Hello ! This is my first post. Great (!) forum guys, I've lurked a few days and skimmed 22 pages of posts. Too much good info ! I'm looking to build a golf ball howitzer. My plan is to use a chunk of 4"od x 1.125" w seamless. The barrel would be 4" at the breech and taper to 3 1/2" at the muzzle. About 18" of tube and 21 5/8" long overall. (Kind of like a chubbier version of Gunsmoke's Golf Ball Field Cannon) I want to do a threaded and welded chamber/breech plug. Probably will weld the trunions in as well. I want to start calling around for a piece of tube and have a question before I begin. I noticed that the venerable Wisconsin Mountain Howitzer builder used 1026 for his project. I have also seen a lot of 4140 used and lauded. Knowing the general specs and construction techniques, would I be better off going one way or the other ? I don't have deep-hole drilling capability at the home shop (at least not 1.75"x18"), so I will be welding. I understand that the 4140 may present more of a challenge to weld, will I
NEED it (4140)? Can I use dissimilar metal for plug/plate/trunions or will I need 4140 for all of it ? Since 18" of something this size will likely be a drop, I may need to take what I can find. Would either/or (1026/4140) be suitable ? Anything else (within reason) I should know ? I am a machinist (mostly automotive) working in a well equipped shop. I want to do this in my home (hobby shop) as much as I can, but anything is possible. Thanks in advance for your input, this is a super site. I bounced around the web for a couple of weeks before I found you folks. More here in two days.
MIKE
Sorry for going long
Work stuff:
http://www.accuratepower.com/MachineA home thing:
http://www.accuratepower.com/Torch
