Cannon project

redneckchris

redneckchris

CGN Regular
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Location
komoka ontario
I'm about ready to start maching my cannon I'm thinking a
4" x 24" with a 1.720" bore and a powder pocket of 2"deep x 1.250" To shoot golf balls
What do you think?
Also what size do I drill the fuse hole?
And how do I load this. To get the powder into the powder chamber do I have to stand
It up on end and pour the powder down or
What? Do I make powder packs? Info on this is needed and greatly appreciated
thanks for the info
Red
 
1/8" or slightly larger seems fine for fuse. Just measure the fuse you plan on using. I pack my powder in foil push it in load the projectile then use a thin screw driver or rod to stab the foil though the flash hole then insert fuse.
 
There is a safety manual published in the U.S. that the North South Skirmish Assn uses.

Get a copy and follow it. Black powder Canonering is not to be taken lightly. Every year there are people severely injured or killed by black powder canons in the U.S.

I know one of the safety measures they absolutely insist on for powder charges. The powder is first put in a sandwitch bag and then wraped in 3 layers of heavy duty tin foil. acording to the Artilleryman magazine (who authored the safety standards) the plastic bag keeps the powder all in one place so it all burns at time of ignition. Without the bag, some of the powder can get caught in the wrinkles of the tinfoil and can smoulder there untill the next charge is rammed. The bore jag and swabbing is suposed to eliminate the danger but lots (a #### load acually) of documented accidents. They have even figured out how many fingers or how much of your hand or arm you will proably loose depending on how you are holding the rammer in the case of an a/d.

Another thing I have learned by reading the accident reports the Artilleryman magazine publishes is that it is a myth that you can't overload a canon with black powder. 20 gr extra in a muzzle loader might just get blown out the end of the barrel but an ounce or two extra in a canon has killed people.

I have a copy of the safety recomendations I can photo copy and send you next week if you pm me your address.
 
Ya shootin' one this summer (built & owned by another CGN'er) and we ran a wet rag in after every shot, certainly did come out with smoldering tinfoil - an eye opener for sure.

Even with a muzzleloader of course it's a recognized risk (I always blow down the barrel after every shot, so I was taught & so I shall continue) but as you say, the tinfoil increases that potential.
 
BP cannons

R:d:Most if not all the guys I shoot with use a screw on breach so that we can run a wet patch down the entire length of the barrel. I shoot a 20mm diameter smoothbore with 750 grains of ffg and a hollow base slug of approx 1 1/2 pounds. My buddy is shooting a 1 1/2 in bore with up to 1100 gr of ffg dont know his projectile wieght. Have fun be safe.
Me not so much, but some of the fellows a astoundingly accurate, 12 inch groups at 100 yd and 14-16 at 200.
 
577/450 said:
I shoot a 20mm diameter smoothbore with 750 grains of ffg and a hollow base slug of approx 1 1/2 pounds..
Click to expand...

that sounds like a tremendous amount of powder for what appears to be a projectile just under 1 inch. I only shoot 230 grains of 1F in my smooth rifle with a 1200 grain .935 patched round ball and it appears to have lots of oomph

cheers mooncoon
 
Does a cannon have to have a smaller powder chamber? Or will a bore with the same
Size diameter the whole way work too? I don't understand how you get the powder package down into the smaller powder chamber that some people use. Are the smaller chambers chamfered to help get the packs in there?
Please help me out with this. Drawings or plans will also help me understand better how things work if anyone has or knows of any
Thanks for all the help
Red
 
I've made a few cannons over the last year and let me tell you, it's been quite the learning experience! First one I made was tiny, but fun. Second one I made sounds just like a handgun. The third and largest (.50 cal bore) by about 10 inches in length gives off quite a bang! When I was loading the third and biggest cannon for the first time with black powder, reality set in as to how dangerous it was what I was actually doing. I feel incredibly safe shooting any and every gun I own, but cannons are no joke. What ever you do, stay safe!
 
olopokram said:
I've made a few cannons over the last year and let me tell you, it's been quite the learning experience! First one I made was tiny, but fun. Second one I made sounds just like a handgun. The third and largest (.50 cal bore) by about 10 inches in length gives off quite a bang! When I was loading the third and biggest cannon for the first time with black powder, reality set in as to how dangerous it was what I was actually doing. I feel incredibly safe shooting any and every gun I own, but cannons are no joke. What ever you do, stay safe!
Click to expand...

Amen to that.

Concrete "balls" through the side of a target van at 100 m or so this summer, and those were disintegrating in flight (not by design) so...

