Homemade cannon explodes

**4V50 Gary** · July 5, 2016, 10:32 AM

and kills its maker with shrapnel. If you're going to make a black powder cannon, use the right material and enough of it. Use a sane amount of powder. You're not fighting off a cavalry charge, advancing infantry or engaged in counter-battery fire.

http://www.9and10news.com/story/3236...newaygo-county

Bill DeShivs · July 5, 2016, 11:29 AM

I see "cannon" made of pipe on Ebay all the time.
I see cannon with welded breeches.
This type of crap may work for quite some time before it explodes-but eventually, it will let go.
Sometimes it happens soon.
If you want a cannon to shoot-big or small, get one that is properly made, and load it correctly.

SIGSHR · July 5, 2016, 02:37 PM

Just a giant zip gun. He never heard of the Parrott gun obviously. Or the Bulgarian Cherry Gun. The USS Princeton disaster in 1844.

TXAZ · July 5, 2016, 02:53 PM

While the loss of life is tragic, it's another warning to those who fail to research reality, often with Darwin Award wannabe written across their forehead.

Captchee · July 6, 2016, 06:22 PM

Eventual they all will go . that’s why the military took and still takes them out of service .
Welded breech and cast barrels were common in original form . Today a lot of folks even line the barrels and make sleeved breech s that are welded . But to do it right its not just one weld , its more like creating a weld that uses a whole spool of wire .
Some how I get the idea though that this was a homemade job probably using what ever he had laying around .
type of powder and charge is also a good thing to know about .

Model12Win · July 6, 2016, 07:05 PM

It's really sad when innocent bystanders get killed by these accidents. I've heard of several children and women who've died from these guys living out their crazed fantasies or whatever.

flyer898 · July 6, 2016, 10:41 PM

A long time ago in a galaxy far a way, my best shooting buddy and I decided we could burn more powder and have more fun if we built ourselves a couple of cannons. Now this was in the early 1980s and Dangerous Dave, the Old Western Scrounger (Dave Cumberland) still had two muzzle sections from 3 inch .50 caliber naval guns salvaged from decommissioned Liberty Ships in stock. We bought the last two (6' long muzzle sections, rifled with a chrome bore 24 grooves, one turn in 96 inch twist). We proceeded to machine a breach and put trunnions one the first one. After some heavy math (I was extracting cube roots on a pocket calculator - not one with root functions) we came up with a projectile weight and a likely maximum charge of smokeless powder. We worked up to that and when we first fired it, we both took cover in a ditch while it went off.

Eventually we were sending 8 lb. lead projectiles down range at an estimated 1600+ fps. A solid hit would pick a '58 Plymouth up a food and set it back three. We did not shoot at close range. But by using the barrel as a peep sight, with the breech plug out, and estimating the hold-over from experience, I could hit a 2' diameter target with the first shot at 300 yards. It was some fun!

The biggest difficulty was building a carriage that would withstand the recoil - we broke everything we ever made to pieces, except the gun itself.

We were careful and never blew up the gun, and I am here to tell the tale. I have a spent projectile in my office that went through a 6' fir stump and slid 300 yards up a dirt road. Like I said it was some fun. The first time we took this monster to a cannon match, and ran after lighting the fuse for the first shot, was an event.

Hawg · July 6, 2016, 11:25 PM

I've got a small one I built out of a 45-70 barrel. It has a breech plug out of an 1861 Springfield with the tang cut off. I don't shoot smokeless out of it tho.

mete · July 7, 2016, 10:15 AM

All too common ! We had one here this last weekend.Man blew his hand off .A grusome injury Serious injury with his hand gone .Told to me by someone who had seen the injury.Don't have info about other details .

NoSecondBest · July 7, 2016, 10:59 AM

One man's cannon is another man's pipe bomb. In this case, it was a pipe bomb with predictable consequences. I'd never call this an accident. An accident is when something happens that can't be predicted.

