Gentlemen, Thank you for giving us some good ideas. I hope that after we receive Double D.’s drawings for the American 18 Pdr. Carronade, we will be able to get a better idea of dimensional solutions to physical elements of the typical Smasher’s design. We believe that Flagman1776 has a good idea when he says he thinks that better sights rather than a bigger gun are required. These Carronades had pretty crude sights to be sure. They were similar to Mauser sights, but had the “V” up front and the inverted V at the rear. Experiments on the range in Colorado will be necessary to “regulate” the sights for a 200 yards “Point Blank” sight picture. “Point Blank” range means the range at which the target will be hit as well as all targets situated at lesser distances with the same sight picture.
Shred told us about an interesting contest in which a 2X4 was cut off by pistol fire after many shots which was made very graphic by viewing a link to a video of this excersise. We understand the concept very well having done that more than a few times. However, what would happen, we wonder, if you were firing loads that produced only one-half the velocity with the same bullet, (Long Gun vel. VS Carronade vel.). Would a larger, more fractured hole result? Could the 2x4 be cut off with fewer shots? We believe it would, after seeing what a slow moving 45-70 target bullet did to my target frame at 600 yards during a Colorado School of Trades contest in 1977. Almost the entire student body went to the former WWII Army range at Buffalo Creek, Colo. for a little informal competition. Long story short; It was my turn to shoot, so I loaded my custom made (at school) 45-70, Rem. Rolling Block, rifle and shot a few of my 1,000 fps, 100 yard target loads at the distant target. After several shots, I found the range and then had to merely dope the 15 to 25 mph wind from 9 o’clock. Seeing geysers of dirt to the right of my target frame, I cranked the front sight way over to the right to make the bullets go about 6 feet to the left. My third sighter shot caused concern among the target changers in the pit at the butts. My future business partner, Mike, who was a target changer that day, described what happened this way: “First we heard your 550 grain bullets buzz-saw overhead after ricocheting at two or three hundred yards, then we saw them strike 6 to 8 feet to the right, then, whack!!!....you hit the right side of the target frame which was a 2x4 with it’s edge to the shooter. Everyone in the pit ducked as a huge, three foot long, splinter was ripped from the frame and hundreds of smaller ones were blown away in the wind.” That heavy, slowly moving, 45-70 bullet acted the way a large, heavy, Carronade round shot, does. It smashed, compressed and pried the wood open, rather than cutting the wood fibers, while forcing it’s way through the board, dislodging that large splinter in it’s wake.
Double D., I think you did set off another arms race. I would encourage ANYONE with the equipment or having a friend with it to join us by building or by designing a cannon that has a chance to do some destruction at 100 yards or 200 yards. Mike and I have set an absolute maximum of $ 1,000 on this build which means NO outside contractors and no expensive elements are allowed on this gun with the sole exception of the functional tube made from 436 pounds of pre-hardened 4150 steel. This item alone will eat up about ¾ of our budget! This also means that we will be doing all the work on our “Smasher” which, of course, is the fun part. We are making it in a modular fashion, for ease of transportation and set-up.
Thank you Artilleryman and Rayfan for the information on resistance to destruction offered by wood structures. I particularly like those nice photos of the timber barricade holed by the rifled field gun. Gives me an idea for a tough Carronade test target. Mike and I agree with what Artilleryman said about it not being easy to destroy wood structures of any type. I am currently reading a good book, Ticonderoga, Key to a Continent by Edward Hamilton which is mainly about the construction of Fort Ticoderoga at the south-end, narrows of Lake Champlain which the French and the Canadians in 1755 determined was crucial to maintaining control over the Champlain Valley and the area around Lake George. They named it “Carillon”after the music made by the brook which came down the waterfalls from Lake George. From this book I learned that typical, wilderness forts large and small were built of earth and timber and were constructed in a way that certainly prevented any real damage from solid shot. “These main walls, the major defense of the place, were composed of heavy oak timbers, fourteen or fifteen inches square, laid horizontally one on top of the other. There were two such wooden walls, ten feet apart and tied to each other with cross timbers dovetailed in place. The space between was then filled with dirt and rubble. This form of construction was cheaper and quicker than one using masonry, and from the immediate military point of view, better because the cannonballs would become harmlessly embedded in the wood instead of shattering the stone facing.”
Zulu and KABAR2, I think if you two would collaborate on a spectacular piece of concrete projecting ordnance and also the munitions for it, that a new level of escalation could be reached in this arms race. Careful about how much powder you use in this beast of a howitzer, because loose gravel will not knock down Fort Pallet!!
Mike and I are staying out of any discussions about concrete bowling balls or even real ones fired from Howitzer type cannon or flaming carcasses, for that matter. Rayfan87, that is a really practical suggestion if we were shooting in the winter, but not so much in August with the range surrounded by very dry looking grassy fields. Along with everything else around here, I should be receiving DD’s drawings tomorrow and be able to get an intimate look at an 18 pounder Carronade by studying original dimensioned drawings. I am looking forward to doing that more than you can imagine! Thanks again, Douglas.
Tracy and Mike
