Help with cannon

[motophile]

Hi, everyone ,Brad here. My neighbor gave me this cannon. It looks to be bronze with a 1 1/8 id steel liner. Cannon is 21 inches long. there is a spot drill for the fuse but not drilled. The hundredsof pictures I've looked at i didnt see anything like it. Im hesitant to make it functional if it's just a display piece. Thankyou.

 

[JeffG]

The fact that it's lined is a good sign. I would suggest that you find a way to visually inspect the bore all the way to the intersection of what would be the fuse hole. If the liner goes all the way back, and has a liner cap, you might consider drilling a fuse hole. If the rear of breach inside the bore is not capped with liner, I wouldn't shoot it. If it was stored outdoors, you might want to consider how much corrosion is in the bore also. It's tough to judge without being there.

 

[Gun Tramp]

Perhaps a patternmaker's hobby project? Very interested in hearing what you learn about the bore; your piece is a dandy and I'd leave the patina alone for the time being.

 

[motophile]

Thank you for the replies guys, I took it to work because who doesnt want to see a cannon. I will check for an end cap. I have a long small diameter extendable magnet , maybe many wraps of tape around it to keep from sticking to the bore and getting a false reading?

 

[motophile]

A flashlight revealed rust at the bottom of the bore, and a magnet conferred it to be steel. From reading around on some cannon forums, a 1/8 fuse hole is ok, what i dont know is its position in relation to the bottom of the bore. Is there a common distance for the hole?

 

[motophile]

A flashlight revealed rust at the bottom of the bore, and a magnet conferred it to be steel. From reading around on some cannon forums, a 1/8 fuse hole is ok, what i dont know is its position in relation to the bottom of the bore. Is there a common distance for the hole?

Should be confirmed.

 

[Phil Coffins]

I drill mine about 1/4 inch from the end of the bore. That allows me to prick the powder and insert the fuse into the charge.
If it were mine I’d file the casting lines off and polish the surface to as new then if you like patina you can color it. Old cannon were expensive and well cared for. A better truck would be in order as well.