July 5, 2016, 10:32 AM	#1
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,838	Homemade cannon explodes and kills its maker with shrapnel. If you're going to make a black powder cannon, use the right material and enough of it. Use a sane amount of powder. You're not fighting off a cavalry charge, advancing infantry or engaged in counter-battery fire. http://www.9and10news.com/story/3236...newaygo-county __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

July 5, 2016, 11:29 AM	#2
Bill DeShivs Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 10,985	I see "cannon" made of pipe on Ebay all the time. I see cannon with welded breeches. This type of crap may work for quite some time before it explodes-but eventually, it will let go. Sometimes it happens soon. If you want a cannon to shoot-big or small, get one that is properly made, and load it correctly. __________________ Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler www.billdeshivs.com

July 5, 2016, 02:53 PM	#4
TXAZ Senior Member Join Date: September 5, 2010 Location: McMurdo Sound Texas Posts: 4,322	While the loss of life is tragic, it's another warning to those who fail to research reality, often with Darwin Award wannabe written across their forehead. __________________ Cave illos in guns et backhoes

July 7, 2016, 10:15 AM	#9
mete Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2004 Location: NY State Posts: 6,575	All too common ! We had one here this last weekend.Man blew his hand off .A grusome injury Serious injury with his hand gone .Told to me by someone who had seen the injury.Don't have info about other details . __________________ And Watson , bring your revolver !

July 5, 2016, 02:37 PM	#3
SIGSHR Senior Member Join Date: September 13, 2005 Posts: 4,700	Just a giant zip gun. He never heard of the Parrott gun obviously. Or the Bulgarian Cherry Gun. The USS Princeton disaster in 1844.

July 6, 2016, 06:22 PM	#5
Captchee Senior Member Join Date: April 2, 2013 Posts: 439	Eventual they all will go . that’s why the military took and still takes them out of service . Welded breech and cast barrels were common in original form . Today a lot of folks even line the barrels and make sleeved breech s that are welded . But to do it right its not just one weld , its more like creating a weld that uses a whole spool of wire . Some how I get the idea though that this was a homemade job probably using what ever he had laying around . type of powder and charge is also a good thing to know about .

July 6, 2016, 07:05 PM	#6
Model12Win Junior member Join Date: October 20, 2012 Posts: 5,854	It's really sad when innocent bystanders get killed by these accidents. I've heard of several children and women who've died from these guys living out their crazed fantasies or whatever.

July 6, 2016, 10:41 PM	#7
flyer898 Member Join Date: May 15, 2013 Posts: 35	A long time ago in a galaxy far a way, my best shooting buddy and I decided we could burn more powder and have more fun if we built ourselves a couple of cannons. Now this was in the early 1980s and Dangerous Dave, the Old Western Scrounger (Dave Cumberland) still had two muzzle sections from 3 inch .50 caliber naval guns salvaged from decommissioned Liberty Ships in stock. We bought the last two (6' long muzzle sections, rifled with a chrome bore 24 grooves, one turn in 96 inch twist). We proceeded to machine a breach and put trunnions one the first one. After some heavy math (I was extracting cube roots on a pocket calculator - not one with root functions) we came up with a projectile weight and a likely maximum charge of smokeless powder. We worked up to that and when we first fired it, we both took cover in a ditch while it went off. Eventually we were sending 8 lb. lead projectiles down range at an estimated 1600+ fps. A solid hit would pick a '58 Plymouth up a food and set it back three. We did not shoot at close range. But by using the barrel as a peep sight, with the breech plug out, and estimating the hold-over from experience, I could hit a 2' diameter target with the first shot at 300 yards. It was some fun! The biggest difficulty was building a carriage that would withstand the recoil - we broke everything we ever made to pieces, except the gun itself. We were careful and never blew up the gun, and I am here to tell the tale. I have a spent projectile in my office that went through a 6' fir stump and slid 300 yards up a dirt road. Like I said it was some fun. The first time we took this monster to a cannon match, and ran after lighting the fuse for the first shot, was an event.

July 6, 2016, 11:25 PM	#8
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,189	I've got a small one I built out of a 45-70 barrel. It has a breech plug out of an 1861 Springfield with the tang cut off. I don't shoot smokeless out of it tho.

July 7, 2016, 10:59 AM	#10
NoSecondBest Senior Member Join Date: December 7, 2009 Location: Western New York Posts: 2,736	One man's cannon is another man's pipe bomb. In this case, it was a pipe bomb with predictable consequences. I'd never call this an accident. An accident is when something happens that can't be predicted.