Cannons

[SquirrelNuts]

I took a hike up Kennesaw Mountain today, which was a civil war battlefield and they have several cannons up there. I was thinking that it would be fun to own a cannon (or build one), and I have never seen any laws against owning or building a cannon. I would love to haul one to the range and fire it. It seems that some cast iron sewage pipe, some powder, fuse, and a few cans of green beans would make for a great time at the range. Are there any regs on cannons? Anyone own one? I know of a local place that I can purchase them from, but I would rather build one.

-SquirrelNuts

 

[El Tejon]

Doesn't that place in Idaho still sell full size and half sized ones through via catalogue?

Know a few people around here with them. Good, clean messy fun. Good use for all your empty Blazer brass! Rimfire shot.

 

[P95Carry]

Can't comment on the legality squirrel ... but I think it'll be pretty much as a black powder arm. Mind you ... it'll guzzle the black powder.

One comment tho re ''cast iron sewer pipe'' ..... I'd be very wary of cast iron if at all thin walled .... it is a brittle material and the old cast pieces were given very thick walls. Even BP can produce some fierce pressures.

Heavy steel or brass would be better bet .. thickest of course at breech.

 

[mdsteele]

I saw a peice on "American Shooter"about them. Can't remember too much about it, but it seems like it may be legal most in most places.

Call your local sherrif and work your way up from there.

 

[Thumper]

You can still find those noisemaker cannons that use Bangsite paste.

Suckers are LOUD!!!

No projectile, though.

 

[AZTOY]

Authentic reproductions of full scale cannons. Very attractive elements of your Villa. Constructed to the smallest details by fine European craftsmen, made of cast iron and ash wood

Since XVI Century heavy short-barreled cannons were replaced by long-barreled cannons. These typical cannons were a bronze, muzzle-loading smoothbore and they designed to fire projectiles with a nearly flat trajectory. Howitzers were shorter-barreled cannons with a chamber at the base of the bore, designed to take a smaller charge. Long-barreled cannons of this era were made of bronze to help lighten the carriage and make it easier to move. Mounting and dismounting could easily be done with two people ( the barrel itself weighted only 165 pounds ). These muzzle-loading cannons served as the workhorses of the battlefields

weight : 180 kg
height : 1,2 m
lenght : 2m
wheel : 85 cm (diameter)

Accessories
hatchet
knife to candle
tool to beat up /gunpowder/
sight

CN-02$5,900.00:banghead:

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/tins/fulsizxvicen.html

 

[HerbG]

I stumbled into a group of Civil War buffs in Greenwood, MS about ten years ago. They held a live-fire demonstration of a couple of dozen authentic CW cannon and some reproduction. at a large gravel pit. As I remember, the range was 400 yards for smoothbores and 600 for the rifled guns. I was very impressed! There was no trouble keeping the shots from the smoothbores on a 4x8' sheet of plywood, and the rifled guns could shoot groups on the plywood from 600 yards. There is absolutely no comparison in seeing a cannon fire blanks and a real projectile.

Those guys were ultra safety conscious. They were planning to fire cannister at their next shoot, and I sure wanted to see that, but I never got back. I left the match with a new found respect for our ancestors who marched into the face of cannon fire.

You might contact some CW re-enactors for more information on cannon.

 

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

Oh Joy!

One of my favorite things! Big Loudenboomers!

My dad is a retired artyman so I come by my interest in field pieces naturally. Here, for your perusal, are a few links.

http://www.specialtymile.com/southbendreplicas/

http://www.aaamunitions.com/

http://www.greystarcannontech.homestead.com/star.html

http://www.civilwarartillery.com

http://www.ringsurf.com/netring?ring=CWT_ARTY;action=list

http://www.spry.net/Cannons.htm

http://www.dixiegunworks.com/

There is a fellow in my hometown in rural East Texas with a couple of old field pieces in his yard. He loads one with BP and a tight newspaper wad and lights it up on the 4th of July and New Years' Eve every year. It's an event I always looked forward to.

Some reenactors (used to) fire for accuracy with baby food jars filled with concrete, per Turner Kirkland of Dixie Gun Works. Check Dixie for anything they have as well; unfortunately, it's been way too long since I've seen one of their catalogues.

I'd like to have one at the farm to play with, personally.

Regards,
Rabbit.

 

[Tamara]

There are even some breechloading cannon floating around on the market, but they require a DD tax stamp, whereas muzzleloaders aren't even considered to be weapons by our Masters in Washington.

 

[50 Shooter]

Here's one you can do yourself.

 

[SquirrelNuts]

Wow 50 shooter! I LOVE that!

I thought it was going to be a Bird Man Weapon's cannon or something. A bunch of coke cans lined up with a tennis ball or something.

Have any more info?

-SquirrelNuts

 

[50 Shooter]

Yeah, it will shoot a bowling ball about 1000 yards depending on how brave you are and how much black powder you use.

The way they are tested is to load 1lb of BP and two bowling balls then fire it off. Then have it magnafluxed to check for any cracks. Friend that owns it said it shot the two balls about 1,200 yards when he tested his.

Seeing how he did all the work himself, even building the legs and base, he says he has about $350 in it.

 

[freeride21a]

i made one, shoots golf balls around 500yards...with an 11" barrel.

 

[Steve Smith]

I and a few other ex-TFLers have been considering the purchase of a Steen 3" Parrott Rifle or Ordnance Rifle with carriage and limber. Here's what they look like,

Parrott:

Ordnance:

Of course, such a piece is a little over $10K and is an investment, for sure. We are casually looking for investors who would buy in with a portion of the cost plus a work bond. Firings and competitions would be mandatory appearances, with a limited amount of no-shows before you forfeit your portion of the cannon purchase price. Activity as a crew member is of equal or greater importance to your buy in. These things are a lot of work to move. If we gather enough investors in the CO state area, we will draw up a contract for the investors. Please contact me if you're interested.


BTW, SquirrelNuts, the plural of cannon is cannon...at least to the cannon-savvy.

 

[Bonker]

A black powder cannon that fires with a fuse is 100% legal in any size.

I recently sold mine. It was about a foot long and made from an old 20mm barrel. It had a screw-on back that held the fuse and a ton of powder.
I bought old rusty 20mm bullets a thousand at a time. If I ran out of 20mm bullets, it would also fire old 12ga shells filled with cement.

Let me tell you, that thing is LOUD!


If you make one out of pipe, be sure to buy SEAMLESS pipe. Stainless steel would be a good idea as well. I'm wanting to build a 3" one to fire tenis balls filled with lead.
But I'm probably going to built a large catapult instead

 

[SquirrelNuts]

BTW, SquirrelNuts, the plural of cannon is cannon...at least to the cannon-savvy.

Steve,

Thanks. I did not know that (obviously). For some reason we never covered plural forms of arms in school. I wonder why?

I do like Bonker's plan. I have two boxes of 12 ga. hulls here. I don't know why I saved them, but I did.

Anyone know where I could find a 20mm barrel?

-SquirrelNuts

 

[telewinz]

I watch a group "target shoot" with their smooth bore. They used pop-cans filled with cement as ammo.

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

I've got a smoothbore cannon on a field carriage at dad's shop. we shoud take it out and shoot it sometime.

 

[Kukri]

freeride, how did you make that?

 

[Bonker]

There's one weakness to Freeride's design. Eventually, after a lot of ammo has been puit through it, the hole where you put the fuse will become enlarged from wear. Especially if you use hot loads and we all do

The fix is to drill out the hole and install a large but very short, stainless steel bolt and have it welded into place. Then drill a new flash hole for the fuse through it.


As for the 20mm barrels...I bought mine at a gun show several years ago for about $250 which included the gun, 1,000 rds of 20mm shells, and a gallon jug of powder. It didn't come with any sort of carriage.

The guy made them from old 20mm military barrels he cut in half to make 2 cannons from each barrel. I think the military sells them as scrap once the rifling is all shot out, although mine had excellent rifling still in it.

I'd love to find him again but no luck.

 

[4v50 Gary]

As a child I had an opportunity to buy a 12 pdr Napoleon from an antique store that was a few blocks down the street. Only $119. My father said no. :banghead: Well, today all I have is a brass beer can mortar. It's limited use since I'm not into siege warfare (mortars were used during our Civil War to flush out sharpshooters - there is one case where some Confederates burned out a tree stump and made that into an improvised mortar. Borrowing shells & powder from their artillery brethen, they dropped some shells onto the opposing Yankee rifle pits to flush out the Yanks. The Confederates stood by with aimed guns to blast the Yanks as they flushed).

For a couple of $k you can buy a Mountain Howitzer from Dixie Gun Works. Build your own carriage (wheels are difficult though and you'll need a wheelwright).

 

[Gordy Wesen]

A friend had one that shot golf balls. He's shoot 'em through junked cars and use it as a salute on the 4th.

 

[pwolfman]

I was just watching the Last of the Mohicans, and I did a search for cannons on THR. I am seriously looking at getting a cannon when I get the money and the powder I need to fire it!

Anything to make the big booms!!


Gotta love THR and all the knowledge on here!!!

pwolfman

 

[zahc]

'Cannons' is also acceptable for the plural of cannon.

 

[Hypnogator]

Using iron pipe to make a BP cannon = very, very bad idea.

For details on how to make a 12-pdr pack howitzer, plus a few , check out this site: http://www.buckstix.com/HowitzerHunt.htm