Naval 24 pdr kit from W.M.B. Black Powder replicas

[lightning]

I have been looking at this kit in The Artilleryman magazine for several issues and was wondering if anyone has any experience with it.  It is described as a Naval 24 pdr. kit, having an 11" lathe turned brass barrel, .530 cal.  The price seems to be good for a solid brass barrel cannon kit, $175 for the kit.  I think this is the same kit advertised by cannon-mania, http://www.cannon-mania.com/kits-functional.htm.  (yes, I have am aware of THEIR issues)  Has anyone ever ordered from WMB Black Powder Replicas, and in particular this kit?  Looks like a great rainy day project.  Wouldn't have to make anything, just put it together.

[Rickk]

I just looked at the cannon-mania web site. If I am looking at the kit you are talking about it is .56 caliber, not .530 caliber. Are we talking about the same kit? The cannon-maina price for the one I am looking at is $186.95

I don't know if it is accidental or intentional, but on cannon-mania's it does not say the barrel is brass. it says the hardware is brass, but it does not talk a heck of a lot about the barrel. The enlarged view of the barrel shows something wierd in the area around the trunnions. That would be something to investigate before you plunk down your money.

If it is .56 caliber instead of .53, that would be fine. There are .535 molds readily available due to the T/C Renagade .56 cal smoothbore. Another nice thing about .56 is that it is also known as "28 gauge". That means that you can have alot of fun experimenting with the destructive powder of lead shot in 28 guage plastic wads, or simply load the shotwith 28 gauge over-powder and over-shot wads.

So, are we talking about the same kit?

[lightning]

I think it is the same kit.  The ad in The Artilleryman appears to show the same photo as the one on the cannon-mania website and the cost is listed as $175 in the ad plus $20 shipping.  The magazine ad says it takes a .530 RB and describes it as a "solid brass, lathe turned barrel, 11" long, bored and vented" .  I will look at the photo closely though.  I can't find a website for WMB Black Powder Replicas, but a P.O. Box in St. Louis, MO and phone number are shown in the ad.

[Rickk]

Lee Precision makes single and double cavity molds for it .

 http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1167491737.2110=/html/catalog/blackpow.html

They make both a single cavity ($20) and a double cavity ($25) in both .530 and .535. I have used Lee molds (among other brands) for years. The are inexpensive, heat up fast, and work well. The only issue I have ever had with them is that they overheat if cranking out lots of bullets, and when overheated they will leave lots of flashing untill they cool down. For cannon ball making, you probably won't be cranking out thousands in one day. The double cavity mold should make more bullets in a hour than you can shoot in a 10 hour day at the range.

While I use a tightly patched 535 ball in my T/C Renagade, you may want to stick with the .530 as it is harder to ram a patched ball into a scale cannon barrel than it is into a rifle where the rifle butt is firmly planted on the ground. The looser ball, with .010 patches, should slide in fairly easily.