Bowling Ball Mortar Loading

[Hey Joe]

Has anyone got a design for a tool, simpler than the human arm, for lowering the bowling ball into the mortar.  Holes are all different;  inside of holes are slick and hard.  Can't think of anyone I even want to ask to do it. 

[Double D]

How long is your barrel?  Safety rules say: Barrel length shall not exceed 2 times the projectile length, while projectile length shall not exceed 3 times the bore diameter. Mortar Safety Rules and Procedures of the American Artillery Association

A barrel meeting the safety guidelines should not be a big deal loading.

[1Southpaw]

I decided to drill out the thumb holes on all my balls to fit my thumb .  It is tough getting a grip with my  fingers in the small holes of a floating ball .  
I have several ladies balls  , well I have several balls that ladies have donated to the cause.   All are hard to put in the tube .
So a forstner bit , thumb hole size should make thee job much easier and safer.

 Hate to drop one on my old toes  

[brokenpole]

It is so nice to see that there are ladies who are willing to donate their balls to the cause.

(Sorry DD and CW...I couldn't resist.  I tried...really I did)

[seacoastartillery]

     Sometimes we are too close to the problem to see a simple answer.  If you step back and view the entire process and what your goals are, a simple fix jumps out at you.  In this case, simply filling the holes with epoxy satisfies the safety requirement in that you can safely drop the ball down the bore and also the ball integrity requirement if the former holes land down facing the powder.  That's it.  The KISS principle, gotta love it!

Mike and Tracy

[Cat Whisperer]

Just rolling it in lets it drop to the bottom. 

a) if it doesn't drop to the bottom there is an issue with not having enough windage, or

b) one may be concerned about simply dropping it - like because getting a small scratch on it from hitting the bottom will lower your score.  (sarcasm ment only in humor).  [I am one who would like to carefully load rather than the projo dropping THUNK to the bottom.]

But it seems to me that even with the 'real thing' - the iron spheres - some had two holes wherein the tool that looked like a pair of ice-block tongs were used to pick them up.  THEY must have really hit the bottom of the bore hard!

[smokemjoe]

   I seen one video with a wire  on a T  handle, let the ball down and out without it, How would that be made, got 37 balls,. Still need a tank or tube for a barrel yet, Thanks- Joe

[dougrunnels]

I have always thought I should have a safe procedure to load a bowling ball into my mortar.  I still do.   I just drop it into the barrel with my hands and body clear. 
But sometimes if the ball rolls and the finger holes drop down upon the powder charge, the bowling ball may "explode' as it shoots .  Kinda like' a shotgun..............lots of pieces of ball..
It blew the ball in half!

[Zulu]

Why couldn't you use a pair of special tongs?  Designed to be used by two people, when each lifts the tong handles (which are parallel to the ground) the fingers, which could be 12" long, would spread at the tips.  You could sharpen the tips and put a slight outward curve in them.  Both tips would slide into the fingerhole of a ball and spread out when the handles were lifted, thus gripping the inside of the hole.
It seems this would be easy to make.  It would require two people but would keep everyone from being over the muzzle.  The holes would then always be pointing up.
Zulu

[thelionspaw]

Zulu,
I recently disposed of something like that. It was used to move logs when we were logging. They can be found now & then.

rc

[Double D]

You could drill a couple of shallow opposing hole in the balls and use shell tongs

[Hey Joe]

Double D,
Your first advice to cut down the tube to 2X ball diameter opens up solutions such as tongs. 
Most of the videos and pictures on the net are considerably longer tha 17".  Rolling the ball in sometimes disturbs the powder resulting in a short shot; much to everyone's amusement.  Hanging body parts into a loaded tube is not desirable.
It's a rainy day so we'll put the shortners on the tube.
Joe

[Double D]

Hey Joe,

If what follows does not apply to you mortar, I apologize in advance. Just ignore it.

What follows needs to be said to everyone as a periodic reminder.

If the bowling mortar is set up like a Stokes mortar and not a pre 1899 replica we require a letter from ATF saying it is not a destructive device and can be legally possessed before it can be discussed on this forum.   Stokes Mortar

When we first started this forum, we allowed discussions of  Stokes style bowling ball mortars.  If you go back to some of the old early post you will find some post of Stokes style mortars.  Shortly after those were posted, we saw news reports of persons being arrested for possessing destructive devices and the destructive devices were Stokes style mortars. One was a bowling ball mortar and the other was a can shooter. Granted the mortars were part the the seized property in drug raids, but in both cases the people were convicted of possession of destructive devices.

Because of that we have said that anything that is not a replica of a pre 1899 cannon or mortar can not be posted here, unless the moderators receive a copy of a letter from ATF saying the cannon or mortar is not a destructive device and possession is legal.

We have had one ATF letter posted and that dealt with signaling devices such as cannons that shoot shotgun blanks.  Those guns are allowed here.

We do this to protect you and us.  We have always said we want to be sure this board doesn't become a hunting ground for ATF.  The veteran ATF Agent isn't going to waste his time here, a rookie looking to make a name for himself might data mine this board.  
 
The deal still stands if some one will provide us with a letter from ATF defining these Stokes style mortars as not a destructive device and legal to possess, we will allow the discussion.  

Again Hey Joe, I'm sorry for using your thread to post this reminder to everyone.

[GGaskill]

If you were to drill a hole in the web between the finger holes, you could put a loop of nylon cord through it and use the cord to lower the ball into the bore.  Remove cord after ball is seated by pulling on one end.

The holes would remain up.

[Cat Whisperer]

If you were to drill a hole in the web between the finger holes, you could put a piece of nylon cord through it and use the cord to lower the ball into the bore.  The holes would remain up.

Ahhh SIMPLICITY.   AND you wouldn't loose the whistle! 

[Cat Whisperer]

I have always thought I should have a safe procedure to load a bowling ball into my mortar.  I still do.   I just drop it into the barrel with my hands and body clear. 
But sometimes if the ball rolls and the finger holes drop down upon the powder charge, the bowling ball may "explode' as it shoots .  Kinda like' a shotgun..............lots of pieces of ball..
It blew the ball in half!

THANKS Doug -

I'd not heard of it happening, but since it CAN, we best be prudent.  (or tough if we're stupid).

[GGaskill]

Ahhh SIMPLICITY.

I had already thought of a complex mechanism which required two operators.  It would basically be a T-shaped piece with something like a bicycle brake at the bottom to grip the ball and a brake grip on one of the top ends so one of the operators could squeeze it to retain the ball until it was all the way down.  Further thought last night brought the cord idea.  It would require a  minor modification to each ball while the other method would not but the mod is so simple and the loading mechanism (the piece of nylon cord) so simple and easy to keep in your accessories box that I think it is the better solution.

[Zulu]

The nylon cord idea is taking a $.50 cent fix to a $100 problem.  Great idea!  Easiest solution so far and you can do it by yourself.  
Now if only I had a mortar and a bowling ball with a name.
I have a piece of nylon cord.
Zulu