University of North Texas team cannon

[Cannoneer]

The Talon's cannon is named Boomer, and I like what they did with it, but I don't understand why it's up on ramps in the last photo. Doesn't that just make it a little more hazardous for the girls firing it?

http://www.unt.edu/northtexan/fall2008/timetracks-boomer-photos.htm

[GGaskill]

Maybe to get additional elevation of the barrel so the fire is more up in the air.

[Artilleryman]

Elevating the muzzle will help increase the sound.  When firing blanks I elevate the muzzle so that the ground doesn't dampen the sound of the shot.

[Cannoneer]

Both of those reasons crossed my mind, but I'd also guess that they're trying to get a louder salute. I still think that this is putting the young lady firing the cannon at some added risk. It's hard to tell by the photo, but it looks like she's still on the inside of the right wheel after the gun has fired, and if it ever rolls back on her, she's going to get hurt. 

[GGaskill]

Maybe the trail is secured.  Doesn't look like the wheels are.

Maybe an email to the school is called for.

[cannonmn]

Maybe an email to the school is called for. 

   Looks like she has her face a bit closer to the vent than I'd recommend, are they lighting loose powder in the vent using a match or what?   Point I want to make is that it might be a good idea to get some video of them firing a few rounds to see the whole procedure, and they are probably doing much scarier things than that, then a meaningful critique could be sent.   
 
After I had some cannon shooting experinece and safety training, I photo-documented the US Naval Academy's firing of their original Dahlgren boat howitzer, and it was scary.  The biggest issue was the quick-loading to get off a second shot for the extra point just after they'd already fired for a touchdown.  There was no proper servicing of the bore and chamber, and the second shot was loaded within a few seconds of the firing the first.  The crew had no formal training or knowledge, frankly, they just had the basic steps required to make the cannon go "bang" which were handed down thru a prestiege group known as "The Cannoneers."  It was like a mini-fraternity, a social club.   
 
To make a long story short I got my boss in the Navy Gun Division in Washington to sign out a letter to the Supt. of USNA.  They didn't change much but a regular inspection of the gun by our experts at the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Dahlgren, VA was started, and the gun was eventually condemned for firing due to internal erosion under the vent.     
 
We also got our Weapons Safety folks at Indian Head, MD to do an audit of training and procedures.  At my recommendation they sent a gov't employee who was also a member of an artillery crew in the NSSA, and he was quite amazed at the lack of knowledge he found.  All this ended the use of the original Dahlgren at USNA, and of any muzzle-loaders for football game salutes.     Any breechloading salute gun is better for that in my opinion, and last time I checked, that's what USNA was using.  No ramrod to get launched into the crowd, etc.     If you check the record, many horrific accidents have happened at football games. 
 
Many of those show up in The Artilleryman's periodic summary of accidents.  I compiled all the Artilleryman's reports for about a 20-year period and send the package to our Weapons Safety group, and they in turn used it to shut down the unsafe practices at USNA.  I hated to do all that since I went to school there, but I'd never feel right if anyone had been permanently injured when I could have prevented it.

[Artilleryman]

You did the right thing cannonmn.

[Cannoneer]

I'm not sure how she's igniting the charge, but whatever the method, it seems like the cannon is firing pretty quickly. 

Maybe the trail is secured.  Doesn't look like the wheels are.

Maybe an email to the school is called for.

I found an email address and a phone number, so maybe I'll find out if the response is going to be thank you, MYOB, or something in between.


http://www.unt.edu/northtexan/fall2008/timetracks.htm

"Eventually, the original barrel succumbed to a narrowing of its inside walls, so it was replaced with an exact match through a company in Tennessee in the mid '90s. Its most recent refurbishing began in 2002 and ended in 2006, when McKinney debuted the accompanying limber he had built."

I wonder what's being decribed here, do they simply mean corrosion of the bore?

[GGaskill]

Might be useful to give them the link to the Artilleryman's National Safety Rules--http://artillerymanmagazine.com/safety_rules.html

[KABAR2]

I'm not sure how she's igniting the charge, but whatever the method, it seems like the cannon is firing pretty quickly. 

Maybe the trail is secured.  Doesn't look like the wheels are.

Maybe an email to the school is called for.

I found an email address and a phone number, so maybe I'll find out if the response is going to be thank you, MYOB, or something in between.


http://www.unt.edu/northtexan/fall2008/timetracks.htm

"Eventually, the original barrel succumbed to a narrowing of its inside walls, so it was replaced with an exact match through a company in Tennessee in the mid '90s. Its most recent refurbishing began in 2002 and ended in 2006, when McKinney debuted the accompanying limber he had built."

