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RevWar 3lb Cannon Progress

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Better shot of it tied down to the trailer. Once I can get the winch mounted and get the gun on and off the trailer easier I'll get some more detailed photos and do a "walk around" of it!

Super stoked, can't wait to get my new reenacting group of the ground and get this baby in the field.


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You really should christen her this coming Monday!
 
If I had a spot to fire it I certainly would!
I have a friend here who built his own, very much like yours. He has many photos from the 60s through 70s where it had been in plays (even a local high school play, where he actually fired it, in the auditorium!).
He tells stories of rolling down to the corner, where he still lives, and firing live ball down the dirt road (now an occupied neighborhood), he said all the neighbors would come out and cheer. Life was grand, back then.

Today even some local historic sites that used to have him come and fire no longer allow him to, he can bring it, people can look at it and touch it, but he Can Not fire it...
Today it sits in his garage, his dog recently died, his mind is slowly digressing so he sits, and in his mind; life was Grand, back then.

...sorry, cannons just make me think of him...I think the wife and i will pay him a visit before the new year, I'm sure he quite knew who we were last time we stopped in.
 
Alright, some photos! Finally had a day off from work that coincided with decent weather, apparently New England is the new PNW and lately it feels like it has been raining every damn day.

Here's some photos of the 3 pounder, which most people call a Verbruggen. That term isn't really correct, Jan Verbruggen was the man who along with his son Pieter cast these style of guns, among many others in Woolwich from 1770s through the end of the century, and I believe later. This light 3 pound cannon was originally and historically cast in brass and this particular carriage is the Ward/Townsend style, of which only a handful were made. The biggest number of 3 pounders in use in America during the Revolutionary War were of the Congreve pattern which had two ammo boxes mounted on the axle.

I will be portraying early Continental Artillery with this gun, so the use of it, by its self is somewhat anachronistic, as it would probably not have been used, but the overall style of the gun is common and quite frankly there are not many other affordable options for carriage/barrel at the time of this posting. I'm always on the hunt for reproduction older three pounder cannons and earlier model French four pounders. That said for a new reenacting unit, it is an easy gun to begin to work with, fairly light +/- 600 pounds soo it's pretty easy to move around. There are some things on it that are not historically correct and I am working with Jymm Hoffman who is a very, very knowledgeable and master blacksmith and has made many carriages for great places like Fort Ligonier to correct the things that can be corrected. The biggest thing I am working on is trying to find a way to get this thing bronzed, and am working on several potential solutions at this time.

But enough chit chat, on to the photos.

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Very impressive. BUT won't it be hard to find a place where to test fire it?

Not particularly, there are plenty of spots near enough to me in New England on private owned land that I have the distances I would need to live fire.

That said it's primary function is going to be used in reenacting.
 
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