Author Topic: First gun  (Read 845 times)

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Offline and7barton

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First gun
« on: October 14, 2008, 09:27:38 PM »
Some shots of my first field piece, at Tilbury Fort with my gun crew. This gun had a hydraulic tube, which I had proofed at Royal Enfield in the proof house. I then clad it with a kind of barrel-stave arrangement of timber, then covered with fibreglass. After six months of firing the cladding split just before a big firing event so we had to borrow a small barrel off our local Sealed Knot troop. The last photo shows them firing it....... well, I had to let them have fun with it, in return for the loan.
Founder in 1986 of Historical Artillery Corps, later changed to Historical Artillery UK.
Builder of Cannons and models for South-Western Artillery, Fort Amhurst, Coalhouse Fort and private commissions.
Technical Consultant for two episodes of Scrapheap Challenge. Ex Pyrotechnic Safety Officer at Coalhouse Fort. I go trekking and survivalist camping - build experimental tents and survival equipment - caving.

Offline Monk

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Re: First gun
« Reply #1 on: October 15, 2008, 03:42:33 AM »
So how close to Tilbury Fort do you live? I remember going there as a child
~Monk~

Offline and7barton

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Re: First gun
« Reply #2 on: October 15, 2008, 04:27:51 AM »
So how close to Tilbury Fort do you live? I remember going there as a child
~Monk~

I used to live only 20 minutes away....... Alas, I'm now living in the west country. Too far even from the Portsmouth forts to make them a regular venue.
Are you in the UK ?
Founder in 1986 of Historical Artillery Corps, later changed to Historical Artillery UK.
Builder of Cannons and models for South-Western Artillery, Fort Amhurst, Coalhouse Fort and private commissions.
Technical Consultant for two episodes of Scrapheap Challenge. Ex Pyrotechnic Safety Officer at Coalhouse Fort. I go trekking and survivalist camping - build experimental tents and survival equipment - caving.

Offline Monk

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Re: First gun
« Reply #3 on: October 15, 2008, 08:38:32 AM »
I was born and raised in Billericay Essex--no cannons there :(, now I live in Saskatchewan Canada, not many cannons here either.
~Monk~

Offline and7barton

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Re: First gun
« Reply #4 on: October 15, 2008, 10:07:22 AM »
I was born and raised in Billericay Essex--no cannons there :(, now I live in Saskatchewan Canada, not many cannons here either.
~Monk~

Except in Fort Saskatchewan ?
I was born and bred in Dagenham....... got out of there 20 years ago, and moved to a little village near Bath, called Southwick . Moved again...... I've been on the south coast for the last ten years.
Founder in 1986 of Historical Artillery Corps, later changed to Historical Artillery UK.
Builder of Cannons and models for South-Western Artillery, Fort Amhurst, Coalhouse Fort and private commissions.
Technical Consultant for two episodes of Scrapheap Challenge. Ex Pyrotechnic Safety Officer at Coalhouse Fort. I go trekking and survivalist camping - build experimental tents and survival equipment - caving.

Offline Monk

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Re: First gun
« Reply #5 on: October 15, 2008, 12:47:59 PM »
Fort Saskatchewan is strangely enough not in Saskatchewan but in Alberta! I did get some cannon pix though at Fort Walsh in the Cypress Hills (Not that far from Cut bank)
 
It was hard to get a good shot as it was inside, no one seemed to have any info on it.
~Monk~

Offline Monk

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Re: First gun
« Reply #6 on: October 15, 2008, 12:50:09 PM »
Sorry there was no powder can but if I remember rightly the door in front of the cannon was about 7' tall
~Monk~

Offline Double D

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Re: First gun
« Reply #7 on: October 15, 2008, 01:25:32 PM »
Didn't know that fort was in  Cypress Hills, only been through the area one time, might have to make day trip.  It's not far by western standards, by east coast standards it's three states away

Offline Monk

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Re: First gun
« Reply #8 on: October 15, 2008, 03:34:37 PM »
Its not the original fort unfortunately. Which was built there because of the troubles US wolfers were causing with the local Indians. Yes Western distances are different to Eastern folk around here figure distances in hours not miles.  :)

Offline Cannoneer

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Re: First gun
« Reply #9 on: October 16, 2008, 07:21:53 AM »
And7barton,

   Does that barrel represent a specific British (Armstrong) muzzle loader?
RIP John. While on vacation July 4th 2013 in northern Wisconsin, he was ATVing with family and pulled ahead of everyone and took off at break-neck speed without a helmet. He lost control.....hit a tree....and the tree won.  He died instantly.

The one thing that you can almost always rely on research leading to, is more research.

Offline and7barton

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Re: First gun
« Reply #10 on: October 16, 2008, 09:22:51 AM »
And7barton,

   Does that barrel represent a specific British (Armstrong) muzzle loader?

No........it simply answered our gun-crew's need at the time for a functioning blank-firer.
Founder in 1986 of Historical Artillery Corps, later changed to Historical Artillery UK.
Builder of Cannons and models for South-Western Artillery, Fort Amhurst, Coalhouse Fort and private commissions.
Technical Consultant for two episodes of Scrapheap Challenge. Ex Pyrotechnic Safety Officer at Coalhouse Fort. I go trekking and survivalist camping - build experimental tents and survival equipment - caving.