How to Load and Fire the Krupp Seacoast Howitzer Model 1866
After a long consultation with our lawyer, Seacoast Artillery Company cautions you that this little cannon is really a signal gun and our lawyer says that no projectiles of any kind or type should be fired from it. The entire section below is for educational purposes only and should be read as such.
This is the way the Krupp comes out of the shipping box and this is the way it should be stored when not in use. The Breech Block and the Striker Assy. are locked within the breech. The Striker Assy Locking Lever on the right locks both.
This photo shows the lever unlocked and the Striker Assy. withdrawn to the firecracker or crayon loading position. Note that the firecracker has it’s fuse folded back along it’s side and is lying in the projectile loading groove cut into the end of the Breech Block.
A narrowed popsickle stick makes an excellent loading implement. Push the cracker or crayon into the bore just beyond flush with the surface of the Breech Block hole.
Press the percussion cap upon the nipple. If the brand you have will not fit on the nipple or will not go on so that it is below the surface of the Breech Block hole, try a different brand or you may use a larger #11 cap by pinching the open end of the cap slightly, so that it stays on the #10 nipple even when upside down. The Striker Assy. is shown to be cocked in this photo. It should not be. It is slightly safer to do the cocking later. See the last photo caption.
Rotate the Breech Block 180 degs. So the powder chamber is up. Place approx. 3.8 grains of FFFg or FFg black powder into the chamber or fill flush with the top of the chamber. Push the Breech Block back into the Breech and rotate the Block 90 degs., so the handle goes CCW.
Cock the Striker Assy. by pulling the brass and steel T- handle back until it stops, then rotate 90 degs CCW. WITHOUT TOUCHING THE T-HANDLE, with your left thumb, push the already cocked, Striker Assy. forward firmly. Lock it in place by rotating the Striker Assy. Locking Lever downward.
To make the Krupp Howitzer ready to fire, rotate the Striker Assy. T-handle CW 60 degs. FIRE by continuing to rotate T-handle CW with one extended finger until approx. horizontal..............BLAM!! Congratulations! You have loaded and fired your Krupp Seacoast Howitzer, Model 1866, Signal Cannon.
Be safe; have fun,
Mike and Tracy
The Krupp Seacoast Howitzer Model 1866 made by
Seacoast Artillery Company in 2011
Safety and History
SAFETY:
Make sure the area in front of the Krupp is clear of people and pets immediately before you fire.
Use ONLY authentic Black Powder in your Krupp Howitzer.
Load powder ONLY in the Breech Block Chamber, NEVER in the Barrel.
NEVER fire metal balls or slugs of any type.
ALWAYS wear eye and ear protection when shooting your cannon.
For SAFETY, go SLOWLY and THINK about what you are doing; do not let anyone hurry you.
HISTORY:
The Krupp company in Essen, Germany was making large quantities of steel by the 1850s. Production of armaments started around the late 1850s. Design and production of seacoast artillery began in the 1860s. The Model 1866, 14” Seacoast Howitzer was built with a view that bigger was better and used a sliding breech block that German Naval forces used all the way through WWII on their heavy naval artillery.
The fact that a proposed French Naval attack on the northern coast of Germany during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) was called off is thought by some to be attributed to the deterrent provided by arming the major ports with batteries of the huge Model 1866 Seacoast Howitzers.
Your gun is a miniature of the 1,000 pounder German seacoast howitzer that won a prize at the Paris Exposition of 1867. A longer barreled seacoast gun, also of 14” bore was featured with other Krupp products at the Philadelphia Expostion of 1876. It fired 1,000 to 1,200 pound armor piercing shells and bolts. Although these guns were accurate, fairly primitive sights limited their effectiveness at long range. Maximum range was approximately 6,000 yards and maximum effective range was about 1,500 yards.
