Author Topic: Mortar ID?  (Read 583 times)

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Offline carmy53

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Mortar ID?
« on: April 27, 2012, 03:20:03 PM »
I have a chance to buy what looks like an old mortar and I thought I would ask you guys your opinion of it. I haven't seen it in person yet and the pictures I have from the seller are pretty poor. The seller says the barrel is about 10" and the bore is 2". Supposedly there are no markings on it. What do you guys think?
 


Offline cannonmn

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Re: Mortar ID?
« Reply #1 on: April 27, 2012, 05:40:13 PM »
Looks "home-made."  Maybe made to make noise only, or as a decorative doorstop, hard to tell.  Can't see enough of the important parts to tell whether it even looks like you could safely fire a projectile from it.  What would you want to use it for?

Offline GGaskill

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Re: Mortar ID?
« Reply #2 on: April 27, 2012, 09:13:00 PM »
Looks plenty thick; depends what they did for the breech plug and if there is any serious corrosion inside.
GG
“If you're not a liberal at 20, you have no heart; if you're not a conservative at 40, you have no brain.”
--Winston Churchill

Offline carmy53

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Re: Mortar ID?
« Reply #3 on: April 29, 2012, 02:14:57 PM »
Looks plenty thick; depends what they did for the breech plug and if there is any serious corrosion inside.
It is pretty thick. Barrel weighs 52lbs. Bore is 2". Wall thickness is 1.75". There is 3" of material behind the fuse hole. This is a cast iron barrel so there is no breech plug. Doesn't look like there is any serious corrosion.
 
Any suggestions as to what to use for projectiles?

Offline GGaskill

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Re: Mortar ID?
« Reply #4 on: April 29, 2012, 07:10:29 PM »
I would start with Fox Industries and see if they have any overruns of 49 or 50 mm steel grinding balls.
GG
“If you're not a liberal at 20, you have no heart; if you're not a conservative at 40, you have no brain.”
--Winston Churchill