Thanks guys, I'll have to take some more detailed pictures for you all.
Kevthebassman..I've fired the smoothbore many times with and without a projectile. I used to fire a blank charge at an annual river raft race every 3rd. saturday in july. I would load 2oz. of pyro. followed with a 1" round 1/4"thick leather wad and touch that mother off. Many many people would come down to the river early just to take a picture and "feel" the rush from the black powder noise and smoke. I had one nasty experiance though..It was a particularly dense foggy morning down at the river when I fired off the cannon using just a 3 ft. long wick-stick. The concusion I recieved due to the dense air knocked me to my knees. It took a few hours for my ears to quit ringing. I have used fuses and ear protection to this day. No more stupid Dumf__ tough guy stuff for me!
I use solid round lead balls when target shooting. I use 1 oz. pyro. the 1" leather wad and gently ram the lead ball in place. I have a painted line on an oak dowel that I use for ramming. I put a little fine powder in the touch hole, then wiggle in a 6" fuse and curl the top. After lit I stand back and to the side about 15ft. Spectators are behind and off to one side 30ft. away. There is a definate louder boom when firing a projectile.
I've seen the lead ball go thru 12" of dry spruce (the target back) and kept on traveling thru another 12" of several wet poplar trees. The inlet holes were small, but the exit holes were splintered big time. We chopped the ball out of the last tree it didn't go thru and found the ball was still entact, but only a bit egg shaped!
I got invited to a muzzleload rifle shoot. They set up a 1 gallon plastic jug full of water 50 yds. down against a sand hill. 1st shot was low and right. 2nd shot just off to the right again, but the height was on. I nailed the jug with the 3rd shot...that water filled jug just totally blew up, amazing, the crowd loved it. The local radio interved me, can't remember what was said...was still calming down from trying not to look foolish in front of the blackpowder guys and wondering if I can ever hit that jug with my 1 dozen lead balls. Oh yeh, I have a detachable magnetic front sight and a small rear sight groove. I am still amazed that a non-rifled barrel still has some group accuracy
in it? Cliff.
