Old Cannon

[Uncle Dave]

Guys..... IF this is a Dixie/Hern tube it is lined  read the Dixie info on the tube they sold, I think a closer look at the muzzle
is needed maybe if the paint were stripped off the line of the tube could be spotted against the cast iron.
there may be no reason to modify it so it can not shoot.

I'll let them know to inspect the barrel.  Who knows, perhaps they'll get lucky.

[Double D]

Remember, none of said "if it is, destroy it!"  We all say "if it is, here's how to fix it!"

[gulfcoastblackpowder]

Though the old Dixie catalog's barrel looks the same, it may not be.  The manufacturer, assuming it's the same one, may even have changed their processes between the '50's and '98.  It is apparent that Dixie uses multiple suppliers for their cannons, so it's hard to say if the one in question ever came from them at all, though it does appear to be near identical to the picture Zulu found.  I think contacting them would be a very good idea. 

Also, given the condition of the barrel and the owner's interest in ensuring it's safety, before doing anything permanant, scrape/sand/file off the paint on the muzzle, and if it's lined, you should be able to see the difference between the steel sleeve and the cast iron.  Not being an original gun, it won't harm the value to repaint it anyway, so there won't be any harm in checking.

[partsproduction]

 Thanks for the kind answers. I'm a machinist for many years with my own shop so I understand engineering materials well. I also know that CI cannons have a history of bursting, but assumed it was because of porosity. (Read that bubbles in this case)

 What I didn't know is that all CI cannons will eventually burst regardless of charge size, and confess that I still am having trouble with that one. Sometimes one can discover a fallacy by taking it to extremes, for instance, if you put a teaspoon full of powder in a Dahlgren for a million firings I'm pretty sure it wouldn't burst. As most of you no doubt know, Dahlgren guns were cast iron guns of which it is said that few ever burst in service.Oddly enough the source for that said none had ever burst in service then towards the bottom of the article said an 80 pounder burst in firing and dropped a 1000 lb piece near to the keel of the boat and started a fire! But my point is one of educational value, not of personal safety, though some may not be able to separate the two. Semi steel was also available in the early days of the 19th century and it's a wonderment that it wasn't used more widely for cannon casting, I assume carbon content was not easy to ascertain in the early days.
 I personally would like to use DOM tube as a foundation, that being available with significant wall thicknesses. I have not yet built a gun, but may soon start with an A-10 Warthog 30MM barrel blank a friend has. My largest lathe has a 3 1/8" bore through the headstock.

 All of the above is so that wrong assumptions may be dismissed about my understanding of material, as I wouldn't make a CI cannon at all, lined or not.

[Double D]

We aren't saying all cast Irons cannons will fail, we are saying the propensity for failure is high and the safe thing to do is line.