Colin's Cannon

[Double D]

Some months ago my friend Colin, feeling sorry for me shooting the club gun loaned me his old cannon to shot at the club matches. 



Colin said the wheels kept breaking and needed repaired before the gun could be shot. 



Well it took 8 months to get the wheels replaced.  But in the mean time the guy fixing the wheels lost a trunnion cap.  He made a replacement but screwed up the hole and the barrel flopped around.  So, I had to find a way to get another trunion cap made... Here's what the original looked like.



I haven't been able to find anyone to make a new cap to replace the screwed up one.  My friend Bob from Northern VA will be here  for the next  Club shoot in October so I need a second cannon.  So today was field expediant day.  I got out all my tools and some brass strips and borrowed my friends hand drill then made some trunnion caps.



I  cut to length and hammered  the brass strip around the trunnion.  This brass is pretty thin and I wasn't sure that it would hold with just screws.  So, I made some squares washers from some heavy strip and screwed them over the long arm of the trunnion for reinforcement.



They ain't pretty but they should work.  Boy I miss my shop full of tools.

Any way here's the gun ready to go on the line!!!

[lance]

I'm jealous, your fine collection of gunsmithing tools are much nicer than mine wishing you another cannon shoot victory!!!

[Ex 49'er]

Them are some good looking wheelz. Good luck at the next competition.

[Double D]

I finally got to shoot this gun in a Match.  Seem to shot fairly when you remember to put powder in before ball.  Saved two rounds that way. It  did toss me out a couple flyers that didn't seem it should have.

I noticed some roughness when loading especially just in from of the breech.

SMLE303 sent me down a bore light and it came to day.



I scoped out the barrel and this is what I saw.



Yikes a ring!!!  Total circumference.   The bore is badly leaded also.  No wonder  it wants too shoot flyers.

Just to check it out I dropped the bore light down the club gun bore.  It's ringed also in at least 4 different spots as well as the breech area beiong heavily eroded and some what bulged.



Both barrels badly need freshened

[cannonmn]

>It's ringed also in at least 4 different spots as well as the breech area beiong heavily eroded and some what bulged.

Thanks for the report.  I have to guess that this barrel is made of brass?  I would not expect bronze to bulge given the ample dimensions of your tube relative to the bore diameter.

[Double D]

John,

Yes the club gun is made of  brass.  I was not surprised to see the chamber erosion.  The bulging was not a surprise.l.  There is no evidence of it on the outside of the barrel.  We can only guess how long it has been there. This gun has been shot continuosly for over 40 years. 

The ring in the bronze gun was kind of surprise to me however.   I can just guess how this came about.

Both guns can be repaired by reaming the bores.

[Artilleryman]

The rings may be a result of the initial machining along with firing it.

[Terry C.]

Both barrels badly need freshened

What would that involve?