Need help identifying cannon

[casonj2003]

HI all,

New member, first time post.

I live in England and I have a cast iron cannon with a 2 inch bore. It measures ~40 inches long and 11 inches accross the trunnions. It has been spiked (see photo) and the cascabel is cracked (see photo). I can't find any legible markings, maybe there is a small area (see photo) where I tried to capture what looks like a mark but immpossible to see any detail.

I bought it on Ebay UK about 8 years ago from a farmer in Manchester who had inherited it from his brother-in-law when he passed who was an antique gun dealer. I paid £150 for it which at the time my wife thought was a total waste of money.

Cheers James

 

[casonj2003]

Sorry, I said cascabel is craked, that was wrong. The crack is under tthe first reinforce.

 

[Melchi577]

I have come across these before, not sure exactly when they were made i would guess some time in the 1980's used one quite a bit with a reenactment group i used to be with. a word of warning we believe they were flat cast not vertical and the grain structure of the cast iron is not as good as it could be, they are prone to leaving the trunnions behind and i have heard of this happening to others. this happened to me one day when i was on linstock i touched it off and as the smoke cleared i realized the barrel was missing fortunately the groups policy of not having anything directly inline behind a gun meant this only caused embarrassment and an awkward moment for the commentator.
on another aspect as it is of modern manufacture and doesn't look to be officially deactivated it would still be a section1 firearm if over the 2inches or a section 2 firearm(shotgun certificate) if under. so would be worth contacting your local police licensing authority, explain the situation and getting it moved to a registered firearms dealer for proofing or deactivation to make it legal.
i doubt this is the information you were hopping for when you posted but if i can be any further help get in touch and i will see what i can do

 

[Gun Tramp]

they are prone to leaving the trunnions behind

That would be an issue, yes...

 

[Melchi577]

the trunnions on these are quite long for their diameter so if the trunnion cups are close to the barrel to minimize the leverage and the charges are sensible it should be ok.
and don't have anything behind inline with the barrel (which is legitimate precaution for most guns)

 

[trigger96]

Hi I’m new to the cannon community. About two yrs ago a coworker gave me a nice beat up bronze mini cannon. There are no markings on it or the carriage. Not only do I need help identifying it, but also in restoring as well.

Thanks for the info in advance.

 

[hawkeye2]

trigger96

Actually it isn't too beat up and it's an attractive model. Though close it isn't 100% right, nothing to worry about. I would start with a good cleaning and polish the barrel. Remove the rust from the tires and any other metal, stand back and look it over, it may not need much more. you can repaint the carriage and a search online will give you the details foe Union or Confederate service. Dimensions? wheel dia., length, barrel length & bore

Though it may have been fired before I would be very reluctant to do myself as it may well be a casting of questionable origin and strength. Should you ever decide (not advisable) to fire it use only Black Powder, see the link below.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/just-a-reminder-about-using-bp-only-in-a-bp-gun.125093/

 

[trigger96]

Thanks for the quick reply. A previous owner fired it at least once. The axle and thin wood panels covering the axle are bent out of shape. That’s probably the most extensive damage I’ve found so far. I haven’t disassembled it for cleaning yet, due to not knowing where I can get replacement parts if needed.

trigger96

Actually it isn't too beat up and it's an attractive model. Though close it isn't 100% right, nothing to worry about. I would start with a good cleaning and polish the barrel. Remove the rust from the tires and any other metal, stand back and look it over, it may not need much more. you can repaint the carriage and a search online will give you the details foe Union or Confederate service. Dimensions? wheel dia., length, barrel length & bore

Though it may have been fired before I would be very reluctant to do myself as it may well be a casting of questionable origin and strength.

 

[mooman76]

What's the bore size?

 

[trigger96]

I believe.50 cal, if not it’s pretty damn close.

 

[Treestalker]

In my opinion it is a nice looking piece which should reside on your desk right above a sign that warns 'IF you can READ THIS you are IN RANGE!' LOL!

 

[trigger96]

I contacted a couple different cannon builders. One said he didn’t know who made it but it looks like it was made in the 1950’s or 1960’s. He said it current value may be approximately $500 to $700 and restoration could be approximately $500 plus shipping.

I also contacted a local cannon builder who doesn’t usually do restorations, but he may consider this project, upon further inspection.

 

[toot]

it is a nice score, for Shure!!

 

[jimairwin]

Hi I’m new to the cannon community. About two yrs ago a coworker gave me a nice beat up bronze mini cannon. There are no markings on it or the carriage. Not only do I need help identifying it, but also in restoring as well.

Thanks for the info in advance.View attachment 46743

I'm a lifelong cannon nut, collector, builder for about 65 years. This is rather unique. Please do not polish the tube!

There are many details that are not authentic. It is, like so many, a made-up and nicely executed sort of representation of a Civil War era field piece. Closest model would be an 1841 style.

You don't mention size (length, width across wheels, wheel diameter, tube length or bore diameter.

I rather like it!

 

[trigger96]

 

[trigger96]

Thanks Jimairwin,

I’ve uploaded a some more pics, I’ll list measurements and additional details later.

 

[Davey Boy]

A nice cannon. I would not destroy the patina as it gives it great character. I would clean up the corrosion and powder residue carefully. Q tips and water to start. The pride of workmanship shows, if you want shine, paint, and polish - build one.