpentry skills, build much of the taril and cassion/limber yourself, you'll do yourself a giant favor by finding a wheelwright first.
Which can be a huge advantage if you are planning a team as motive power; getting the trace and harness stuff right the first time is a lot easier. Especially since the old arty order was a team of at least six (and eight much more common). Note, too, taht mules are often better than draft horses fo the work, if less versatile the rest of the time.

However, there are plenty of gunners out there who just have a two-axle flatbed trailer, and that suffices.

I have not looked into how available 2.5" sponges, worms, and rams are, though.
 
Kaeto, supposedly the M1841 Mountain Howitzer was sometimes mounted on a modified 6 pounder carriage.

There is a guy in Archer Florida that was trying to make a go at building correct carriages and wheels were his biggest issue.

In more modern times the Battery Executive officer takes the battery Guidon and marks the gun line by sticking the guidon in the ground pointing his horse in the direction of the gun line and open palm in the direction of fire....and then falls with his horse from enemy rifle fire....think for a moment about the CSA battery that attempted to deploy in the pea field at Mauvirn Hill in front of the 1st USSS and a massed regiment of rifle armed Infantry.

At Ft. Sill I tried to get assigned to the demonstration mounted Battery that had an M1917 Saucy Cans and dressed in 1914 style uniforms alas the Army had other plans. I really wanted to get the .30-40 US Gatling out on the range again and that was my hidden agenda in volunteering for the assignment. Supposedly it was last fired in the Mid 1970's with ball ammo found in a bunker in the small arms area of the magazine.

Mules are to smart to stand around under gun fire.....

-kBob
 
Try the North-South Skirmish Association. They hold regular artillery matches.

Having said that, artillery is a way of life. You’ll spend $10k on a gun, another $3k on a trailer. And that’s the low end. Plus powder and balls.
 
Kudu,

Dang that would be just the thing for my Cogin Grass problem in the pasture! When I first got my Gravely 260 ZTR I rode it waving my saber the first time and the neighbors looked on in askance, you got me way beat towing that thing!

That is a fine looking team you have pulling your gun.

-kBob
 
We made it with a loop of 1/2" steel that would just fit over a 2" ball hitch. While it is easy enough to manage by hand, it is much easier to pull it the 100 yards or so out back to fire it than horsing it around by hand. 1 1/2" bore size mostly shooting blanks with about 400 grains 1F black powder with a wad of cornmeal on top for compression and a big BOOM. cannonfiring.PNG
My daughter took this picture the first time we tried the gun out. Perfect timing.
 
Howdy

A few years ago a group of Civil War reinactors visited the open house at my club with a full sized reproduction of a Civil War 3" Ordnance Rifle.

They were used to firing it at 100 yards, so they were not very happy when we made them shoot it at our 50 yard berm, but we were adamant about that.

It was terrific fun watching them shoot it. The powder charge was a full pound of Black Powder, I don't remember what granulation. The projectile resembled a full wad cutter bullet 3" in diameter.

They were very good with it, they were able to put several rounds through the same hole at 50 yards.

To transport it they put it on a trailer hitched behind a pickup, with the muzzle pointing backwards. Must have been quite a sight on the highway.

Here is a video of them shooting their gun at another club. Yes, that is how they sighted it after every shot.



I'm pretty sure this is the outfit that manufactured their gun.

http://steencannons.com/
 
I had a couple of things wrong in my last post. My friends mortar was made from a nitrogen tank. It was cut of 14 to 18" long [ he didn't remember ] and the caped end was used. He used a small drinking paper cup, like used in house hold bathrooms, to measure the powder. He said the cap in the end has a recess that holds the powder, and that is what makes it work - a separate area for the powder. He drilled and taped it for a nipple, and made a hammer with string attached so he could pull it to fire the mortar. I ask him about using a fuse and he said no. He was told it would then be a destructive device. I don't know, just relaying the info. He had a army mortar sight on it and could be pretty accurate with it. Another friend would pull a junk car out in the farm field and they would shoot at it. He said when a bowling ball would hit the roof all the windows would blow out . Three of them had them and would have contest, between adult drinks, to see who could hit the car first. He gave his to another friend before I knew him. I never got to see it work - that would have been fun seeing a bowling ball fly 300 yards.
 
Howdy

A few years ago a group of Civil War reinactors visited the open house at my club with a full sized reproduction of a Civil War 3" Ordnance Rifle.

They were used to firing it at 100 yards, so they were not very happy when we made them shoot it at our 50 yard berm, but we were adamant about that.

It was terrific fun watching them shoot it. The powder charge was a full pound of Black Powder, I don't remember what granulation. The projectile resembled a full wad cutter bullet 3" in diameter.

They were very good with it, they were able to put several rounds through the same hole at 50 yards.

To transport it they put it on a trailer hitched behind a pickup, with the muzzle pointing backwards. Must have been quite a sight on the highway.

Here is a video of them shooting their gun at another club. Yes, that is how they sighted it after every shot.



I'm pretty sure this is the outfit that manufactured their gun.

http://steencannons.com/



Curious did they recover their fired rounds from your 50yd berm?

I was doing some driving this past 3 weeks between Missouri, Illinois, and Michigan. At one point I was following a Ford F250 which had a cannon on top of a trailer pointed to the rear. Should've snapped a picture. Had a real "back off" look to it!!

Here's one that looks like fun!

 
I have always liked anvil shooting! Very interesting to watch! There is quite a science behind that. The folks around here do something similar with pumpkins, believe it or not.

Jim
 
Curious did they recover their fired rounds from your 50yd berm?

Funny you should ask.

Frankly, I don't remember if they wanted to or not.

In any case, we (our club) decided we did not want them digging up the berm to recover the rounds, so there are still some great big chunks of lead buried in our berm.
 
I have a [repro] small, brass cohorn, which was used to toss 18th century hand grenades farther than one can throw them. It will launch a Red Bull can holding some concrete, but it's more fun to put small fireworks "shells" into it.

On the other hand if you DIY you could make a mortar to toss much bigger fireworks shells.


Of course one can always simply load it with say 200-400 grains of un-tamped 3Fg black powder, and rattle the neighbors' windows and set off some car alarms...

LD
 
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