Know what I'm gonna try this weekend

Roadkill · 09-30-2003, 08:12 PM

http://www.docsmachine.com/nonPB/mortar

rk

Doubs · 09-30-2003, 10:52 PM

That's some mortar! Those bowling balls can weigh up to 16 pounds! A friend of mine made one out of an old propane gas cylinder and the bore is perfect for bowling balls.

I have a Confederate Coehorn mortar that I had build especially to fire concrete-filled Coke cans. It doesn't take a great deal of powder to send them in a high arc out to 200 - 230 meters. Past that the cans would be off of our club's property but it would easily do it.

John -Melb · 09-30-2003, 11:22 PM

I am strongly reminded of the 1 inch bored 5 barrel Nordenfelt gun that greets you as you walk into the museum at Fort Lytton in Brisbane.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'D DO WITH IT BUT I WANT ONE!

John Sabato · 10-01-2003, 01:11 PM

Absolutely Hilarious story... everyone who like guns should read this webpage...

But don't try this at home kids!

Herb · 10-01-2003, 06:09 PM

Back in the early 60's when I lived in Arizona one of my best friends made a cannon out of a piece of 3" 4360 cold rolled steel. He took it to a machine shop and had the bore drilled out and a touch hole drilled into the rear top of the barrel. He had steel rod, about 1", welded to each side to hold it in the base mount which he made out of 2x12 lumber nailed together to form a base about 1' high. We took it out in the desert and up to an old sump site on the side of a small rise. We sat it down,(it weighed about 75 lbs) and just in case, we tied it to an old tire that was there. He poured 3 12ga shotgun shells filled with black powder down the bore and rolled the 1-1/16" ball down the bore on top of it. He had come across a lot of balls out of old pinball machines and this was the ammo. He put about three inches of dynamite fuse in the touchhole and lit it off. Not knowing what to expect we both placed a respectable distance between us and the cannon before it fired. It was sitting pretty much level and aimed out into the desert. There was a loud boom, lots of white smoke and about a 1/4 mile out a large 6-8'cloud of dust was thrown up where the ball hit. Really impressed we decided to try it again. This time we aimed it at an old water heater that we had stood up, touched it off and the water heater was still standing there, dang, missed. We walked over to it and found a neat 1 1/16' hole right thru it, apparently the ball was going so fast the heater didn't even absorb the energy of the ball on it's way thru. We did note that each time it fired it did a backflip and yanked the tire about three feet with it, a real nasty recoil. Did I tell you the one about my homemade rocketship that blew up when I lit it?? LOL.

09-30-2003, 08:12 PM	#1
Roadkill User Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 1,632 Thanks: 1 Thanked 28 Times in 17 Posts	Know what I'm gonna try this weekend http://www.docsmachine.com/nonPB/mortar rk

10-01-2003, 01:11 PM	#4
John Sabato Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The Capital of the Free World Posts: 10,150 Thanks: 3,003 Thanked 2,304 Times in 1,096 Posts	Absolutely Hilarious story... everyone who like guns should read this webpage... But don't try this at home kids! __________________ regards, -John S "...We hold these truths to be self-evident that ALL men are created EQUAL *and are endowed by their Creator* with certain UNALIENABLE* rights, and among these are life, LIBERTY, and the pursuit of happiness..."*

10-01-2003, 06:09 PM	#5
Herb User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Utah, in the land of the Sleeping Rainbow Posts: 1,457 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Back in the early 60's when I lived in Arizona one of my best friends made a cannon out of a piece of 3" 4360 cold rolled steel. He took it to a machine shop and had the bore drilled out and a touch hole drilled into the rear top of the barrel. He had steel rod, about 1", welded to each side to hold it in the base mount which he made out of 2x12 lumber nailed together to form a base about 1' high. We took it out in the desert and up to an old sump site on the side of a small rise. We sat it down,(it weighed about 75 lbs) and just in case, we tied it to an old tire that was there. He poured 3 12ga shotgun shells filled with black powder down the bore and rolled the 1-1/16" ball down the bore on top of it. He had come across a lot of balls out of old pinball machines and this was the ammo. He put about three inches of dynamite fuse in the touchhole and lit it off. Not knowing what to expect we both placed a respectable distance between us and the cannon before it fired. It was sitting pretty much level and aimed out into the desert. There was a loud boom, lots of white smoke and about a 1/4 mile out a large 6-8'cloud of dust was thrown up where the ball hit. Really impressed we decided to try it again. This time we aimed it at an old water heater that we had stood up, touched it off and the water heater was still standing there, dang, missed. We walked over to it and found a neat 1 1/16' hole right thru it, apparently the ball was going so fast the heater didn't even absorb the energy of the ball on it's way thru. We did note that each time it fired it did a backflip and yanked the tire about three feet with it, a real nasty recoil. Did I tell you the one about my homemade rocketship that blew up when I lit it?? LOL. __________________ Utah, where gun control means a steady trigger pull

09-30-2003, 10:52 PM	#2
Doubs User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Byron, Georgia Posts: 1,670 Thanks: 769 Thanked 1,611 Times in 525 Posts	That's some mortar! Those bowling balls can weigh up to 16 pounds! A friend of mine made one out of an old propane gas cylinder and the bore is perfect for bowling balls. I have a Confederate Coehorn mortar that I had build especially to fire concrete-filled Coke cans. It doesn't take a great deal of powder to send them in a high arc out to 200 - 230 meters. Past that the cans would be off of our club's property but it would easily do it.

09-30-2003, 11:22 PM	#3
John -Melb User Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Melbourne, Peoples Republic of Australia! Posts: 145 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I am strongly reminded of the 1 inch bored 5 barrel Nordenfelt gun that greets you as you walk into the museum at Fort Lytton in Brisbane. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'D DO WITH IT BUT I WANT ONE!