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I made them after hours on a school metal shop lathe with the assistance of the shop teacher who is a friend. The barrels were made out of cold-rolled steel with the larger one 4x19" and the smaller one being 3x16". The trunions were made out of smaller stock and press-fitted into the barrel with a BIG hydraulic press (they ain't commin' out). With the tools and equipment I had availible the bore one the larger is .875" and the smaller is .750".
I made the smaller one for my brother. It's prettier (better proportioned), but mine is the better shooter. I made a field artillery carriage out of wood and used a pair of large spoked bicycle wheels (I'm not a wheelwright). The canon with it's carriage is 26" wide, 26" tall and ~40" long.
I can hit a coke can at 25 yds, a 55 gal drum at 100 yds or a 6' boulder at about 300-400 yds. Though the barrels taper like they're supposed too, I made the swell at the muzzle end the same diameter as the breech. This makes it very simple to "aim". The barrel weighs 40 lbs and just rolls back with recoil like the big boys do. I have loaded it from 180 to 360 gr of black powder, but usually use 240. Loaded with 360 gr it will send the ~1000gr lead round ball all the way through a railrode cross-tie.
I have shot it many times and knowing how much steel it's got in it, I feel very confident in it's safety with the levels of powder I use.
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