anyone built a signal cannon or other legal muzzle loader/black powder style?

[k0ua]

It would interesting to have a high speed camera to see what comes out of that cannon barrel, just mist, or an actual intact golf ball. Hey LD1 I would love to come over and bring a couple pounds of black, and a bucket of golf balls, I bet we could have a fun afternoon!:thumbsup:

James K0UA

 

[LD1]

It would interesting to have a high speed camera to see what comes out of that cannon barrel, just mist, or an actual intact golf ball. Hey LD1 I would love to come over and bring a couple pounds of black, and a bucket of golf balls, I bet we could have a fun afternoon!:thumbsup:

James K0UA

Yea, it would be a blast.

I havent shot them in awhile, and I am out of golfballs:confused3:

But (I dont know if I mentioned earlier), but shooting two slices of bread (wadded into a ball) makes just as big a boom, and alot safer. So thats usually what I do when someone wants to see it go off.

I did make some steel bullets for it though. They are maybe 2-2.5" long and pointed. Boy that really makes the cannon recoil though. The bread and golf balls just dont weigh enough. The cannon dont move at all. But the steel slugs....It jumps up about 3' and back about 6' when it goes off.:shocked:

 

[vtsnowedin]

Yea, it would be a blast.

I havent shot them in awhile, and I am out of golfballs:confused3:

But (I dont know if I mentioned earlier), but shooting two slices of bread (wadded into a ball) makes just as big a boom, and alot safer. So thats usually what I do when someone wants to see it go off.

I did make some steel bullets for it though. They are maybe 2-2.5" long and pointed. Boy that really makes the cannon recoil though. The bread and golf balls just dont weigh enough. The cannon dont move at all. But the steel slugs....It jumps up about 3' and back about 6' when it goes off.:shocked:

Sounds like an dangerous overload to me. The increased weight of the steel bullets provide inertia and friction going down the barrel and greatly increases pressure. It works the same in rifle loads, check a manual and you will see that the heaviest bullets get a lighter full powder load to reach the same maximum safe pressure. Cut way back before you burst your breach.

 

[LD1]

I dont think I am in any danger of blowing it up with the loads I am giving it. It is built pleanty stout.

But that is also why I always take safety measures when shooting. IE: not standing right by it:laughing:

 

[dmccarty]

I was watching Myth Busters over the weekend and they were shooting steel and rock balls. I was wondering if this was the episode where the shot went out of the range and into a neighbor hood and it was. They talked a bit about the oops but they did not say what caused the oops. They had three water filled barrels in front of a "wall" with three more water filled barrels behind the "wall." There was the very tall ridge behind their target. The first shot(s) they fired were stopped by the first three barrels. The shot that got away when through the "wall" as well as all six water filled barrels.

They were using a cannon they had built. The first test shots were fired out of a "real" cannon, but the owner did not want to fire the rock balls, so they were going to use the cannon the show built in the test. They were using roughly the same amount of powder depending on the weight of the ball. When they fired their cannon barrel rotated up. However, the ball went through all six target barrels so it did not look like the ball was fired at an angle. I wonder if they made a mistake in measuring the powder.

The ridge the ball went over looks pretty tall so I guess, since they did not say, that the ball rolled up the hill like a ramp and then went into the neighborhood. Battle field histories are full of stories about cannon balls doing strange things.

Later,
Dan

 

[vtsnowedin]

I dont think I am in any danger of blowing it up with the loads I am giving it. It is built pleanty stout.

But that is also why I always take safety measures when shooting. IE: not standing right by it:laughing:

Fair enough but if I was there with you I would define "not right by it" as fifty yards and behind a stout oak or maple tree.

 

[LD1]

Fair enough but if I was there with you I would define "not right by it" as fifty yards and behind a stout oak or maple tree.

Its usually about 30' away and behind a double stack of wood that is 6' high. Its funny, when shooting the steel bullets, I have never actually "seen" it go off. Just heard it and seen the big smoke clound and the aftermath:laughing:

 

[CBW1999]

Its usually about 30' away and behind a double stack of wood that is 6' high. Its funny, when shooting the steel bullets, I have never actually "seen" it go off. Just heard it and seen the big smoke clound and the aftermath:laughing:

Hey- its not always seeing it happen that counts but, just being able to say you did it!

 

[vtsnowedin]

Use a mirror or periscope to watch.

 

[tnmike]

I have made two of the cannons in the attached link. I turned mine out of 1018 and have fired them many times with 100 grains of FFG. VERY loud. The plans are very detailed and worth the thirteen dollars especially if you want a true scale model.

"1779" - 24 Pounder Naval Cannon