The quest for the dumbest project ever

[thatoneguy82]

I have a line on a chunk of 30mm rifled cannon barrel from an A10 Worthog, and I think it needs to turn into a wall gun when I make it mine. I've seen some interesting examples and am particularly taken with one in the West Point military meuseum http://www.usma.edu/museum/Small Weapons Gallery/Rapp Wall Gun.JPG
Has anyone got any particulars on this monster?

 

[thatoneguy82]

here is another shot that clearly shows it has a rifled bore. http://www.williammaloney.com/Aviation/WestPointMilitaryMuseum/Muzzleloaders/pages/03WallGuns.htm

 

[the Black Spot]

"Wall gun" as in mount on a wall to repel borders?

 

[thatoneguy82]

As in to pick off the artillery men 600yds distant trying to throw 12lb care packages into your fort.

 

[Patocazador]

How long a 'chunk' of a Warthog barrel is it?

(This thread seems to be aptly named.) :grin:

 

[nkbj]

600 yards!
Say, yall got coyotes up yonder?

 

[thatoneguy82]

How long a 'chunk' of a Warthog barrel is it?

(This thread seems to be aptly named.) :grin:

80" but gonna have to trim it to about 50 or 55"

 

[Patocazador]

You'll need a sturdy wall and mount to support that thing. I never realized that a 30 mm in a Warthog was over 6 1/2 feet long.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Our unit's wall gun is a 4 gauge bore (25 mm). It looks like an overgrown long land pattern. While most were smooth bores, there are some rifled versions in existance. You need a very big lock. And a large powder budget. Not to imagine the need to file an environmental impact study for the lead propelled down range.

Sounds like quite the project.

 

[thatoneguy82]

Its gonna be dumb but it just sounds cool, the barrel is the hardest part it seems to me to find. I think I could mash a 7in lock together for it

 

[Treestalker]

Say, why is this a 'dumb' project? 'There is no excellent beauty that has no extremity in the proportions' or something like that. Personally I think it's a great idea. 30mm will be a little over an inch in bore diameter. Two guage? Some of the early African Elephant hunters used percussion guns of that size. Some regretted 'having anything to do with them' but others just flat clobbered every thing on the planet with something similar to what you want.(I understand you want a flintlock military wall gun, and George Washington owned a wall gun of about an inch bore IIRC.) If you have a chunk of barrel left over, please PM me, I might have a use for it if not too expensive on a medieval project. Thanks,George B.

 

[Ken Cormier]

Sounds cool to me. Big guns equal big boooooom

 

[thatoneguy82]

I mean it is dumb in the best way possible. I'll probably have 24-30in of extra tube, when I get it separated from its host I'll send you a few pics and you can make me an offer if it suits you, Tree.

 

[Kapow]

Some interesting pics - reminded me of the armoury under the tower of London. What a great project, would like to see what you end up with.

 

[Treestalker]

Thank you. Can you tell me the OD?

 

[Many Klatch]

I have a couple of friends that own Wall Guns. They are all 4 bore, one is rifled and one is smoothbore. I believe a full load is 350 grains of 1F. We normally only shoot it with 125 grains. They weigh about 30 pounds and you really need a stout steel "oarlock" type bracket and tripod to shoot it.

Another friend shot one with a full charge at 400 yards into a hillside. The ball was recovered about 18" deep in the dirt.

This is one serious piece of equipment. The French called these guns Amusettes. (Amusing little guns) The Jaegers working for the English during our War of Independence had two Amusettes per Jaeger Regiment. They were mounted on a wheeled carriage and were used similarly to a 50 Cal Browning Machinegun today to anchor defenses and reduce enemy strongholds. The Amusette had a three man crew.

American Units also had Wall guns so they are proper for both sides of the AWI.

During the AWI forts in the West attempted to have at least one Wall Gun on hand if they couldn't get their hands on a cannon.

The big trick for you will be finding a lock big enough to look right. The Wall Guns I have seen look a lot like a Bess on Steroids, everything is about 50% bigger.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Can I have a 12 inch piece of the barrel? I'd like to make a Kentucky style but Texas sized pistol. You heard of dialing for dollars? This would be bowling for bucks.

I already started a 4 bore smooth pistol. It would be lonely without a rifled friend.

 

[Bear Rider]

24 to 30 inches?

You could make a brace of horse pistols from that.

(Just my nomination for the TRULY dumbest project) :grin:

 

[thatoneguy82]

I pick this tube up today, once its in hand I'll dimension it and see where its getting trimmed. Treestalker has dibs on the piece thats left for now but otherwise just keep an eye on the classifieds. I'll post pics of this monster hopefully this evening.

So looking over the pictures it looks like everything runs about 1/4-1/3 larger at least on a wall gun with regard to the lock and forend. If anyone has some measurements from a lock or some good photos with references to size that would be really handy. I think I'm going to try smithing my own lock from some of the scrap I have laying around, then I'll need a whole maple tree to stock it in, this will be an American amusette, and amusing it shall be.

 

[Rifleman1776]

The big trick for you will be finding a lock big enough to look right. The Wall Guns I have seen look a lot like a Bess on Steroids, everything is about 50% bigger.

Squire Robin, a member here, has a lock that make a Brown Bess lock look positively dainty. :shocked2:
If he checks in, maybe he will post his pic of it.