Bowling Ball Coehorn on AAAAmunition site?

[Mike Scott]

Anyone know who made this barrel or that makes one similar to it?  Are the barrel walls heavy enough ?

[GGaskill]

Can you post a link?

Depending on the design, most of the walls wouldn't need to be more than 3/4" thick.

[CU_Cannon]

AAA Munitions

Not a bad looking mortar.  I would ask a lot of questions.  What is the material is it chambered etc.

[GGaskill]

http://aaamunitions.com/bowlingballcoehoorntube1.jpg" width="500">

The wall thickness looks fine to me, pending what material it is made from and what the chamber configuration is.  It's probably pretty heavy, though.

[Powder keg]

The trunnion bar looks a bit small for a bowling ball mortar?

[Artilleryman]

The trunnion does look out of proportion to the barrel as does the wall thickness to the bore size.  That doesn't mean that it isn't strong enough to fire bowling balls.

Maybe it should look something like this Model 1840 10 inch seacoast mortar.  The tube only weighs 5575 lbs and uses a 91 lb shell.

http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/phpbb2/album_pic.php?pic_id=1182">

[Mike Scott]

It would be nice to keep it in the 1000-1200 lb range so it is a little more portable.  

[Artilleryman]

I know exactly what you mean.  I don't take our 8 inch seige mortar to the range on a whim.  It has a 1000 lb barrel and another 1000 lbs for the bed.  Then you need a platform, and of course the 45 lb mortar shells.  Not a project to be taken lightly.  :-)

[entsminger]

Artilleryman, what kind of 8 inch mortar do you have? Is is a repro or an origional? Possibly a Paulson Brothers? Some day in the distant future my son and me hope to get either a 8 or ten inch mortar like the ones Paulson Brothers sell. Just from what little I've seen your name connected with you seem to be one of the fortunate few who owns a big mortar and gets to be there when Paulson brothers shoots theirs. Would love to talk mortars with you sometime. Do you ever go to the Winchester Va Skirmishers  mortar shoots?

  Scott Springston

[Artilleryman]

We have an orginal tube that was made by Cyrus Alger in 1865.  My unit attends all of the N-SSA Nationals.  We usually compete in all of the team events except mortar as there is only so much that you can do.  We do compete with our mortar in regional skirmishes.  It is a lot of fun using the 8 inch, but it is also a lot of work.  It is a lot easier to use a 12 or 24 pdr coehorn which you can put in the back of a pickup with all of its equipment.  Below is a photo taken during a field trip with my HS Civil War class.  My students really enjoyed seeing this mortar fire.

http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/phpbb2/album_pic.php?pic_id=1186">

[Powder keg]

You LUCKEY Dawg!!!!!! That is way cool! Thanks for sharing.

Later, Wes

[GGaskill]

http://aaamunitions.com/bowlingballcoehoorntube1.jpg" width="400">

After looking at this barrel a few more times, I suspect it is cast iron (notice the rimbases on the trunnion.)  This makes me a lot more leary of it, especially without having any information about the powder chamber and the maximum  recommended charge (this may be one of those "this casting is not intended as a firing cannon" pieces.)  I would certainly find out a lot more about it before sending any money.

And I might also say that it is more than 50% oversize for a 24 pounder Coehorn.  The whole idea of a Coehorn was that is was relatively easily transported.

[Double D]

I posted a query to AAA munitions last night for additional info on this tube.

Here are the questions:

Can you give me some additional information about the bowling ball coehorn.

Who made it?

What is it made from? Steel, Casting, lined casting?

Does it have a powder chamber? what size?

What is the diameter of the trunnion?

What is the weight of the tube?

Here are the answers just as they sent them:

all steel,
chamber is the outside configuration of a shot glass
trunions are 3" and fit into the cheeks.
load is 3 oz,
weight around #700

Jump on guys!!!

[Double D]

Here's some additional info on this mortar.

weight is around #750,and i do not quote shipping. my zip is 83801. its palitized and i can load it.

1 and 1/8 thick at muzzle, about 5" to powder chamber, material is dom tubing, separate breech bloc. welded construction, trunions about three inches
 
The owner lives in Athol Idaho

Why do I have visions of this going into Blaster Bob's arsenal!!!  Better hurry Scott before he get's it!!!

[CU_Cannon]

It sounds like a well built mortar.  I was thinking of using a building technique like that with a 24 pdr.  I decided on a 12 pdr machined from solid.  

At 750 lbs it sounds like a coehorn on steroids.

[Mike Scott]

but he does not answer my emails.

[Blaster]

Here's some additional info on this mortar.

weight is around #750,and i do not quote shipping. my zip is 83801. its palitized and i can load it.

1 and 1/8 thick at muzzle, about 5" to powder chamber, material is dom tubing, separate breech bloc. welded construction, trunions about three inches
 
The owner lives in Athol Idaho

Why do I have visions of this going into Blaster Bob's arsenal!!!  Better hurry Scott before he get's it!!!

OK Douglas, you are correct.  This is the one that ALMOST made it into my "arsenal".  I made a lot of inquiries about a year ago and posted the results on the forum.  I decided NOT to go ahead and make the purchase due to: 1. lack of those kind of funds, 2. A little heavy for just me to try to cart around.  I'll just stick to the smaller mortars that can be readily moved by one person (me).