Low-tech rifle, high-tech camera, squash puree...

[rdelliott]

I've been experimenting with my digital camera lately, shooting video of things happening (lately, bullets impacting things) and then grabbing frames to figure out what's going on. At 12 frames per second, it's not exactly high speed, but still, it can produce some interesting sequences. And I thought I'd share this one as it's an interesting illustration of what a BP rifle can do.

A few days ago, I shot the following sequence of a small green squash being shot (by my uncle, with my Lyman Great Plains Hunter .50, in flintlock). The camera was set up on a tripod about four meters away from the target.

6 grains FFFFg, 100 grains Pyrodex RS, 175-grain patched roundball.

The squash, 1/12th of a second before impact:

Impact. Note the cloud of what I think is water vapour being forced out through the pores of the squash by hydrostatic pressure.

Ballistic squash puree:

The squash continues to fly:

All this happened in about a quarter of a second. Neat, huh?

 

[david doyle]

Nice camera work. One of life's great joys is gourd shooting. Jack o lantern pumpkins were less then 2 bucks this year well worth spending 20 bucks!

Careful it is addictive. I have to grow my own to support the habit.

 

[rdelliott]

Nice camera work. One of life's great joys is gourd shooting. Jack o lantern pumpkins were less then 2 bucks this year well worth spending 20 bucks!

Careful it is addictive. I have to grow my own to support the habit.

Gourd shooting? My uncle and I call it "Jihad against the veggies", and tell me about it .

This was actually a shotgun slug:

And then I hit it with five rounds of OOO buckshot.

Bliss .

 

[Casull]

Very cool. Thanks for posting that.

 

[agit-prop]

Gourd shooting? My uncle and I call it "Jihad against the veggies", and tell me about it .

This was actually a shotgun slug:

And then I hit it with five rounds of OOO buckshot.

Bliss .

Can you post the frame before or after this one?

The entry is on the left, correct?

I think you might have captued the slug in this photo...

 

[rdelliott]

Can you post the frame before or after this one?

The entry is on the left, correct?

I think you might have captued the slug in this photo...

Captured the slug? Wow. Time to review and zoom.

You are correct; entry is from the left.

This is the frame immediately before impact. Given that framerate on my camera is 12 fps, and I was standing maybe twenty meters away, I'm fairly certain that in this picture, the slug is still in the shell in the chamber

For continuity's sake, here's the impact:

Here's the frame after impact:

And the frame after that:

 

[nessy357]

Thanks rd nice camera work
Cheers nessy

 

[jaguar]

When you run out'a punkin's, try lining up 6 (or more) 4 litre windshield washer jugs full of water with the lids off. It is neat watching a .577 Snider anialate the row and if you are lucky you will get a frame of the water progressively launching skyward from the pour spouts. I figure this is how those sequential water fountain displays were concieved. Depending on how many you line up, you may also recover the slug.
Cheers
Jaguar

 

[rdelliott]

Thanks rd nice camera work
Cheers nessy

Thanks!

 

[rdelliott]

When you run out'a punkin's, try lining up 6 (or more) 4 litre windshield washer jugs full of water with the lids off. It is neat watching a .577 Snider anialate the row and if you are lucky you will get a frame of the water progressively launching skyward from the pour spouts. I figure this is how those sequential water fountain displays were concieved. Depending on how many you line up, you may also recover the slug.
Cheers
Jaguar

Yannow, I think I'm going to have to try that...