• 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

Mortars, with a twist

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Speaking of bowling ball sized mortars...

Check out the size of these...
4a40112r.jpg

The "Dictator" - Petersburg, VA October 1864

"Mortar batteries alternated with tubed guns all along the front. Some artillery even acquired nicknames: one seven-gun siege battery just south of Fort Morton was called the Seven Sisters, while Union soldiers referred to several different artillery pieces as The Petersburg Express, most notably the thirteen-inch heavy mortar that was also know as the Dictator. This gun, the only one of its size at Petersburg, went into action on July 9, and remained active until September, firing 218 times, from various positions. 'It made the ground quake," one infantryman swore.'"

Its 200-pound shells had a range of over 2 miles. :winking:
 
Another bowling ball cannon...
Litl_cannon.gif


BB_Mortar_4.jpg


STREEEEEEEEE-RIKE!
BB_Mortar_3.jpg


Pass me another Brunswick, Joe...
BB_Mortar_6.jpg


Can you hear me now? Huh? What? Eh?
BB_Mortar_Fire_1.JPG


The working end of the cannon...
BB_Mortar_Front.JPG
 
Something tells me you're somewhat of a cannon fanatic.

Funny animation! I like the way the barrel lurches out to really chuck that sucker out there.
My dog does that when she's hacking up a hairball. ::
 
This is not an old mortar, but a working copy.
The barrel is 2 5/8" bore, 8 1/2" in length.
(beer/coke can caliber)
Carriage mount is of steel and measures approx. 16" x 6 1/4".
The barrel is machine lathed steel.
It has adjustable elevation.
Range approximately 600 yds.

coehorn.jpg
 
Hey Claude, shoot me a can of Coke over here... :winking:

KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM, THUMP, Dang, you shook it up... :haha: :haha:
 
In the second picture done, the field piece on the left of the mortar looks about identical to Taylors 6 pounder that we shot 3" Iron balls from. The balls weighed only 4 lbs. aprox. compared to the original conical 'shell' that weighed 6 lbs. It was supposed to be rifled, but our's wasn't. Out to 300 yds, it didn't need rifling as it was amazingly accurate at that close range.(for a cannon) Apparently the actual range of the original rifled arm shooting the conical 'shell', was 7 miles. We used to joke that we could hit downtown Squamish(B.C.) from his house in Brackendale, 6 miles north of Squamish.
Daryl
 
now ya went and done it....now i have to go and make myself a billard ball cannon :results: :crackup:...............bob
 
Aawww man, like I don't have enough projects. Now I have to gather materials for a beer can mortar.

Guess I'll start with the cans, gotta empty them before you can fill them with concrete.

I love this sport!
 
Ooooh, I want one of those! That's neat and a half!! Reminds me aof a couple of the re-enactments from my younger days when one of the guys had a 3" ordnance rifle. Had a 16 gun battery at Corinth and did we have fun. One point there's this might blast and some officer hollers, "Give us a Rebel Yell!"..."Hell, can't even take a breath in all this smoke sir, you yell!"

Still, cannons is fun, fun, fun! Cement filled pop cans whistling off through the tundra, knocking down small trees and bowling over the odd fence lines...oops! Reload!!! :youcrazy:
 
Cement filled pop cans whistling off through the tundra,

Why use cement?

Fill a pop can with buckshot and split the sides some, when it hits, the shot will fly in all directions...
 
Speaking of mortars, during the War of the Rebellion, both North and South made improvised mortars by burning and carving out the center of a tree stump. The Union model was a little fancier in that it was reinforced with iron rings around the exterior. Both were used in the traditional role of the mortar but with very reduced powder charges. Besides, how much does it take to lob a shell a short distance?
 
Fill a pop can with buckshot....

Heck, that'd take all the fun out of knocking down the mesquite trees and prickly pear stands! No fun just putting a few odd holes in them. Cement filled pop or beer can makes one dandy wad cutter on the greenery. Haven't tried it with a mortar though. That might be another story. Would be fun to experiment with mortar or howitzer and shell. Have to set up the Bastrop County Shrapnel & Canister Works! Wonder what the liability would be on the State Farm policy? Snort, chuckle, gasp :eek:
 
Back
Top