Pop can mortar help.

[IronHand]

Went to the K-zoo show today and came home with a mortar. Hand made by a machinist. Pictures will follow.

Now I need to learn the care and feeding of the beast. Anyone out there who can enlighten me?

Thanks
IronHand

 

[cynthialee]

not exactly a historic design....the focus of this section and all

still sounds fun to goof with

 

[SOLANCO]

I have one and it is frustrating. Why? Because I want to find a projectile that will explode on impact and that would be illegal. But it is also the whole point of having a mortar.

 

[flintlock75]

If the gun uses pop can size projectiles, open top, insert a toilet paper tube and pour plaster of paris around it, pour about an inch inside tube ant let harden, then fill center with Dry plaster, cap with thin cardboard and then add a 1/2” of wet plaster. When it impacts on a solid surface it will blow open with a nice white cloud of dust.
Had a friend with a navel gun that used pop cans, we used these against a wood wall, great cloud of dust on impact.

 

[IronHand]

Photos

 

[Youngblood]

Fill cans full of cement and fire away.
Or if you want zinc balls, www.rotometals.com

 

[IronHand]

I have one and it is frustrating. Why? Because I want to find a projectile that will explode on impact and that would be illegal. But it is also the whole point of having a mortar.

What powder charge do you use?

IronHand

 

[SOLANCO]

What powder charge do you use?

IronHand

1/2 Cup wrapped in foil. Prick it through the fuse hole, but likely the fuse is rigid enough to go through it. Think I could go bigger?
What do you use?

 

[Ghost of Forrest]

What are you asking $ wise?

 

[IronHand]

1/2 Cup wrapped in foil. Prick it through the fuse hole, but likely the fuse is rigid enough to go through it. Think I could go bigger?
What do you use?

I have not shot it yet. On the internet there is a lot of variation in powder charge used. Perhaps because of variations in the size of the sub chamber.

Thanks for the info
IronHand

 

[IronHand]

What are you asking $ wise?

I'm not selling, I just bought it. I paid $500. I thought it was a good deal.

IronHand

 

[LECook]

As to powder charge under a cement filled can i would suggest you start very light. Perhaps 100 grains BP and work your way up. You will be surprised how little powder it takes to throw your can quite a distance and you sure don't want to send it out if sight. Good luck

 

[DixieTexian]

Fireworks aren't illegal, and operate essentially the same as an old mortar shell, except with a display effect instead of an iron casing. You could look into making your own firework mortar shells with an extra long delay to go off closer to the ground. Of course, you want to make sure you aren't firing it off anywhere where it would be a fire hazard, but there are plenty of resources out there for DIYing your own fireworks.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I have one and it is frustrating. Why? Because I want to find a projectile that will explode on impact and that would be illegal. But it is also the whole point of having a mortar.

SO..., muzzleloading mortars didn't "explode on impact". They were round, hollow shot with a fuze, and it was the timing of the fuze vs. the flight time that determined when they burst. The idea for a fort was for the shell to land and explode BUT if firing from a fort on advancing trenches, you want an air-burst.

As for the legality, well yes if you made an actual shrapnel shell, that's a violation, BUT if you get a fireworks shell that is small enough to just fit within the mortar, and you load the shell so that the lofting-charge is down inside the mortar chamber..., you should be able to kick that small fireworks shell down range and it will likely land before it pops, and give you a nice display.

LD

 

[SOLANCO]

Thank you for the info!

Technically it is a ML mortar. But unlike most which you see it is a replica of a latter day Stokes mortar. It is sized for beer or soda cans.