More dollars than sense

[Boomer]

Before I frame my question, pardon me while I elucidate.

On my property, about 1000yds from my house is the stump of an old Walnut tree. Said stump is massive in size, comprising at least 3 maybe 4 walnut trees that had grown together. The trees had died many years ago & about 5 years ago I had the tree topped for fire wood. The trunk that remains is far too large to do anything with being some 8’ in diameter & 10’ tall.

Well over the years it had made a dandy of a 1000 yd target. I will frequently pop off at it with various muzzle loaders just to see if I can hit it & have a great deal of fun “walking” the shots in. The only muzzle loader that I have that I can get somewhat regular hits with is my 1861 Springfield.

For the last 2 yrs I have been thinking what fun it would be to shoot at it with a cannon. I am not getting any younger & as they say “no better time than the present”. So I figured what the hell.

I have begun my research on what I want to get & have narrowed it down to either a 10lb Parrot rifle or a 12lb Napoleon both being full size replicas.
From an esthetic standpoint I prefer the Napoleon but from a practical standpoint I think the Parrot would better suit my needs being rifled. Besides I think the time spent in my shop fabricating the shells for the Parrot would be a pleasant pastime.
Lastly there is the economic standpoint; these pieces cost nearly twice what I thought they would quickly going from “Humph” to “Ouch!” and the Parrot is several K less expensive.

Now on to my question,

All I have is the desire & the resources to make this happen. I really don’t know diddly about cannon. I would in all likelihood just treat it as an extremely large muzzleloader.

Can some of the esteemed members of this group offer good reference material on the use of a cannon? Name groups that I might haunt to garner knowledge, provide additional insight & cautions?

Many thanks for any & all input pro or con. I am certain my wife would be grateful if you could talk me out of it. :blah:

 

[mike alexandre]

As regards talking you out of this does your wife know that cannons are even more addictive than flintlocks?

 

[TheDoubleD]

Warningshooting cannons is not like shooting a big over sized muzzleloader. There is a completely different set of internal ballistics involved. Read up on cannon shooting before you acquire a cannon. Suggested reading is THE MORE COMPLETE CANNONEER By M.C. Switlik with selected excerpts from other artillery manuals
The book can be ordered from these two suppliers by clicking on these hotlinks:

The More Complete Cannoneer from Matt Switlik

South Bend Replica

By the way that Walnut stump would have probably made some prety nice gunstock wood until you filled it full of lead!

 

[robinghewitt]

I am certain my wife would be grateful if you could talk me out of it. :blah:

Sorry wife, I think he has to do it, it's a man thing :thumbsup:

Cannons are much safer than large ML's because you can stand well back for that first shot, you don't have to stick your face up against it to shoot :rotf:

You don't need rifled, once you get up past 1" bore, smooth bores become deadly accurate.

best regards

Squire Robin

 

[Conchshot]

Yes, indeed, it is a "man" thing to fire off a cannon, altho I have run into all-female cannon crews in the past.

I think you'd have more fun and get more bang for the buck with the Parrott.

Have you considered a 3-inch Ordnance Rifle?

Harry
Fort[url] Taylor.org[/url]

 

[Boomer]

By the way that Walnut stump would have probably made some prety nice gunstock wood until you filled it full of lead!

DD, Thank you for the links.

In regards to the stump & filling it full of lead. That simply isn't the case. I assume you have never shot a muzzle loader at anything at that range. In most cases the minnies lodge in the bark & will frequently bounce off the tree. After a shooting session I will go down there & police up the minnies for recasting. If I happen to hit a particularly soft part of the stump I may have to pry the minnie out with a pocket knife.
In any case it never penetrates past the sap wood.

I am a avid wood worker & have over 10k bf of walnut in my shop so I don't need the wood. If you happen to have a chainsaw with a 10' blade you are more than welcome to come cut it down.
You will also need a team of oxen to drag it out as 1) there is no way to get heavy equipment to where it is located & 2) If it were possible to get heavy equipment to it I wouldn't allow it becasue of the destruction wrought to my property.
Lastly you will have a problem finding a sawyer that will mill it. All the sawyers I know can not handle more than a 4' diameter trunk.

Believe me, I spent more than a few mins trying to find a way to have that stump cut into some stock blanks. I would bet there is some lovely burl in there.
I read in Fine Woodworking some months ago that an estimated 1 Billion bf of prime old growth timber goes to landfills every year. Pitty really but whats to be done?

 

[Boomer]

You don't need rifled, once you get up past 1" bore, smooth bores become deadly accurate.

Robin,
I have read accounts saying that the Confederate artillery with there smooth bores were every bit the match of the Union with their rifled ones.
However, each time I read about an engagement when the antagonists are delineated it will read something to the effect "Union forces had 75 cannon, 60 of them rifled."
Now operating on the premise that there is a marginal edge in accuracy why the hoopla about rifled barrels? Was it merely perception or maybe superiority in munitions of a rifled gun?

 

[Boomer]

Have you considered a 3-inch Ordnance Rifle?

Actually I have, at 1st I discarded the idea because it is somewhat more expensive. After further consideration, when you consider the amount to be spent it is a rather small bump. I am now firmly leaning in that direction.

Besides it is a much better looking piece.

Next week I intend to visit the county sheriff I see if there are any ordinances or other legal pitfalls before I make my purchase.

 

[Coot]

Accuracy aside, the munitions are a significant difference between a smooth bore and rifled cannon. The rifled barrel can shoot elongated shot which means a larger bursting charge in an explosive shell or greater mass & impact in a solid shot over a round ball in the same caliber. Black powder naval guns were rifled to deal with penetrating armor that was pretty much proof against any round shot. The elongated shot had both more mass and could be shaped to penetrate armor better than the spherical shot. There is a great bio on John M. Brooks who developed rifled guns for the Confederacy.

 

[RedFeather]

Just out of curiousity, you got any neighbors? :grin: Anyway, how about one of those Dixie replicas? They still have them in the catalogues? Maybe that would suit your purpose?

Myself, I've lusted over the two Napoleons at the Fairfax County courthouse for years. They face a bank across the street and one would always be found pointing more or less level at it. Someone would crank it back up in line with its mate, then a week later it would be hoirzontal again. Sure are nice looking guns.

 

[TheDoubleD]

Use to know a guy who pulled an Alaskan sawmill on a homemade trailer behind a 4 wheeler to get at Myrtle wood and Maple trees in the Oregon coast beaver swamps...to bad he is in Oregon, you are in Kentucky and I am in South Africa....

 

[robinghewitt]

Now operating on the premise that there is a marginal edge in accuracy why the hoopla about rifled barrels?

For long range pounding or fortifications? Not a lot of good for grape, most of it would hit dirt or go over the enemy heads, also, rifled cannon wear out real quick

In our civil war the little 1.5" rabonettes had lots of fancy aiming gear, there was even a gentlemanly agreement that they wouldn't pick offf the officers :thumbsup:

 

[WRussell]

Robin - You're saying that gun was built in the 1640's? Quite a sophisticated looking piece. Most interesting.