Spring cleaning the big guns

[wmaser]

The weather can be rough on the big guns. Now that it's springtime, I give them all a good cleaning and a new paint job:

This is my 1" bore swivel gun.

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and this is my newest, a 3" bore tube on my old carriage.I had to replace the old wooden axle with a new iron one. It was beginning to sag pretty bad.

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I still have the 2" tube that used to be on this carriage. Time to build another carriage.

 

[FishDFly]

How does one load a carriage gun and what makes the cannon ball explode when it gets to the target?

I am interested.

The wife said I cannot have a cannon. She said it will scare the hell out of the cows and most likely violate the burn ban.

Sigh, I wanted a RC plane to chase the buzzards, but I loss out that one also.

 

Explosive shells are illegal. Solid shot only.

 

[FishDFly]

I have to ask, why do they explode in the movies, 'cause it's the movies?

I have watched to many Westerns and Civil War movies I guess.

I miss Westerns.

 

[freekforge]

The feds let you use explosive shells if everything is registered per NFA but even if you have all of the fed stuff worked out some states (cough indiana cough) still have a ban on explosive DDs

 

[cynthialee]

You are in good company. My better half has said no to cannons, deck guns, Gatling guns and amusettes. If I can't shoulder it, carry it or fire it with a trigger it is a no go.

And exploding shells were not always used. A simple solid ball firing at your fortifications or ship will do serious damage. A cannon ball rolling through a formation of soldiers is brutal.

 

[FishDFly]

I hear the word "no" a lot.

 

[Wes/Tex]

I have to ask, why do they explode in the movies, 'cause it's the movies?

"cause it's the movies"...easier to make it look superfantastic. Howitzers used "shell" and later "spherical case" which we now know as shrapnel. Only a couple of movies have attempted to show what round shot could do plowing through a column of guys. Gunners often used a method called "grazing" to get the ball to strike the ground just ahead of the target for better low angle destruction. Field guns, not counting howitzers and mortars usually fired round shot through advancing columns or lines till they got approximately 200 yards out then either went to "case" or "double shotted", meaning a canister of case loaded on top of the round shot. At real close range they might go double on the canisters of case without the round shot.. Yee-haw! Exploding cannon rounds is mostly Hollywood...it just looks more exciting. Even "shell", if used didn't make as big a boom, if period accounts are to be believed! :wink:

 

[ChrisPer]

So what movies have represented round shot doing the thing?

 

[Wes/Tex]

There's one scene in "The Patriot toward the end where round shot takes off a guy's head plus some in German movie about Frederick the Great where a ball takes out several guys in a file. Not sure how they did it then with editing and special effects still somewhat in their infancy. About 1:24 into this song about Old Fritz.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2gDdaF0D6w

This one turns out to be a history of Prussian military action from Frederick to Blucher to Bismark. Not exactly a round ball hit but enough different cannon and musket shots to cover 100 years! :thumbsup:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZqRMZIxwd4