Double Barrel Cannon on "American Guns" on Discovery Channel

[gunsonwheels]

They actually got it to work in spite of some of their rather questionable gun drill techniques (i.e. loose powder with "who knows how much" dribbled on the ground).  Electric ignition seemed to be the most beneficial improvement to getting both barrels to fire at the same time.  I thought it was worth the time to watch it...
 
GOW/George

[onegreatshot]

Yes, I saw the trailer on the channel and was peeked by what they showed. Should be a good watch.

[Artilleryman]

I am not very fond of this show, but if you say it is an episode worth watching I will try to watch a rerun of it.

[gunsonwheels]

Artilleryman,
 
Yeh I agree about the show in general.  Seems like for anything good they show they have at least one "questionable" if not a "downright bad" to go with that good...  Their shooting into woods seems inane... I would think they could have found a sand pile at the edge of some burg, if not out of town but that is maybe just my preference for trapping large projo's w/o the trap doing much damage to the projo...
 
GOW/George

[rampa room artillery]

its just a matter of time before these guys hurt someone, and their show gets canceled. they dont build quality guns and they put cheap parts in guns. then on top off all of that they charge too much for the guns.  i hope its all fake. but i hope this double barrel cannon doesnt hurt anyone. and just destroys itself,


 rick bryan

[buzz36]

thought it was down right scary caught the last few mins of the bad carival show they shot at a wood structure that when hit exspoled into a ball of fire yeah right
anyway the double barrle cannon  is a true invention during the civil war but chaining the balls together that is the insane thing if both barrels dont go off jsut right it becomes a boom-a-rang for what i read
still have to say the eye candy is still  the best part

[Artilleryman]

The story I read about the double barreled civil war cannon was that when test fired both barrels did not go off perfectly together and the balls and chain went in an unintended direction and killed a cow.

[gunsonwheels]

AM,
 
Is that in Ripley's book?  (Artillery and Ammunition of the Civil War)?
 
Seems to me that is where I first read about the DB cannon with the idea the two balls with chain intact would fly into a group of charging troops and mow them all down...  and yeh they never did get it to work back then.
 
I agree electrically firing the two tubes will get things started together but when I watched them charging the tubes with loose powder and spilling an unknown amount on the ground out the two muzzle faces...  that, in my experience, leads to the two balls coming out at different times and going down-range at different velocities... oh I forgot... they have a chain hooking them together so they don't need to accurately charge the barrels the same         

[Artilleryman]

If memory serves me correctly, I believe there was a story (pre-civil war) about putting two cannons side by side and loading them with the balls connected by chain between the two.   They tried to fire them together without success and the ball came out of one and wrapped around the other gun (crew?).

[KABAR2]

The story I read about the double barreled civil war cannon was that when test fired both barrels did not go off perfectly together and the balls and chain went in an unintended direction and killed a cow.

Yes and I believe the other ball hit someone's cabin.....

[KABAR2]

"The Cannon was taken out on the Newton Bridge Road in April 1862, for test firing. The test was, to say the least, spectacular if unsuccessful.

According to reports one ball left the muzzle before the other and the two balls pursued an erratic circular course plowing up an acre of ground, destroying a corn field and mowing down some saplings before the chain broke.

The balls then adopted separate courses, one killing a cow and the other demolishing the chimney on a log cabin. The observers scattered in fear of their lives."
http://ngeorgia.com/ang/Athen's_Double_Barrel_Cannon
For the complete read......

[gunsonwheels]

KABAR2,
 
Thank you for posting the link on this gun.     I found the history follwing the gun delightful and am still chuckling at some of the events reported in the link...  gives a whole new dimension to the story of the little boy who cried "WOLF".
 
Thanks again!
 
GOW/George

[Delkal]

As far as I know the only original double barrel cannon is on display at the University of Georgia in Athens Georgia.  I went to school there in the 80's.  If I remember the story it was made to mow down advancing troops but it was only fired once or at most a few times.  The barrels wouldn't fire at exactly the same time and the ball and chain would start whipping around and almost killed the gunners.   It was "retired" soon afterwards.  I know its been 30 years but I believe it only had one touch hole unlike the TV show. 

Edit:  I just read the article and it says it had two touch holes.  I guess things get fuzzy after 30 years..........But, It was nice that it was just sitting outside and you could look at it closely and touch it.

[Cat Whisperer]

It used to be on display outside the 'courthouse/town offices' building in downtown Athens. 
Several pictures here:

http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/athenscannon.html

[de_lok]

So they use electronic ignition to achieve simultanious fire..................hhmmmmm.......I dont know about you guys, but most electronics don't have a 100% effeciency rating...........notice how everyone hides behind the truck while setting it off? nuff said. It was intertaining to watch

[Cat Whisperer]

If you've ever examined it, there are 4 fuse holes, 2 for each tube.  The middle pair are very close together - presumeably so that the ignition would be simultainous.  The variability though is in the two different times for the ignition to travel down to each powder charge.

Firing both electronically would undoubtedly remove ONE variable, and reduce the difference in starting times.

SOMEWHERE there is a thread here where I posted closeup pix a number of years ago.

[Cannoneer]

Cat,
Alas, your photos have taken their leave, but there is another thread here, and I think it was Max Caliber that posted some close-ups of the vents.
http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php?topic=80277.0

[Cannoneer]

Found it! http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php?topic=187723.0