Bronze cannon atributed to L. Da Vinci found in Croatian fort

[KABAR2]

This was reported back in June ... just came across it......
http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2011/06/da-vinci-inspired-cannon-discovered.html
 
http://www.discoveryon.info/2011/06/leonardo-da-vincis-triple-machine-gun-cannon-prototype-discovered.html
 

[bluelake]

Yes, as mentioned, Korea had many like it, including a five-barrel and ten-barrel model (18th century).  Regarding the three-barrel hand cannon, I picked one up here in Korea several years ago just like the one in the picture; the one I have was, at some point, converted to percussion.
 
 
 

[cannonmn]

Here's one converted to percussion, seen firing.  Don't pay much attention to the narrator, he's a notorious "loose cannon" as far as gun facts.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNXkUA0KFNY

[Cannoneer]

John,
You may not be aware of this, but your video has gone viral, and you have become something of an international celebrity. This post comes from a thread on a British black powder forum, and it makes me chuckle every time I read it. In all fairness to our shorter armed British comrades, you and Ed did a great job with this “routine,” and for someone not familiar with your background in ordnance, it’s probably not all that difficult to be taken in by it.

Re: Triple-barrelled hand cannon strangeness
Reply #1 - Jan 31st, 2009 at 9:11pm   "Well ! Wow ! This throws two hundred years of firearms history out of the window.  Where did those fellows from the Wars of the Roses buy their percussion caps ?  Maybe from Master Fulton at Bisley with the aid of their trusty alchemical time machine.  Do those chaps live in some sort of Lala Land or are they they just extracting the Michael?  On the other hand I have met some of our more knuckle dragging Colonial cousins who might just actually believe this - I must go and lie down - NURSE !"

FYI  “Extracting the Michael” is British patois for teasing, or putting someone on.
 

[bluelake]

Here is my 3-barreled noisemaker:
 

[Bob Smith]

There are some really good pictures of the Croatian cannon here:
http://secretdalmatia.wordpress.com/2011/06/08/triple-barrel-cannon-by-leonardo-da-vinci-in-benkovac/
 
Bob Smith

[cannonmn]

A relative who is an artist keeps telling me there are similarities between this gun I posted previously (see reply no. 29 to topic linked below) and elements of Leonardo's many drawings of conceptual weapons.  http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,158324.0.html
 
The only common thread I know of between the half-dragon half-fish gun shown is that Leonardo spent most of his working career in northern Italy, and the gun is also supposed to be from that area.  The gun could date back to Leonardo's time.  One interesting feature of the gun is that it is made of wrought iron with an abnormally high phosphorous content.  Was more phosphorous added for corrosion resistance or what?
 
My opinion is that in order to establish any link between the gun and Leonardo, we'd have to find a drawing of the gun by Leonardo.  There are at least hundreds of drawings of military hardware known to have been done by Leonardo.  I wonder if anyone has any idea what percentage of Leonardo's drawings have been found?