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longshot47

45 Cal.
Joined
Dec 5, 2004
Messages
677
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This piece has been sittin at my cabin door for years. What is it? What is it's genisis?? What value??? What Fg should I use?????
I figure it musta been the 'starter' piece for the Oklahoma land Rush. The only markins I can find are the numerals '*183*' and 270 cast into the wheel web. It looks to be a combination of cast iron/steel with a wood and iron carriage. It's percussion fired [cord pull]; has an 18 inch barrel with a 1 3/16" bore -2 1/4" o. d. at muzzle; has an elevation wheel and some fittins on the side of the carriage. I spect it weighs about 80 lbs. or more. Too big to carry around; --too small to go to war. A pure curiousity....Longshot

:hmm:
canon1.jpg
canon3.jpg
canon2.jpg
canon4.jpg
canon5.jpg
 
does it have a full bore or is it just plugged now....any which way it's neat.................bob
 
The sign is missing. The one that says "NO door to door salesmen".

You load the thing, cap it, and hook the firing lanyard to the screen door. When said salesman opens the door to knock, POW!!!
 
This piece has been sittin at my cabin door for years. What is it? What is it's genisis?? What value??? What Fg should I use?????
I figure it musta been the 'starter' piece for the Oklahoma land Rush.

Either Cannon grade or Fg powder will work, if it is shootable...

Looks to be a signal cannon or a ceremonial gun...

Is the barrel plugged or is it just the way the light hits the bore, it kind of looks like it is filled with cement...
 
You may be right about the "starter piece". From the location in your profile I would guess that you are from "New" Jersey. If that's the case it most likly was a starter cannon for yacht races in days gone by :imo:. I have a brother-in-law that worked at a yacht club on Long Island N.Y. a few years back, he tells me that they used to start their races with similar cannon.
What ever the origin , it's still a very nice looking weapon.
Soggy
P.S. That stuff in the brown bottle, in the second photo............ is that what you use to swab the barrel with? :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:
 
Had to evict a colony of mud wasps from the bore, --its been a while since our last campaign. Clear back to what might be its last load??
Guess I'll commence swabbin that baby out -that Sam Adams runs a close race with Stumpy's Moose blends.
Keep the speculations comin -the more romantic -the better. I figur the design a them wheels has got to be a tellin trait.
Note; The castiing on the wheel web reads *W 183* [my slip].

Unless I hear from the Smithsonian I'm gonna try riggin this little bulldog to the door pull, as per Trent's idea.
.......Longshot
 
I'd say that rascal is pretty old! I have to say though that the wheels look like they could have originally been pulleys used with the old leather drive belts such as those used in machine shops and other such places that used overhead power drives. That is a neat piece though. ::
 
What color is the paint? If its gold, then that would suggest its a ceremonial salute cannon from a GAR post. The GAR had a habit of painting their items gold.

Just :m2c:
 
The metal parts are a shade of silver or grey. Look to be painted. The carriage might have been that color too but its muted by age/wear.
Kanawharanger: the possibility about the recycled pulleys intrigues me. The way the wheels attach to the axle suggests that somethin ain't original. Good eye! :thumbsup:
.....Longshot
 
When I first saw the pics I thought the wheels looked strangely familiar. If any of you are old enough (besides myself), do you remember the Railway Express Agency? This was the grandaddy to UPS and Fed Ex. On their loading docks they used flat-bed carts that had large wheels shaped like the ones in the pics. We are talking early to mid 1900's...
 
This is gettin better all the time!
The wheels on this piece are 16" in diameter, mounted on a cast, square profile axle, approx. 1 1/4" thick, which looks original to the carriage. The wheel tread is approx. 1 1/2" across.
Railway Express, ummm???? :hmm:
 
You may be right about the "starter piece". From the location in your profile I would guess that you are from "New" Jersey. If that's the case it most likly was a starter cannon for yacht races in days gone by :imo:. I have a brother-in-law that worked at a yacht club on Long Island N.Y. a few years back, he tells me that they used to start their races with similar cannon.

Longshot,
Soggy may have hit upon it as a signal gun. If you're in the area of Lake Hopatcong, etc., it may have well have been used for boat races. I've seen several such signal cannons in private hands up in the Sussex County area.
Bob
 
thehorn-
I also believe that is a good guess. What else could it be?
The cannon and I are in Hunterdon, south of Sussex and hopatcong --but it does have wheels!
....Longshot
 
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