Bowling Ball Mortar

GBExpat said:

WOW! I am truly sorry to hear that.

I wish you the best of luck with your VA Claim and the future of your related condition(s)!

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I was thinking about this while I was driving home from work just now.

I don't know if it was auditory exclusion. I don't know if my memory is just faulty but I don't remember it being that loud.

It wasn't like I handgun shot. It wasn't a BANG!!! it was more of a BOOOOOM and I THINK most of the sound in the Shockwave went out the end of the tube.

Having said that the 8-inch Howitzer weighed (ETA I researched it) 62,390 lb.

M110A2 8 inch Howitzer.



The round weighed 200 pounds the powder charge weighed 50.

One day they brought a new guy from FDC down to the gun line to shoot. He was not prepared for The Recoil and it almost threw him off the gun.

I remember standing on the back of an 8-inch Howitzer shooting it. (I was the guy that actually got to "pull the trigger" which was actually hooking up a lanyard to a firing lock and pulling the firing lock until it released the firing pin) and I watched the Soundwave from the shot ripple the canvas on the back of the ammo carrier that was behind the gun.

I remember being on guard duty one morning and watching my unit A 3/11 FA shoot towed M198 Howitzers.

M198 Towed 155mm Howitzer



And I could literally see the sound wave in the humidity around the guns.

I never actually saw this happen because every unit I was in was EXTREMELY safety conscious. But I heard stories about people making the wrong turn and driving a vehicle in front of the gun line as it fired and everybody that told me the story said the same thing. They said the Shockwave literally pulverized every piece of glass on the vehicle.

I remember a couple of times that they had us shooting all night and they had half the guys shooting and half the guys sleeping. I can't speak for anybody else but when it was my turn to go to sleep my brain turned the sound off and I went to sleep

Trunk Monkey said:

I'm going on 18 years since the last time I fired a howitzer. When I feel "normal" again I'll let you know.

It's funny, I'm sitting here writing this post and my ears are ringing.

I still have issues with my balance.

It's almost impossible for me to use a telephone.

The closed captions are on on my TV by default.

I was sitting at work one day A couple of years ago. I was sitting right next to the fire alarm panel and there was a fault alarm on the panel. After about 3 minutes one of my co-workers looked at me and asked me "Do you not hear that alarm?" I told him "I thought it was my tinnitus"

I am going through a VA claim right now. When I went to get my hearing tested by an audiologist he told me that I have permanent, progressive and irreparable damage to my hearing and it is 100% related to noise exposure.

At some point I will go deaf

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Good luck with the VA. I spent my service in the engine room of a Navy Destroyer. VA doc said there was a 50/50 chance of other factors. They do however give me hearing aids. Not free but thousands cheaper than commercial. I’m happy.

A fellow at my local range has a complete set. Bowling ball, Billiard ball, and Golf ball. The Billiard ball model also shoots soda cans.

Lots of fun. The whistle from the bowling ball finger holes is really cool to hear. Maybe we should drill extra holes of varying diameters and depths. Maybe theres a scientific paper in there somewhere?

I made a pneumatic one, using a 40 gallon hot water heater, HP gas cylinder and 2 inch ball valve. Will throw 40lbs of bowling balls hundreds of yards, even at steep angles. The cheapest thing we have to shoot at the farm, as long as you don’t count the gasoline used to recover the balls.




Someday, I’d like to build one of these.

http://www.buckstix.com/HowitzerPlans.htm

too many projects, too little time...

Reminds me of the “Punkin Chunking” monsters. Some serious engineering and a fair bit of money I’d wager.

Trunk Monkey said:

I was sitting at work one day A couple of years ago. I was sitting right next to the fire alarm panel and there was a fault alarm on the panel. After about 3 minutes one of my co-workers looked at me and asked me "Do you not hear that alarm?" I told him "I thought it was my tinnitus"

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Exactly the same situation that got me my first set or hearing aids. It is kind of a PITA to be the fire alarm tech and not be able to hear the panel beeping. One of the managers referred me to Vocational Rehabilitation Services of the Texas Workforce Commission. They paid for them so I could continue to be gainfully employed.

rust collector said:

The 12 pounder had a 4.62" (117mm) bore. It was a British system, so no logic likely

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Not illogical, just less-obvious.
The bore diameter was related to the size of a sphere containing that weight. Which originated from dropping molten lead into water quenches. Two pounds of molten lead will form a ball about 40mm diameter. At three pounds, most nations used iron, but the ratio still "worked."
12 pounds of iron in a sphere is about 4.6" diameter. 12 pounds of acrylic is about 10" of spherical diameter.

Cannon ranged from 3 pounders to 36 and 48 pounders--and about that diameter they started using bore diameter instead of shot weight. The Brits did "break the bank" in this, building "100 ton" rifled muzzle loaders. 450mm 910kg shells (2000 pounds; the gun was named for the weight of the gun and mount). Brits built those in response to Italy installing 80 & 100 ton guns on their battleships. They installed 100 ton batteries on Malta and at Gibraltar. The Malta battery still exists, and is manned with reenactors as a tourist attraction.

I've got a soda can mortar. Sure is fun. A film canister 3/4 full of 3F gets a full pop can approx 250 ft up and 100+ yards out.
Occasionally a can splits in md air. Keep thinking about filling a few with concrete

CapnMac said:

... The bore diameter was related to the size of a sphere containing that weight. Which originated from dropping molten lead into water quenches. ...

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Which brings to mind the many Shot Towers that I could discern in a late 19th century panoramic photograph of eastside lower Manhattan ... taken from atop one of the towers of the Brooklyn Bridge, as I recall.