I wonder what's being decribed here, do they simply mean corrosion of the bore?

 
Hopefully it was not build up fouling due to improper cleaning.....                       
I cant believe a cannon can corrode that much from 1988 to the mid 90's.....
 

[flagman1776]

Delete

[jamesfrom180]

Posted SOP and even what if scenarios.  Written procedures for types of scoring at a game would be good here also.  Obviously once only for touchdown/extra point attempt.  Rapid firing a muzzle loader should be condemned at a minimum. 

I worry sometimes that when you raise safety concerns the group may discontinue the traditions.  But like earlier stated better to have them stop using it and not loose life or limb.

[Cannoneer]

I'm not sure how she's igniting the charge, but whatever the method, it seems like the cannon is firing pretty quickly. 

Maybe the trail is secured.  Doesn't look like the wheels are.

Maybe an email to the school is called for.

I found an email address and a phone number, so maybe I'll find out if the response is going to be thank you, MYOB, or something in between.


http://www.unt.edu/northtexan/fall2008/timetracks.htm

"Eventually, the original barrel succumbed to a narrowing of its inside walls, so it was replaced with an exact match through a company in Tennessee in the mid '90s. Its most recent refurbishing began in 2002 and ended in 2006, when McKinney debuted the accompanying limber he had built."

I wonder what's being decribed here, do they simply mean corrosion of the bore?

 
Hopefully it was not build up fouling due to improper cleaning.....                       
I cant believe a cannon can corrode that much from 1988 to the mid 90's.....

According to the "Blast from the past" article, the first barrel's history isn't exactly known.

"But the cannon's origins are somewhat murky. One story credits an alumnus for donating the three-foot-long, 285-pound barrel in the 1950s. Another suggests the barrel was cast by students in a metals shop class at some point during the next decade."

The current barrel was manufactured c. 1995, so we can only hope that they've been taking proper care of this one.

"Eventually, the original barrel succumbed to a narrowing of its inside walls, so it was replaced with an exact match through a company in Tennessee in the mid '90s."

[GGaskill]

... a company in Tennessee ...

Union City, Tennessee?  Maybe it is a Hern.

[Zulu]

... a company in Tennessee ...

Union City, Tennessee?  Maybe it is a Hern.

Isn't Hern ironworks in Idaho?
 
Maybe Trail Rock Ordnance in Tenn.
Zulu

[GGaskill]

Dixie Gunworks is in Union City, TN, and they frequently sell Herns.

[bluelake]

[flagman1776]

The opposite of "safe" is "unsafe". 

[Cannoneer]

The second video that bluelake posted shows a pretty rough looking cast iron barrel; are Hern's barrels sold like that?

[KABAR2]

The second video that bluelake posted shows a pretty rough looking cast iron barrel; are Hern's barrels sold like that?

From their website:
"Eventually, the original barrel succumbed to a narrowing of its inside walls, so it was replaced with an exact match through a company in Tennessee in the mid '90s. Its most recent refurbishing began in 2002 and ended in 2006, when McKinney debuted the accompanying limber he had built."
.
Hern barrels while a little rough on finish are cast much better than that.....  it came out of Tennessee...........I don't think it's a Dixi tube

[cannonmn]

Maybe someone already caught it, I didn't read all the posts, but they are firing using an installed firing lock and lanyard.  In the second video, about 17 s. into it, you see this lock v ery briefly.  It looks like one of the little Dixie Gunworks swinging hammer locks that fire a .22 blank.  That's one good thing they are doing anyway, using a firing lock of some kind, with appropriate length lanyard.

[GGaskill]

And they are using aluminum foil powder bags.  The weak recoil from the blanks probably makes them less concerned about getting run over by the gun but it did seem that they were outside the wheels.

[Cannoneer]

Maybe someone already caught it, I didn't read all the posts, but they are firing using an installed firing lock and lanyard.  In the second video, about 17 s. into it, you see this lock v ery briefly.  It looks like one of the little Dixie Gunworks swinging hammer locks that fire a .22 blank.  That's one good thing they are doing anyway, using a firing lock of some kind, with appropriate length lanyard.

It certainly does look like they're firing the cannon with a slap hammer and cap. I still can't see if  anything is being used to retard the recoil of the carriage, but as has already been said, at least it appears like everyone is out of harms way.