• 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

Some folks do shoot artillery in live fire competition

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

dave951

62 Cal.
Joined
Feb 27, 2019
Messages
2,676
Reaction score
4,869
Location
NC
So here's a couple pix from our last competition. We shoot a 6lb rifled howitzer that was designed for rough terrain use by cavalry in the Civil War.

My oldest touching off a round. Incidentally, it was an "X" ring hit.
SAM_0452.JPG


My son and I were No 1 & 2 on the crew and as such, we wormed, sponged and rammed for the entire course of fire and yeah, it's hard work.
SAM_0434.JPG


SAM_0436.JPG


And you always need an observer. Yup, you absolutely can see cannon balls in flight.
SAM_0440.JPG
 
And it’s so amazing how accurate even smoothbores can shoot
This little popgun is rifled and shoots a ginormous hollow based "minie" bullet. As an aside, the muzzle blast is seriously obnoxious on this gun. We get back behind it when firing.
 
When my son was about six, he was infatuated with cannons. I took him to Ft Shenandoah during the fall meet to see the cannon matches. We met Charlie Smithgall (former Mayor of Lancaster PA) there and he let my son wander all around his cannon and then we saw his crew firing in competition. Years later i moved to central PA, just across the river from Lancaster county. One summer afternoon, I kept hearing explosions every 5 or10 minutes. Drove down to the river to see what I could see. Nothing. Asked a waterways patrolman that I saw there. He said cannon practice at Charlie Smithgall's farm across the river.
 
is it a real cavil war gun, as to specks? who made it? it is a real beauty.
From what the owner has told me, it is a reproduction of an original Civil War design of which, no originals still exist. Don't know who made it, but it's great fun to shoot.
 
There are several U-tube videos of real ML cannon competition. When you then imagine 100 plus cannon at Gettysburg alone , firing as rapidly as possible (full charges too ) , the sound of shot and ball flying across the field !
 
So here's a couple pix from our last competition. We shoot a 6lb rifled howitzer that was designed for rough terrain use by cavalry in the Civil War.

My oldest touching off a round. Incidentally, it was an "X" ring hit.
View attachment 105468

My son and I were No 1 & 2 on the crew and as such, we wormed, sponged and rammed for the entire course of fire and yeah, it's hard work.
View attachment 105470

View attachment 105471

And you always need an observer. Yup, you absolutely can see cannon balls in flight.
View attachment 105472
Live fire of cannon must be really fun. Lots of safety stuff involved, too. I know Rev War re-enactors that did events for decades and never fired live! You are fortunate to have a range where it's OK.
 
Back
Top