OK, OK ... no more OT posts in this Thread from me.

One more from me. Not a clue about “cannons” but do not what little 5” 38 guns sound and feel like during live fire Naval gunnery practice. Can only guess at what “big” cannons can do.

Trunk Monkey said:

I'm going on 18 years since the last time I fired a howitzer. When I feel "normal" again I'll let you know.

It's funny, I'm sitting here writing this post and my ears are ringing.

I still have issues with my balance.

It's almost impossible for me to use a telephone.

The closed captions are on on my TV by default.

I was sitting at work one day A couple of years ago. I was sitting right next to the fire alarm panel and there was a fault alarm on the panel. After about 3 minutes one of my co-workers looked at me and asked me "Do you not hear that alarm?" I told him "I thought it was my tinnitus"

I am going through a VA claim right now. When I went to get my hearing tested by an audiologist he told me that I have permanent, progressive and irreparable damage to my hearing and it is 100% related to noise exposure.

At some point I will go deaf

Click to expand...

https://www.szynalski.com/tone-generator/

I usually go for a triangle waveform between 13 and 15khz. For some reason, it helps relieve the tinnitus in my right ear which has been constant for a long time now. Nothing as cool as artillery though. I worked in tire shops during high school and later on became a stagehand where loud is just a part of the job.
But it helps relieve it for a little bit. It's interesting though because I can turn my head and it shows me just how much worse my hearing is in my right ear, rather than my left.

Made this little guy a few years back. Shoots golf balls.....about 400 yards on the fly. Because a golf ball is light for its volume, 4F is the only propellent that works. About 30 grains. Have tried 3F many times with dismal results.

Best thing about it is golf balls are easier to obtain than bowling balls. The worse looking the better. The one's with big smiles sometimes whistle when you shoot them![/QUOTE]

Hmm. I have three golf ball mortars. I use FFg powder in them (or Fg ) and they shoot just fine. I wonder why you have had such poor results.
Here is a picture of my first GB mortar. It was made from a piece of DOM tube that bored out to the proper dimensions on a small lathe.
Why it came up sideways, I do not know.

It's probably a good thing that I do NOT have access to a machine shop anymore. Being a retired machinist, I could get myself into trouble real quick. I do have blue prints for a golf ball cannon and a mini mortar.

And most plans I've seen for the bigger stuff made from bronze usually has a steel sleeve in it for strength and also cost savings. I would hate to see what a piece of bronze big enough for a bowling ball mortar would cost. Not to mention the weight of that much bronze.

Pete D. said:

Made this little guy a few years back. Shoots golf balls.....about 400 yards on the fly. Because a golf ball is light for its volume, 4F is the only propellent that works. About 30 grains. Have tried 3F many times with dismal results.

Best thing about it is golf balls are easier to obtain than bowling balls. The worse looking the better. The one's with big smiles sometimes whistle when you shoot them!

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Hmm. I have three golf ball mortars. I use FFg powder in them (or Fg ) and they shoot just fine. I wonder why you have had such poor results.
Here is a picture of my first GB mortar. It was made from a piece of DOM tube that bored out to the proper dimensions on a small lathe.
Why it came up sideways, I do not know.
View attachment 951091[/QUOTE]
Your barrel is much longer. A golf ball in my mortar only travels about 1-3/4" before it clears the muzzle. That's the only reason I can think of. I have had limited success with FFFG. if the ball is a tight fit, it usually works but if the ball just drops in it doesn't.

I have the same "sideways" problem. The pic is right side up on my phone and it shows up cockeyed on the 'puter.

Your barrel is much longer. A golf ball in my mortar only travels about 1-3/4" before it clears the muzzle

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The picture may be deceptive. The breech end encloses a plug that contains the powder chamber. It is locked in place by the bolt that is visible. So when the ball is dropped in, there is only about 1 3/4 to 2 inches of barrel left.
Pete

Trunk Monkey said:

I'm going on 18 years since the last time I fired a howitzer. When I feel "normal" again I'll let you know.

It's funny, I'm sitting here writing this post and my ears are ringing.

I still have issues with my balance.

It's almost impossible for me to use a telephone.

The closed captions are on on my TV by default.

I was sitting at work one day A couple of years ago. I was sitting right next to the fire alarm panel and there was a fault alarm on the panel. After about 3 minutes one of my co-workers looked at me and asked me "Do you not hear that alarm?" I told him "I thought it was my tinnitus"

I am going through a VA claim right now. When I went to get my hearing tested by an audiologist he told me that I have permanent, progressive and irreparable damage to my hearing and it is 100% related to noise exposure.

At some point I will go deaf

Click to expand...

10 years since I have been around them and machine guns being fired and I can relate. I always thought that the concussion I felt in my chest was the most impressive part of artillery being fired.

Though I personally contribute most of my hearing loss to an M2 being fired about 3 feet over my head while I was glassing a field through my rifle and didn't have on ear pro in.

Rembrandt said:

We use them as "Candy Cannons" for the kids at club events.

Load the powder, then stack in a couple automotive buffing pads (or carpet layers), add wrapped hard candy (ie: Werthers, Jolly Ranchers, etc) top it off with another buffing pad (or carpet layers).....and ignite. Then watch the candy rain down and kids chase after it.

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Yeppers, "Candy Cannons" are popular at Mountain Man Rendezvous' too. The "buffing pads" are kind of important - otherwise the wrappers on the candy get singed, and the candy (usually salt water taffy from what I've seen) tastes like burnt black powder.