MOST powerful BP weapon?

sharps4590 said:

Uhh...the 16 inch guns on battleships of the Missouri and Iowa class did not shoot black powder. I hve no idea what designation it is but buying that surplus powder and repackaging it for sale to the public is how Bruce Hogdonon got his start in the powder business. Us reloaders know it as H-4831.

Vic

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Actually H-4831 was the propellant in 20 mm cannon shells. The propellant in the 8"-58s on the heavy cruiser I served on was a whole different thing. :v

Hangfeyer said:

Do you think those "4 Bores" are the same types of gun carried by Michael Douglas in The Ghost and the Darkness?

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Michael Douglas wouldnt know the difference. Hes a flaming anti-gunner.

October Country makes some big bruisers, I think an 8 bore and maybe a bigger one. Cant find my catalog and they dont have the website updated.

Bigbore, wow! I was not aware that anyone ever used a cannon like that from the shoulder. Am I correct in my estimate that the ball would have been a full half pound, with a powder charge of over 300 grains? That recoil could result in spinal cord injury! Do the accounts mention how many swigs on the gin bottle were required between the cocking of the hammer and the squeezing of the trigger? This gives a whole new meaning to the term "flinch".

Ooooo I want one... but my wallet doesn't :cursing: . Plus I really can't justify buying one, because I wouldn't have anything to shoot at that my normal rifles couldn't handle. HOWEVER, when I do take my trip to Africa (I plan to do this at some point in my life) I will certainly look into it. :hmm: Anyone else out there shoot these things? Experiences?

Is "4-bore" a guage designation? In that case would that mean that four lead balls of that diameter would equal a pound?

Shooting a 1/4 lead ball at any velocity -I can see how that would hurt!

Ben

BigBadBen said:

Is "4-bore" a guage designation?

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[url] http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/197045[/url]/

Yes that's 4 to the pound in round balls.
1750 grains per ball.
Bullets go much heavier.

They keep you younger,------------ because when you fire them they kick you into last month!
:shocked2:

GOOD...maybe next time ill do better... :yakyak: :yakyak: :yakyak:

:youcrazy: For your viewing enjoyment.

The shooter on the other hand....did not enjoy himself
:shake: [

Steve,

Some years back when I used to shoot at Chabot Gun Club east of Oaklan, there was a retired machinist who made cartridges for old black powder two and four bore rifles. He would let other (younger and more foolish) fire the weapons when he was testing the cases. It was interesting to watch these idiots. They'd stand in line to shoot it, pick themselves up (sometimes literally) and then run to the back of the line and wait for another turn. Myself, I never had that strong a masochistic streak.

I helped him once when he was assisting a client get a 4 bore muzzle loader ready for a hunt. He gave me one of the slugs, which I have around here someplace. That thing would HURT if you dropped it on your foot, much less shot it! :grin:

LOL!
Looks like the next pic would be of that feller wipin' the dirt off the back of his britches. I think I'd be one of the guys wiping the dirt off then getting in the line for another go. So I say, anyway. Maybe the first shot would change my mind.

I'm willing to bet his van's car alarm was set off. Good picture.

I think ya should of been a little more more specific, the big bores are fun OUCH, but what about range? or was it for just round ball shooting guns? You got all kinds of 1855-1865 and later rifles that could take a man at 1000 or much longer, longst recorded shot was by a target rifle hitting a Confed at 1 mile and 127 feet and ya killing him dead, thats POWER! it wasnt held for that shot but could be. :shake: :shocked2: :rotf: Fred :hatsoff:

A customer of mine has one of my 8s for sale now, if anyone's interested. Brand new, he never fired it. Family problems are causing him to sell it.
Write to me and we'll talk.
SZ

Well this may be a little rediculus but for power how about them 16 inchers on the battle ship that was brought out of moth balls for that little Nam uprising? Those guns used BP.
Halfstock :blah: :rotf: :hmm:

Actually those big guns use 'cordite' as main charge, black powder is used as sort of a primer to set it off after the bags of cordite are loaded and rammed a small (well relatively speaking small) bag of black is placed on the igniter and the breech closed and locked. and the battlewagons saw action (one of them -can't recollect which- blew a breech and killed the gun crew) during the '80's Lebanon crisis. But they are sort of an in-line gun anyway and outside the forums specifications.

I think the Navy tried to blame that on sabotage by a crewman loading the big gun. Preemie cookoff maybe.

Biggest I ever read about was a 36" gun :shocked2: used in the seige of Constantinople by the Ottomans. Used BP, but definately not shoulder-fired.

Me

Rgr273 said:

I think the Navy tried to blame that on sabotage by a crewman loading the big gun. Preemie cookoff maybe.

Biggest I ever read about was a 36" gun :shocked2: used in the seige of Constantinople by the Ottomans. Used BP, but definately not shoulder-fired.

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There is a seige gun in Edinbugh Castle named "Megs Mon" that I could have crawled into. It was made like a wooden bucket with forge welded wrought iron staves and rings. It had a powder chamber and then the barrel opened up to accept a 200lb stone ball. :shocked2:

Dont know if this would be called a gun but a weapon yes, was a hole filed with a ton or more of Bp and a few tons of rock put in, from what I do remember it did do as planed up to a 1/2 mile away . Maybe Gary or someone will correct me on when and how big ect. Fred :hatsoff: ( much bigger than the " Megs Mon" but that one is a heck of a cannon too. fred :hatsoff: