Cannons BIG,BIG BIG!!!! cannons

badboybeeson

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Ok guys this is somthing new for me.
But i may be looking at a company venture nexed year of bringing in some very large BP cannons, these are big ass cast steel cannons.
An idea would be to put a stainless steel sleeve down the bore for strengh.
Now i know with most things that as long as the round does not go faster then 500fps that its not a firearm.
What else do i need to know.
bbb
 
You might look into the complete definition of a firearm; handguns for example are designed to be shot with one hand. A cannon weighing 500 to 30,000 lbs mightl slip by that one. I am not sure about rifles and shotguns whether they are defined as being shot from the shoulder or something similar.
Further you might want to look into the definition of signaling devices and items used in reenactments and special exemptions for them.
If all else fails I guess you could call a cannon a special type of matchlock.

Almost forgot; 500 fps is not the only issue; there is a measure of energy involved and dropping a cannon ball about 1" would probably exceed it.

cheers mooncoon
 
Canons are not firearms in canadian laws because they are fired using a fuse... They are classified as antiques (same as reproduction longuns using flintlocks or matchlocks). Modern canons are not classified as firearms either because of bore size.... I own a 77mm WW1 canon and handled several BIG civil war pieces and they are not firearms under canadian law.
 
Almost forgot; 500 fps is not the only issue; there is a measure of energy involved and dropping a cannon ball about 1" would probably exceed it.

cheers mooncoon

Law of physics..... in a total vacuum a feather and a 500 lb cannonball will drop at the same speed. It's next to impossible for something to hit 500 fps in 1" using gravity unless you are on like saturn or something.
 
It's next to impossible for something to hit 500 fps in 1" using gravity unless you are on like saturn or something.

If you re-read his post, he is referring to energy..not velocity. ... and the analogy is simply that a cannon ball carries a lot more energy at lower velocity than a typical bullet at the same speed.
 
There are a number of cannon makers. Some, like South Bend Replicas (formerly Barney's Cannons) sleeve all larger guntubes.
Something else you might want to consider is the insurance you would need. The potential for disasters with a larger cannon is real.
 
Ok guys this is somthing new for me.
But i may be looking at a company venture nexed year of bringing in some very large BP cannons, these are big ass cast steel cannons.
An idea would be to put a stainless steel sleeve down the bore for strengh.
Now i know with most things that as long as the round does not go faster then 500fps that its not a firearm.
What else do i need to know.
bbb

You may want to research your metallurgy a bit and see if there is anything to gain by sleeving the bores.

If the foundry is competent to cast steel, then the product "should" be as strong as you will get, without the further mucking about with the additional machining.
For liability purposes, if this is to be a commercial venture, I would look into some serious non destructive testing or inspection, to verify the integrity of every piece.

Energy and velocities are non-players in this. They are determining factors with airguns. Never heard of them mentioned as related to a firearm, or a prescribed antique. They both matter if you were building big bore airguns, or very small bore ones (where, if you built a small enough bore, you could use the energy limit as an excluder for calling it a firearm. Think really tiny styrofoam bead,at very high velocities, sorta impractical sorta thing).
Dunno if a lanyard fired feild piece is considered a firearm or not, but the CFC is pretty clear that fuse or loose powder train gets it stuck in with the matchlocks.

Cheers
Trev
 
Are you going to use this yourself or sell to others? If you want to sell them be aware that there will always be someone who wants to use smokeless in a gun meant for black. There is plenty of evidence of this on this site alone. Liability lawsuit cumin up!
 
Are you going to use this yourself or sell to others? If you want to sell them be aware that there will always be someone who wants to use smokeless in a gun meant for black. There is plenty of evidence of this on this site alone. Liability lawsuit cumin up!
yes for sure
If i were to sell these i would have a very long disclamer which the customer would have to sign and fax or mail on me before shipment.
more then likely the customer would pick up or we would drop off as they would come in at around 250lbs.:eek:
bbb
 
I have a Dixie Gun works half size Nepoleon cannon it has a steel sleeve they are not classed as registerable if ignited by a fuse they are a giant match lock look up loyalist arms I believe they are selling cannons in Canada made in Canada
 
Dunno if a lanyard fired feild piece is considered a firearm or not, but the CFC is pretty clear that fuse or loose powder train gets it stuck in with the matchlocks.

Cheers
Trev

The way I understand it... if the lanyard fires a percussion lock, then it is a firearm. If it fires a flint or wheel type lock, then it ain't.

But I could be quite out to lunch on that one...:confused:

Cheers,

Jim
 
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