Making Bruce more accurate

[hotfxr]

Given the events of the last year, mainly the unbelievable firestorm that blew through last year and the numerous fires all over the state at the moment, haven't really shot off the cannon much. So with all the cannon down time it was time for a remodel. Spent $110 that I couldn't afford to buy a three foot length of DOM stainless tube that just barely will slide down the barrel and had a buddy rifle it for me. Unfortunately with our homemade rifling device we could not get it to cut the grooves, so the grooves are pressed into the steel. That means that the outside of the tube grew by the amount of the grooves. No problem, a few hours on my wood lathe with a grinder and it again fits down the barrel nice and tight. This week  I will glass it in place and I will have a cannon with a 1 5/8" bore and a 1 in 48" twist rifling. My buddy is now making me a custom adjustable mold to make conical bullets for the cannon. Then we wait until a good rain shower and head up to the hills to check accuracy at one mile.

The upshot of this is Bruce will shoot farther and more accurately than anything Red Badger owns. It's not a large victory but meaningful.

[flintboomer]

What we REALLY NEED TO KNOW is how you plan to shoulder that cannon since all duels are done OFFHAND! 

[Watauga]

  Awesome hotfxr     During the Civil war they had cannons they called a Parrott rifle,it was a type of muzzle-loading rifled artillery...  So Perhaps then this is a Ferret Rifle    being as it's going to be used on a Badger?? After all A Ferret is just a better looking and Smarter animal Closely Related to a Badger.... . Well,.. Perhaps they are Just better looking and Smarter than Most Badgers??

[hotfxr]

What we REALLY NEED TO KNOW is how you plan to shoulder that cannon since all duels are done OFFHAND! 

Fortunately my cannon is half scale so the body only weighs about 250 pounds. I could shoulder that any day of the week. Holding onto it when it lights off, now that's a different story and would make an interesting video..   

[Red Badger]

Also unfortunately your gun is no longer a "cannon" but a rifle - specifically a carriage rifle  as cannons are smoothbores and gun's are crew served (even if a crew is only one) rifled barrel

[hotfxr]

Also unfortunately your gun is no longer a "cannon" but a rifle - specifically a carriage rifle  as cannons are smoothbores and gun's are crew served (even if a crew is only one) rifled barrel

Badger, Badger, Badger, don't hate, green does not look good on you. Remember last time you made jealous grumblings about Bruce, I sent over so many cannon balls that Oklahoma had earthquakes.        

[Red Badger]

Also unfortunately your gun is no longer a "cannon" but a rifle - specifically a carriage rifle  as cannons are smoothbores and gun's are crew served (even if a crew is only one) rifled barrel

Badger, Badger, Badger, don't hate, green does not look good on you. Remember last time you made jealous grumblings about Bruce, I sent over so many cannon balls that Oklahoma had earthquakes.        

Who is hating? And I am certainly not green...  I was merely pointing out the facts... 

[hotfxr]

Just got back from watching a civil war reenactment where they had sveral cannons firing all around. a few of them were half scale like mine and after talking to some of the guys in charge, I have been invited to bring Bruce along with me next year to join in on the fun. Now to lay in a supply of friction primers since that is what they seem to be restricted to under all the reenactment rules and regulations. And it seems that most of the cannon on the field have been retroactively rifles, like mine, keeping mine historically correct. If it doubles the effective range, they can call it a gun or whatever they wish. I am not smart enough to know the difference so I will continue to call it a cannon. 

[pilgrim]

https://www.nps.gov/fopu/learn/historyculture/rifled-cannon.htm

http://home.earthlink.net/~turnerbrigade/modemrif.htm

http://marxengels.public-archive.net/en/ME1197en.html

[hotfxr]

Thanks Pilgrim!

[Red Badger]

I submit - but mine is not homemade :)

[pilgrim]

I submit - but mine is not homemade :)

     

      When one has the ability and drive to build their own cannon,  makes me  conscious of the fact of what our fore  fathers did to win the Revolutionary war.  And further more they did it on The Cheap.   

     There are several  types of cannon.  Some have carriages to make hauling overland easier,  others have to be dismantled then reassembled to shoot and then there are those that have Naval gun carriages,  intended to be fired from the gun deck of a ship. 

     I would prefer to drag hotfxr's cannon through the brush than ever attempt to drag a Naval carriage cannon through the brush.  Good luck with that.                

[hotfxr]

I submit - but mine is not homemade :)

     

      When one has the ability and drive to build their own cannon,  makes me  conscious of the fact of what our fore  fathers did to win the Revolutionary war.  And further more they did it on The Cheap.   

     There are several  types of cannon.  Some have carriages to make hauling overland easier,  others have to be dismantled then reassembled to shoot and then there are those that have Naval gun carriages,  intended to be fired from the gun deck of a ship. 

     I would prefer to drag hotfxr's cannon through the brush than ever attempt to drag a Naval carriage cannon through the brush.  Good luck with that.                

Last year I took it on a trailer to a friends ranch, then towed it with my (historically correct) quad about half a mile over a brushy trail to a ridge where we shot it over a holler. Then towed it back to the meadow where we did our fun shooting. Normally I would just throw it up and carry it, but I had the wrong shoes on that day.   

[pilgrim]

    where is our illustrious leader???     

     He did say that he did  SUBMIT,      but never figured him to go into hiding from SHAME.