Hello to the board.
I've been bitten by the cannon bug. My dad has had a cannon barrel that a friend of his made for him about 30 years ago. He shot it occasionally, usually just as a noisemaker. I can remember a few times with him as a kid.
Well, I got the cannon bug now and have decided to shoot it some more because it is a blast.
Here's the specs. Turned (no doubt on a huge lathe) from a solid bar of "good steel" (according to my father, he can't remember the grade of steel that his friend said he used.) Well anyway, she's 4" OD with a 1.975" bore. 23" long OAL, with the bore being 18" deep. Flash hole is .187". She weighs 55 pounds. Not a copy of any historical cannon, probably determined by stock and tools on hand.
I found a suitable projectile that I scrounged from work. I got a handful of steel cylinders that are 1.920 in diameter and 2.3" long. They weigh about 1.25 pounds. They slide right down the bore with what seems to be just the right windage.
My dad and I shot it last weekend. I was burning Pyrdodex RS. Not real cannon fuel I know, but we have a bunch to burn and not much real BP. Rather burn the stuff on hand first. 200 grains (volume) with a newspaper wad packed down under the steel slug was pretty mild. 300 was a little louder and more potent. 400 grains was really potent.
We only fired about 8 shots total. After all this, what I'm asking, is: how do you determine a proper charge weight? With 1" thick walls, I probably have a decent safety factor. I don't feel much inclined to increase my charges anymore, but would like some advice.
Also, we were just propping the cannon up on the ground. I need to make a proper carriage for it. I've been looking at pictures on this forum and on the net. I haven't decided on a field or naval carriage. Scale wise, my gun looks most like a mountain howitzer, although it has no powder chamber, so would be a gun. (at least from what I've read.)
I'm looking forward to some advise from the board. We have a large gravel pit to shoot in, which is great for the cannon. I want to get educated to get the most from fun from the cannon.
Thanks,
Jason