safest way to test fire a new cannon

[john pike]

whats the safest way to test fire a newly built cannon?

(other than having your bestest enemy light it off)
 
when my uncle and i built BP rifels he would double or tripple(cant remember) the charge, but most of it just blew out the barrel,
and pile sandbags around and over the barrels,
with a long string,

dont know if this was right or wrong,

id like to know my cannons are safe, from the sides and back,

johnp

[Daveinthebush]

Can you take a video of this.  Would love to see it. :roll:

[john pike]

Can you take a video of this.  Would love to see it. :roll:

sorry this was 30 yrs ago, when i was a kid,
as i said my uncle built them,

johnp

[pyro_tek]

If I wasn't even worse at posting video than I am at posting photos I'd show you the rig a high school buddy used. He had  built up what looked like a quonset hut out of heavy duty expanded steel. One end would be set up against a boulder or concrete wall, the other was hopefully the business end. As often as we would remember we would bring a couple 3'-5' long stakes to hold everything down.

We would light it once it was all loaded and settled into the hut. Since we needed a longer fuse for this we had ample time to get behind cover. Call it good planning or divine intervention but there was never a major failure with this system. We have the usual errand balls ans misfires but nothing unusual. It worked for us. Now that I'm less willing to be that close to potentially deadly explosions I have a qualified gunsmith or cannon maker give me the thumbs up before I try a new piece.

Just another two cents, p_t

[Double D]

If you do your research and use the proper steels or liners then  follow the recommended safety procedures for proper load,  you shouldn't have any worries when firing your cannon.

The concept of proof as used in Europe is to load a specific over load to proof each gun.  In the US the concept is to proof the design, not every gun.  The theory being that the stress imparted by proof doesn't alsways disclose weakness but  strains the piece and sets up later failure.

Whatever.

None the less, just in case, I don't proof any gun.  I do test fire.  The rifles I build I just shoot from the shoulder using factory ammo or all new component reloads.  Cannons I just use the recommended load.   Yes I do get aways away for the first shot.

[Cat Whisperer]

When a cannon explodes (just planning for that first shot) most of it goes straight out perpendicular to the barrel - some to the left, some to the right, and some up and down - very little along the axis.  Therefore get a) behind the piece off to one side, and b) behind something substantial.  If your eardrums meet in the middle you were too close.