A friend of mine loves cannons but is currently too busy with work to do any shooting. However he wants to shoot cannons in the near future, so he had some built for him so he'll be ready to go before long. He had three different tubes built and one carriage, and any of the tubes fit the carriage. The guns he had built were a 3-in. "Pack Parrott" or "Parakeet" as some call them, then a 2.25-in. Confederate mountain rifle, then a 40MM "Whitworth" made from a surplus barrel we sold him. As far as I know the first two were machined from steel, but I haven't seen 'em yet since he lives about an hour away. He also had "Air rifle pellet" molds and sizing dies made for all three.
He'll be bringing the molds to my shop ca. August and we'll cast up a bunch of projectiles including some for me, since I have various guns and can use each size. The only one which I'm not positive will work in what I have it planned for is the 2.25-in. Confed. Mtn. Rifle pellet. What I wanted to use it in is an Afghan rifled gun made to take Beaulieu-type studded projectiles. The bore diameter and projectile diameter are close enough for an expanding projectile, but I'll have to see how well the projectile takes to that style of rifling. It will be basically a matter of how thick the walls of the projectile are around the hollow cavity. Too thin and they will bulge out into any big rust pit in the bore and cause the projectile to blow through at the front and lodge in the bore.
I'll get photos as soon as I can, I don't think he does digital photos so I'll have to get them next time I'm in his neighborhood.
His strategy I think was an excellent one, which he thought out very carefully. He spent a lot of time talking to cannon and projectile makers associated with NSSA before he did anything and I'm sure he got good advice.
Long ago I posted a photo of the first "pellet" mold he had, a 3" caliber item, and projectiles I made from it; if I can find the photos again I'll add them to this discussion so at least there will be something to look at. If anyone has a photo of a typical 3-inch "Parakeet" please post it here; I don't know that I have one handy.
