Shooting Marbles?? Is that smart?

[B P Maniac Shooter]

Good video, Mark. If you want a Canoe Gun I recommend going much shorter than 28", as you mentioned. I converted a 35" barrel, 45 caliber, percussion rifle to a Canoe Gun by cutting it down to 18". I would have gone shorter but, I wanted it to still fit on my gun rack.

WOW...thanks for the tip. I may pick up another similar smoothbore and have it cut down. That would be a cool gun to take on the canoes this summer.

 

[B P Maniac Shooter]

I saw a video where a guy was testing penetration with a steel ball, from a muzzle loader, against blocks of wood. On his first shot the steel ball bounced back and hit the shooter right between the eyes. Luckily, he only had a large goose-egg and some bleeding from that experience. As you can imagine, that was the end of the experiment.

Yes, I agree......I always shoot those type videos ( not using steel balls ) at a slight angle and at least 25-30 yards so the lead doesn't fly back and hit me. I'm not going to shoot steel ball bearings. I'll leave that to someone else to try.

 

[S.Kenton]

I really enjoy your videos Mark, makes me wanna go out and shoot after watching some of them. Keep making them and ignore the haters!

 

[Fisherking]

They make glow in the dark ones… tracer rounds!!

 

[SDSmlf]

I can supply all the 3F powder you need to shoot those marbles too...LOL
Thanks for watching it....

If we ever get together I just think it would be fun to use 4F with marbles, as those two cardinal sins would likely cause hair to catch on fire and heads to explode, all while sending us to eternal damnation, or so I have heard.

 

[Rhyno]

Thanks for another entertaining video! I have got to get a flintlock! Right now I only have percussion.

 

[B P Maniac Shooter]

Thanks for another entertaining video! I have got to get a flintlock! Right now I only have percussion.

You will never regret that purchase. Flintlocks are very addicting to shoot!

 

[Billy-by-gosh]

Yes, I agree......I always shoot those type videos ( not using steel balls ) at a slight angle and at least 25-30 yards so the lead doesn't fly back and hit me. I'm not going to shoot steel ball bearings. I'll leave that to someone else to try.

Yessir, you are so right! I remember all too well as ignorant kids, we were shooting steel BBs at a target taped onto an oak board...amazing how quickly the big bruise from a small bouncing steel BB will educate one about ricochet. Thankfully it struck a non-vital area and caused minimal damage. I fear that a bounced steel ball from a big bore would have been fatal. Stuff that splatters on impact with a flat hard surface seems much safer! The wax slug/ball would be fun, it could even modifed to incorporate a granular solid material and still flatten or splatter. Not sure how the idea of a hardood ball would work on hard targets; might become a ricochet problem as well.

 

[Nazgul58]

I saw a video where a guy was testing penetration with a steel ball, from a muzzle loader, against blocks of wood. On his first shot the steel ball bounced back and hit the shooter right between the eyes. Luckily, he only had a large goose-egg and some bleeding from that experience. As you can imagine, that was the end of the experiment.

In my misspent youth I did this. Still have the 60 cal smooth bore Navy Arms flintlock pistol it happened with. The target was on a dead oak tree, hard as a rock. The lead ball came back between my eyes.......really turned the world dizzy for awhile. No damage. Happened 50+ years ago and some still remind me how hard my head is.

Don

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

WOW...thanks for the tip. I may pick up another similar smoothbore and have it cut down. That would be a cool gun to take on the canoes this summer.

I think that would be an excellent opportunity to make a video about how easy it is to load and shoot a full length gun in a canoe.

 

[sportster73hp]

Yessir, you are so right! I remember all too well as ignorant kids, we were shooting steel BBs at a target taped onto an oak board...amazing how quickly the big bruise from a small bouncing steel BB will educate one about ricochet. Thankfully it struck a non-vital area and caused minimal damage. I fear that a bounced steel ball from a big bore would have been fatal. Stuff that splatters on impact with a flat hard surface seems much safer! The wax slug/ball would be fun, it could even modifed to incorporate a granular solid material and still flatten or splatter. Not sure how the idea of a hardood ball would work on hard targets; might become a ricochet problem as well.

The Swedish military used wooden projectiles for indoor practice. I don’t know the distance downrange.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Why not gum balls while your at it, they might stick to the target.

 

[B P Maniac Shooter]

I think that would be an excellent opportunity to make a video about how easy it is to load and shoot a full length gun in a canoe.

I've tried that on several videos a few years ago...I'm not sure if the videos are still on the BPMS page...I deleted about 50 of the earliest videos 3 years ago.
______________________
Update....
I did find one of them...I videoed this one 2 years ago ( during the TBT era ) long before I learn how to post target hits in the same frame as shooting. Hope you enjoy it anyway:

 

[Bushfire]

Thanks for another entertaining video! I have got to get a flintlock! Right now I only have percussion.

I've shot and hunted all my life. Never really loved shooting guns, just did enough to sight them in and stay proficient for hunting. But when I got into flintlocks I finally found out how much fun shooting could be!

 

[Rhyno]

I've shot and hunted all my life. Never really loved shooting guns, just did enough to sight them in and stay proficient for hunting. But when I got into flintlocks I finally found out how much fun shooting could be!

I enjoy handguns more than long guns so I've been looking at some flintlock pistols. Hopefully I will secure one before too long and give it a go.

 

[2 shots]

b.p.m.s. hi mark, if fireworks are legal where you are shooting fire crackers out of a smooth bore might be cool. with a light charge... too light them in the bore and not blow them out.. will it work? it may take lots of load testing. you could blow big foot out of his socks.... does a big foot wear socks?? many questions to be answered ....

 

[B P Maniac Shooter]

b.p.m.s. hi mark, if fireworks are legal where you are shooting fire crackers out of a smooth bore might be cool. with a light charge... too light them in the bore and not blow them out.. will it work? it may take lots of load testing. you could blow big foot out of his socks.... does a big foot wear socks?? many questions to be answered ....

I'll be more than glad to watch someone else try that stunt.
Fire in the barrel isn't for me.
I do have my limits.

 

[nkbj]

7/16" glass marbles out of the fifty smooth bore flintlock are fun.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Nice to see the kindergarten kids getting involved with the signs

That is “ Mountain Man Code Writing”, silly

 

[FishDFly]

Why not gum balls while your at it, they might stick to the target.

Might as well.