Estate Sale Cannon, Functional or Ornamental?

[DevinWatson]

I picked up this "cannon" today at an estate sale for $2. The bore goes to the end of the second reinforce just behind the trunnions. It's not brass just looks to be painted steel. There is no fuse hole and the welds on the trunnions don't exactly inspire confidence. Do you think it could be used as a salute cannon or I'm I just going to have another nice mantle piece?

[Double D]

Shooter or not, I think for two bucks you got a deal!! 

With out knowing the pedigree of the metal, I would call it a decorator.  Check at the local scrap yard and see if they have one of those metal anlayzer and ask them to check and see what your barrel is made of.   Best way to approach them is to not just call up and ask them if they will check it-they say no, but walki in with it in your hands and ask them.  They will go ooh and aah and say sure. 

Once you know what its made of then you can decide what to do with it. 

The other issue is the diameter of the current bored hole and the diameter over the breech.  You don't want the bore to exceed 1/3 of the breech diameter.

[de_lok]

Shooter or not, I think for two bucks you got a deal!! 


The other issue is the diameter of the current bored hole and the diameter over the breech.  You don't want the bore to exceed 1/3 of the breech diameter.

 DD>  He can always drill with a smaller diameter drill for "powder chamber" before drilling the bore deeper. Nice find for 2 bucks!

[Double D]

Pretty small cannon.  It would be difficult to load with a reduced powder chamber.

Only two times reduced powder chambers are needed. To duplicate an original design,  and to put a too large a bore in a too small piece of steel