Author Topic: Golf Ball Coehorn, where did the ball go? (Read 2213 times)

Rock6.3 · « **on:** July 02, 2012, 06:18:59 AM »

We test fired the newly built golf ball Coehorn mortar this weekend (build info and pics to come). But the audiance was unable to track or even see the golf ball in flight against a blue sky.

So I painted the golf balls safety orange, dark red, and left white patches in hopes of creating a strobe that might be more visible, and reduced the powder charge. The balls were still not visible.

Additionally no golf balls were recovered, and no parts of golf balls were found down range (search went to 500 yards)

What do you do to make the projectile more visible to the audiance in golf ball sized mortars?

Old Nukee · « **Reply #1 on:** July 02, 2012, 07:42:19 AM »

I'm a rookie artillerist, but as an ex-golfer I can tell you that most people can learn to track a golf ball in a clear sky for 250-300 yards. You cannot beat white for visibility. You may need to train your audience. I suggest using a load of 15-20 grains to start to make it easy to spot your shots, and then work up gradually to what suits you. I find that 50 grains in my GB mortar gives me a nice pop and 100-120 yards of flight. I usually go no further.

KABAR2 · « **Reply #2 on:** July 02, 2012, 07:50:46 AM »

Check next county over........ especially if there is a golf course..... they like to migrate to firmiluar places.......... I have had the same problem on occiasion... too little powder and range is disapointing.... what one thinks is enough for the range sends them Spudnic........

Double D · « **Reply #3 on:** July 02, 2012, 08:00:19 AM »

Quite simply a massive over load.

As old nukee says reduce your loads significantly and you will enjoy golf ball shooting much more. And as he says you have to teach your eye to track the ball---your eye need to know where to look.

I have found that loads that send golf balls 300 yards, leave the barrel to fast for the eye to track. 100 yard loads are much more enjoyable to shoot, especially when yo try to hit a target.

Loads that I can't see when they leave the barrel make me wonder/worry where or what there hit. One of the rules of shooting is to be sure of your backstop. If you don't know where they land, how can you be sure they landed in a safe area?

Rock6.3 · « **Reply #4 on:** July 02, 2012, 08:12:22 AM »

Quote from: Double D on July 02, 2012, 08:00:19 AM

Loads that I can't see when they leave the barrel make me wonder/worry where or what there hit. One of the rules of shooting is to be sure of your backstop. If you don't know where they land, how can you be sure they landed in a safe area?

Open range is 730 yards in length.
Closed (fenced) forest brings us to a mountain ridge more than 2,000 yards distant.

Thank you for discussing range safety and knowing your backstop.

Double D · « **Reply #5 on:** July 02, 2012, 09:45:11 AM »

Quote from: Rock6.3 on July 02, 2012, 08:12:22 AM

Open range is 730 yards in length.
Closed (fenced) forest brings us to a mountain ridge more than 2,000 yards distant.

Thank you for discussing range safety and knowing your backstop.

I always do....given the chance.

GGaskill · « **Reply #6 on:** July 02, 2012, 10:51:56 AM »

Even with bowling balls, it is difficult to track them in flight unless you are behind the mortar and looking up at the time of firing. I have never been able to track the flight while standing to the side.

Parrott-Cannon · « **Reply #7 on:** July 02, 2012, 11:58:55 AM »

My Dom GB Mortar has a measured muzzle velocity of 295 feet per second with 120 grains of fg powder. The range at 45 degrees is about 900 feet.

BoomLover · « **Reply #8 on:** July 02, 2012, 12:15:45 PM »

Old Nukee....welcome to the forum!

dominick · « **Reply #9 on:** July 02, 2012, 01:48:30 PM »

I found that looking up at where the approximate apogee would be when the mortar fires is the best method to follow the ball to target. That's where the ball will be when the mortar goes off. It's that fast.

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #10 on:** July 02, 2012, 03:10:20 PM »

MAYBE you put it into low-earth-orbit?

buzz36 · « **Reply #11 on:** July 02, 2012, 04:07:05 PM »

ive shot some out of my GB cannon barrel 100 to 350 grains with 350 grians im sure i putting them in to low earth orbit seen only one hit the hill at 1000 + yards with ZERO elevation
sooon i going to try some different loads and differnt colored balls and see what works best

Delkal · « **Reply #12 on:** July 03, 2012, 09:50:50 AM »

I tried out my GB mortar.....Lots of fun. Kept shooting a "light" load and it was easy to watch the ball going over 100 Yards.......Then decided to fill the chamber.......Big Boom, Couldn't see anything, and Gone!

The shooting range went out to 300 yards with woods behind it but I was worried the next day about reading about some little old lady killed in a freak golfing accident!!!

Be careful!

Victor3 · « **Reply #13 on:** July 03, 2012, 10:19:32 PM »

Quote from: GGaskill on July 02, 2012, 10:51:56 AM

Even with bowling balls, it is difficult to track them in flight unless you are behind the mortar and looking up at the time of firing. I have never been able to track the flight while standing to the side.

What about a 5 gal jug of concrete?

seacoastartillery · « **Reply #14 on:** July 04, 2012, 03:01:27 AM »

A water jug full of concrete becomes a little black spec quickly, even against the pure white flank of a huge cumulonimbus when launched at 60 degs. from the 2/5 scale Paixhans Monster Mortar (11"). I think the pound and a half of Fg Goex pushed it higher than it went far which was 400 yards. If you lost track of it, the THUMP!! and large puff of dust located it for you once again.

