casca's home built cannon project

[casca1]

2.25 bore diameter
2 seamless pipes pressed together found laying in junk yard
wheels where found rusting in woods

was using up to 5oz of black powder but after reviewing this board reduced by 60%

shoot soda cans full of concrete as projectiles

[cannonmn]

2 seamless pipes pressed together

If only pressed together (assume hyd. press) could they press apart when fired?  I wouldn't stand behind it until I knew the answer.

"Pipes"?  Hopefully you got seamless steel tubing; pipe is often cast iron and definitely not recommended for cannons.

A bit more explanation would help I think.

[casca1]

right got in a hurry
rear end is threaded then welded at the plug
seamless hyd pipe

forgot to mention I am a machinist for a little company called  caterpillar inc.

[Double D]

Caterpiller, caterpiller, never heard of them?  Yikes what's that big yellow thing in the driveway about to roll over my Pickup!!

Dont like the idea of threaded welded breech plugs unless some way has been provided to absolutely seal the thread from high pressure intrusion of steam or powder fouling.  Prefer to be able to remove the thread breech plug for periodic inspection.

What is the diameter of the barrel over the powder chamber?

[KABAR2]

was using up to 5oz of black powder but after reviewing this board reduced by 60%

 

What grade BP are you using? Cannon grade? Fg FFg FFFg? 

[casca1]

I am using FG powder only because I was able to buy at $6.50  it is GOEX in single pound cans

use standard cannon fuse 
use a tennis ball in grocery bag as wadding when using heavey projectiles

or just use grocery bags to make it go bang

not a high class operation  but it does clear a tree of starlings with a bag full of  BBs

[Double D]

Fg is okay, just use less.

[casca1]

what are you using for wadding   looking for something cleaner

built my tools from pvc    put an old damp white sock on end to swab between firings
                                   ran some screws into pvs pipe to clean out any residue ( bags fuse, )

just use a wood block behind wheel to stop it from rolling back during firing.

casca1

[oyvind]

I'm fresh for this. But rockwool insulation wadding
is very good. can withstand 1000 degrees.

I have experiment the last few days with thundermugs.
and have found out that rockwool insulation is best.

Mvh

[cannonmn]

I am using FG powder only because I was able to buy at $6.50  it is GOEX in single pound cans

Please put me down for 100 cans.  Where do you get your powder please?

[casca1]

dead neighbor-  6 cans goex
                      4 cans elephant

[cannonmn]

dead neighbor-  6 cans goex
                      4 cans elephant

Good for you-I'll have to assume you "did the right thing" and bought it all. 

I still remember the story about a particularly miserly friend in PA who heard about two original Gatling guns for sale not too far away, this was about 25 years ago and the price was $5K each, when the going price was more like $50K each.  He bought only one of them because that's all he needed.  Well, I guess he had his reasons but I would have bought both even if I had to flip burgers or walk dogs for few years to pay for 'em.

[casca1]

the powder was the reason the cannon was built, had all this powder and really nothing to shoot it in.

so the idea of the cannon was started.

[Double D]

the powder was the reason the cannon was built, had all this powder and really nothing to shoot it in.

so the idea of the cannon was started.

Brilliant!!!! I do this.

I pick up odd brass and relaoding dies or an odd rifle barrel.  And then build a gun for it. 

Good for the environment, recycling!!!

[BoomLover]

Who'd a thunk it! Double D a recycler, a "Greenie"! Shoots holes in the "environment", then goes out and "recycles" the rounds, and...no doubt replaces the divots, too! LOL! Good Job, and something to keep him busy the rest of the summer, after the Montana shoot! BoomLover

[Double D]

Well okay I do carry the recycling  to a reasonable extreme.  I make .219 Donaldson Wasp Brass from 30-30.  But I don't get stupid and make .308 Winchester from .30-06.

And after shooting my cannons, I do carry a shovel with me to dig my shot out and smack anyone try to steal mine.