• This community needs YOUR help today. We rely 100% on Supporting Memberships to fund our efforts. With the ever increasing fees of everything, we need help. We need more Supporting Members, today. Please invest back into this community. I will ship a few decals too in addition to all the account perks you get.



    Sign up here: https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/account/upgrades

Cannon from a post Pounder

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Diogenes454

32 Cal.
Joined
Apr 7, 2007
Messages
177
Reaction score
138
The latest issue of the Backwoodsman has a short article in the readers letters by a fella who made a cannon out of a post Pounder.
Any have any input? Dangerous or a good idea?
Maybe as a signal cannon?
TIA
 
Bad Idea! Unknown quality of pipe with extensive welding of the "plug" and additional large weld spots along the bore area! A proper barrel can be made of certain types of pipe steel which can be very strong, A turned and press fitted plug equal to the bore diameter can then be welded in place properly and this unit placed inside a cast or turned and bored solid stock to achieve a tremendously strong unit.(I'm not an expert, please contact a reputable re-enactment group for details.) Better yet, contact a cannon manufacturer like South Bend Replicas who can line you up with what you need. Their catalog is worth whatever they're asking for it. Join a War Between The States artillery unit and drill 'til you're sick of it! Building a cannon is a major undertaking, and the safety of yourself, your gun crew, and anyone else around is paramount in the construction and use of a piece. To do it right will cost money, time and dedication, but there is in my honest opinion, no greater achievement. You will provide a hobby for your entire gun crew and educational opportunities for the general public. State parks and Civil war battlefields usually welcome artillery crew and I have seen them donate cannon grade powder to help defray the cost of firing. There are lots of smaller places to conduct drill and live fire exercises. I recall one such practice weekend on an old battlefield near Rentlesville, Ok. We only had four guns and there was only a small field an woods all around. It was the best camp ever! My wife and daughter and I worked on gun crews and we camped in our wedge tent and listened to the trains moan in the distance late at night. Our crews received hands on experience with competent officers and quality full scale 6pdr pieces. I hope you can enjoy artillery as much as I have; keep it safe and be a credit to our legacy. Cpl. George Briggs, Ist Ark. Lt. Artillery, Ret.
 
Black powder in a t-post slide hammer??? The idea is stupid and dangerous. IT is irresponsible for them to publish such an article. When someone is hurt or killed they could, and should, pay dearly.
 
Any have any input? Dangerous or a good idea?

Bad idea. R.I.P kind of bad.

Instead, turn it into an air cannon, magnitudes safer and more fun. With air you know exactly how much pressure you are developing and exerting.

You could also learn how to make fence with it, Fence makers make good money around me..
 
One of the dumbest ideas Charlie ever shared in print. I have been tinkering with model and hobby artillery for a long time. It follows none of the accepted safety requirements. Worse, is that there are alternatives almost as cheap that would not be nearly so dangerous.
 
Bad Idea! Unknown quality of pipe with extensive welding of the "plug" and additional large weld spots along the bore area! A proper barrel can be made of certain types of pipe steel which can be very strong, A turned and press fitted plug equal to the bore diameter can then be welded in place properly and this unit placed inside a cast or turned and bored solid stock to achieve a tremendously strong unit.(I'm not an expert, please contact a reputable re-enactment group for details.) Better yet, contact a cannon manufacturer like South Bend Replicas who can line you up with what you need. Their catalog is worth whatever they're asking for it. Join a War Between The States artillery unit and drill 'til you're sick of it! Building a cannon is a major undertaking, and the safety of yourself, your gun crew, and anyone else around is paramount in the construction and use of a piece. To do it right will cost money, time and dedication, but there is in my honest opinion, no greater achievement. You will provide a hobby for your entire gun crew and educational opportunities for the general public. State parks and Civil war battlefields usually welcome artillery crew and I have seen them donate cannon grade powder to help defray the cost of firing. There are lots of smaller places to conduct drill and live fire exercises. I recall one such practice weekend on an old battlefield near Rentlesville, Ok. We only had four guns and there was only a small field an woods all around. It was the best camp ever! My wife and daughter and I worked on gun crews and we camped in our wedge tent and listened to the trains moan in the distance late at night. Our crews received hands on experience with competent officers and quality full scale 6pdr pieces. I hope you can enjoy artillery as much as I have; keep it safe and be a credit to our legacy. Cpl. George Briggs, Ist Ark. Lt. Artillery, Ret.

good advice from an old artilleryman. He served on my mountain howitzer.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Every issue, it seems, has some dangerous or irresponsible article in it. A recent one had an article from a frequent contributor on his homemade muzzle loaders, most of which featured pipe barrels. Another disputed the wisdom of carrying old style single actions with an empty chamber under the hammer. I've written to Charlie many times pointing out these things and sometimes get a "I will refer your concerns to the writer" response. Only once was there a correction in a subsequent issue. Watch carefully how you use BWM information.
 
On top of rampant idiocy of the author that would suggest it, Does this not fall into the "pipe with end caps" - banned on this discussion?


Cannon
Discussions about Traditional muzzleloading cannons. No breech-loaders, pipes with end caps, PVC, or "potato guns". Historic cannon design only.
 
I'm sure Griz is right but this is so scary that it should be addressed. Someone reading this idea in a magazine might very well think it was a good idea and be badly hurt.
I agree.

Although the heading for this section does say no "pipes with end caps" are allowed I think the dangers of the idea of using a post pounder to make a cannon should remain so people reading this topic will be alerted to how stupid the whole idea is.

I know most of you already know this but we have thousands of visitors each day and many of them aren't as knowledgeable as you are.

The whole idea behind saying no pipes with end caps are to be posted on the forum is to keep someone from saying or implying that it is a good idea.

Now that a widely read publication has said it can be done and doing it is a good idea, I think we are doing the right thing to point out the stupidity of the whole idea.

Hopefully, this topic will keep someone from killing themselves.
 
The places I go that stock the Backwoodsman are out. Maybe they have pulled the issue. Usually they are in stock until the new one comes out. This idea scared me.
If they did indeed pull the issue, and they should have, the watch for a retraction in the next issue. That will be one rag I will not spend my money on...
Zonie, no argument there. Some idiot put it in print, some other idiot might (and has) tried it.
Watch your local news for the next big anti push. They will use it as an excuse to ban all cannons.
 
No way. Dangerous beyond stupid. I have seen post pounders end break while pounding post.
 
As a dumb kid I made a cannon out of 3/4” galvanized pipe, and shot ball bearings with 2” firecrackers. I’m a little smarter now, and have switched to smokepoles. I can’t imagine an adult thinking a post driver cannon is a good idea.
 
Well take your post hole pounder and insert a steel liner, then use it as a core to pour bronze around.... then you have a safe post hole ponder cannon:p
 
[QUOTE="Griz44Mag,
Watch your local news for the next big anti push. They will use it as an excuse to ban all cannons.[/QUOTE]

You are wrong Griz that is not how the left thinks, They will next want to ban all post hole pounders over 2 inches in diameter .
 
Back
Top