At another shoot I watched a pine tree drop at several hundred meters, hit by a cannon ball!
 
olopokram said:
I've made a few cannons over the last year and let me tell you, it's been quite the learning experience! First one I made was tiny, but fun. Second one I made sounds just like a handgun. The third and largest (.50 cal bore) by about 10 inches in length gives off quite a bang! When I was loading the third and biggest cannon for the first time with black powder, reality set in as to how dangerous it was what I was actually doing. I feel incredibly safe shooting any and every gun I own, but cannons are no joke. What ever you do, stay safe!
Click to expand...

One of the recomendations from an article in the Artilleryman mag sugests a steel wall thickness of double whatever bore size you are using. One thing I found interesting and was disapointed by it, they didn't have and specifications for the grade of steel to use. I have a couple of peices of DOM 1" id / 2.2 "od and one peice of 1.5 id / 3.5 od that are all destined to be cannons. I have no idea of the DOM metalurgy but am sure it will withstand a "reasonable BP charge".
I was just reading today about an 1861 breachloader proto-type designed by a fellow named George Brayton. It apears to be "buildable" and I think one of the 1" bore pipes is destined to become a replica of the civil war era piece.
 
Theoretically, the tensile strength of tubing is approriate for smoothbore use.
Catch is that the tube must be free of flaws occasionned in the drawing, and perhaps welding during manufacture. DOM tube is not necessarily seamless; if there is a seam, it was welded, prior to the drawing operation. Drawing requires ductility in the steel. Ductility is a good thing in a barrel. In the event of failure, bulging is better than fracturing.
If the tubing barrel is to be used in building a muzzleloader, a plug must be installed.

Often a reduced powder chamber is used in mortars.
 
Thanks Tiriaq. I always thought DOM was seamless. I just cut a washer off the end of one of the 1" pipes and with a magnifiying glass can't see any evidence of there being a weld or join.

At this point anything I build will be smooth-bore.
 
fingers284 said:
Thanks Tiriaq. I always thought DOM was seamless..
Click to expand...

Only thin wall DOM is welded and drawn over a mandrel, up to about 3/8" of wall thicknesses, and the grade of steel is not important, mild steel and or 4140 in the annealed condition has close to the same tensile strength and it would make no difference in your cannon project. Mild steel would be much preferreded over alloyed steel. Also, you can't compare large cannons to small bore model cannons, and I would not use a plastic bag with the powder charge (not even in large cannons) no need to go over the top with safety, or it may even become unsafe.
 
Thank you for the iron info, while I was pretty sure it was ok, you help to put my mind at rest.

The safety thing will be a personal choice for anyone. I have read all the Sam Fadalya/Paul Mathews books I could get a hold of and used muzzle loaders and b/p cartrige guns enough over the years that I thought I had a handle on using B/P. Those big toys are a whole different kettle of fish I'm finding out.

The boys down south that use big toys a lot put a lot of importance in that plastic bag, so much so, you wouldn't be allowed into one of their competions or re-enactment without using the bag. They have commitee's at every function that inspects every gun crew to make sure that they know and follow every aspect of that safety code. I know that the U.S. parks service insist on properly made charges in their cannon salutes or demonstrations.
 
fingers284 said:
Thank you for the iron info, while I was pretty sure it was ok, you help to put my mind at rest.

The safety thing will be a personal choice for anyone. I have read all the Sam Fadalya/Paul Mathews books I could get a hold of and used muzzle loaders and b/p cartrige guns enough over the years that I thought I had a handle on using B/P. Those big toys are a whole different kettle of fish I'm finding out.

The boys down south that use big toys a lot put a lot of importance in that plastic bag, so much so, you wouldn't be allowed into one of their competions or re-enactment without using the bag. They have commitee's at every function that inspects every gun crew to make sure that they know and follow every aspect of that safety code. I know that the U.S. parks service insist on properly made charges in their cannon salutes or demonstrations.
Click to expand...
(my bolding)

Sorry - I have to ask: what is the plastic bag? How is it used?
 
I have made a few for my own use, both Mortars and Cannon, up to pop can size. Mortars are a bit more economical to shoot, and you can easily follow the trajectory of the projectile.

If you can, find a copy of the book, "Round Shot and Rammers." It gives a history of Artillery in North America up to the end of the Civil War period. It also gives a lot of illustrations and drawings of artillery pieces, along with the tools and implements used to fire them.

Reduced chambers are generally used for Howitzers and Mortars. A ram rod with a "Scoop" type of fitting on the end can be used for loose powder asl it is open on the top and you simply give it a half turn to dump the powder into the chamber. Best is a bagged charge though, but use a bag that has been treated to burn up.

Howitzers are a bit more interesting than cannon. They are shorter and relatively thick tubed for the larger bore sizes. If you look at the M1941 US Mountain Howitzer, especially on a Prairie Carriage, you will see what I mean.

Above all, sponge the bore after each shot. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. Also when you sponge a bore, have someone cover and close off the vent while spongeing. A leather thumb protector was made for this purpose.

Be careful - these are NOT toys.
.
 
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