T&M

Artilleryman · « **Reply #15 on:** July 04, 2012, 05:05:06 AM »

We have never had any problems watching the flight of an eight inch mortar shell out to almost 900 yards, although sometimes we lose sight of it during the last part of its descent depending on the background.

Eyes Of Death · « **Reply #16 on:** July 04, 2012, 07:23:49 AM »

When I was in the military if you stood behind the 105MM or the 155MM howitzers. You could see the projo leave the gun. And continue on in an upward flight tell out of sight. It’s all about your angel to the cannon when it is fired.

JeffG · « **Reply #17 on:** July 04, 2012, 03:17:49 PM »

For my soda can coehorn, I set a screw-eye in the concrete, secure thin wire, and outside the bore attatch a 2 foot or longer piece of orange surveyors ribbon. When the can goes out, it has a nice streamer. I don't know why you couldn't use the same idea and downsize it...

Rock6.3 · « **Reply #18 on:** July 05, 2012, 05:07:51 AM »

Quote from: JeffG on July 04, 2012, 03:17:49 PM

For my soda can coehorn, I set a screw-eye in the concrete, secure thin wire, and outside the bore attatch a 2 foot or longer piece of orange surveyors ribbon. When the can goes out, it has a nice streamer. I don't know why you couldn't use the same idea and downsize it...

I like the idea but need to seek a streamer which is not flammable (we don't want to set the world on fire and this is our dry season)

The Jeff · « **Reply #19 on:** July 05, 2012, 08:55:57 AM »

Quote from: Rock6.3 on July 05, 2012, 05:07:51 AM

Quote from: JeffG on July 04, 2012, 03:17:49 PM
For my soda can coehorn, I set a screw-eye in the concrete, secure thin wire, and outside the bore attatch a 2 foot or longer piece of orange surveyors ribbon. When the can goes out, it has a nice streamer. I don't know why you couldn't use the same idea and downsize it...

I like the idea but need to seek a streamer which is not flammable (we don't want to set the world on fire and this is our dry season)

I used to juggle torches quite a bit and the standard wick material was made out of Kevlar. It was quite strong and took an incredibly long time to burn away. You might try some of that, although IIRC it was fairly expensive.

Artilleryman · « **Reply #20 on:** July 05, 2012, 09:20:40 AM »

I believe some people fasten a rope to the projectile that is long enough so that the streamer attached to the rope is outside of the barrel.

GGaskill · « **Reply #21 on:** July 05, 2012, 11:56:47 AM »

Try some steel fishing leader. Plenty strong and fireproof.

JeffG · « **Reply #22 on:** July 06, 2012, 01:21:31 PM »

Yes, the wire leads to the surveyor tape that is outside the barrel....

Victor3 · « **Reply #23 on:** July 07, 2012, 11:39:40 PM »

Quote from: seacoastartillery on July 04, 2012, 03:01:27 AM

A water jug full of concrete becomes a little black spec quickly, even against the pure white flank of a huge cumulonimbus when launched at 60 degs. from the 2/5 scale Paixhans Monster Mortar (11"). I think the pound and a half of Fg Goex pushed it higher than it went far which was 400 yards. If you lost track of it, the THUMP!! and large puff of dust located it for you once again.

T&M

You appear to be claiming some kind of nebulous (or is it cumulonebulous?) direct experience with such things. Howsabout you post that video again so we can confirm it's not just a pipe (or seamless tubing) dream?

seacoastartillery · « **Reply #24 on:** July 08, 2012, 06:26:02 AM »

Quote from: Rock6.3 on July 02, 2012, 06:18:59 AM

We test fired the newly built golf ball Coehorn mortar this weekend (build info and pics to come). But the audiance was unable to track or even see the golf ball in flight against a blue sky.

What do you do to make the projectile more visible to the audiance in golf ball sized mortars?

When Mike and I shoot our Mallet's Mortar Jr. with its 1.72" bore, we use 23 gr. of FFg for 100 yards. We paint the golf balls black for visibility out to that range. We can track them against a blue sky fairly easily that way if you are looking at a point where flight apogee should occur before firing.

Quote from: Victor3 on July 07, 2012, 11:39:40 PM

You appear to be claiming some kind of nebulous (or is it cumulonebulous?) direct experience with such things. Howsabout you post that video again so we can confirm it's not just a pipe (or seamless tubing) dream?

Because we were fixated on what was going on as the 137 pound jug of concrete left the 11" mortar, we didn't get any real time trajectory shots, but the two best close-up clips are posted again so the newer members and Victor can see them.

Tracy

This is the first shot from the Paixhans Monster Mortar on the Colorado High Plains. Slo-mo clip was taken at 1,200 frames per second and the range with 1 Lb. of Fg Goex BP was 210 yards.

Click on the following link and go to the original thread for the best movie clip on the super slo-mo first shot:

http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,175356.30.html

The clip is on Reply # 137 or 138.

This is the long shot at the Montana Model Cannon Shoot near Cutbank, MT. 1.5 Lbs. of Fg Goex BP moved the heavy jug out to 385 yards and blew most of it's plastic water jug skin off in the process! We think vibration of the gun platform dislodged the block and tackle from the loading crane arm, not the piece of plastic that hit the rope.

Victor3 · « **Reply #25 on:** July 08, 2012, 07:45:30 PM »

Still just as awesome as when I 1st saw it.

Gotta at least build me one for 1 gal paint cans some day...