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Coehorn

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This is a Hern full-scale Coehorn mortar I put together a number of years ago, 2 1/4" bore. The cart has no historical basis but since the other three crewmen were two dogs and a cat I needed a way to move it around. Dixie sells these castings with the vent drilled (oversize unfortunately) but this tube and its bed ironwork came from Hern and a puzzled machinist here drilled the vent to correctly accept friction primers. The casting was finished slightly by hand (no grinder) and browned; the bed is ash, colored by linseed oil and paste wax and time. A tin can mould produces plaster-of-Paris slugs that are propelled by 1 oz. of 1F and can occasionally be seen in flight. Sometimes they can be reused; a neighboring settler who was picking rocks in his adjacent field returned one to me, unsmiling, "I bet this belongs to you."
 
Come on over to the North South Skirmish Association where we shoot these live in competition.
 
Brad, plans for the coehorn are available from both vendors I mentioned and would be an affordable start; an enterprising fellow might fabricate the ironwork himself.
Dave, I get a great big grin when I consider there are guys around who develop loads for accuracy with these. I have much to learn. How does one determine the "correct" projectile weight?
 
Brad, plans for the coehorn are available from both vendors I mentioned and would be an affordable start; an enterprising fellow might fabricate the ironwork himself.
Dave, I get a great big grin when I consider there are guys around who develop loads for accuracy with these. I have much to learn. How does one determine the "correct" projectile weight?

That's a question for the mortar experts over on the North South Skirmish Association board.
 
Alrighty Tramp, we, of the NSSA, are hurling the gauntlet right now. Come to Winchester and see just how much starch ya gots in yer drawers with our mortar boys.
 
Give your neighbor the chance to shoot it a few times, and he'll be smiling when he fetches a projectile home!
 
I have a 2" Coehorn with a homemade plywood carriage(no wheels). No idea what the scale is. Says "Barnie's Blasters" on the casting. Haven't shot it in years. A 4oz. juice can full of cement worked fine. Wadded it with bread or old biscuits. I put a loop of stainless welding rod in the cement to hold a streamer. You need to remember to wet the streamer or it will burn. As I remember it, 90gr. of 2F in the chamber would shoot it 100yds. and hit in about a 10ft. circle. Lots of fun.
 
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This is my full bronze coehorn mortar 5.8in bore, fires a 20 pound ball, you can see the ball on the right side. Range up to 1/2 mile(would love to have a range to do 1/2 mile), 1oz 1F black powder shoots the ball 100 yards.
 

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Hello, Blogman, It is amazing how little powder is needed for a mortar. You can easily push a projectile out of sight and into unknown territory before a cat can lick it's (censored).

I know what is meant by unknown territory(car park), I had a problem with powder one year at a show, put a bit tooo much powder in. The ball went 3 times the distance we wanted,, up over a road and to wards a field that was being used to park cars/trucks and trailers. Did not hit any thing but also did not find the ball.
 
View attachment 11836
This is a Hern full-scale Coehorn mortar I put together a number of years ago, 2 1/4" bore. The cart has no historical basis but since the other three crewmen were two dogs and a cat I needed a way to move it around. Dixie sells these castings with the vent drilled (oversize unfortunately) but this tube and its bed ironwork came from Hern and a puzzled machinist here drilled the vent to correctly accept friction primers. The casting was finished slightly by hand (no grinder) and browned; the bed is ash, colored by linseed oil and paste wax and time. A tin can mould produces plaster-of-Paris slugs that are propelled by 1 oz. of 1F and can occasionally be seen in flight. Sometimes they can be reused; a neighboring settler who was picking rocks in his adjacent field returned one to me, unsmiling, "I bet this belongs to you."

fine looking work. I like the cart too.
 
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