Black Powder Cannon

task1 · Dec 13, 2019

I picked this cannon up and I am planning on firing blank loads out of it on New Years and Fourth of July. It has a 75cal bore stands 16" tall 16" wide and 2 1/2' long. It is all made of cast iron or cast steel not sure with a sleeved bore it was made in the late 50's by Barney's cannons Inc. I have never fired one before, but did get some great info by a very nice gentleman at South Bend Replicas named Jim Olsen. Just seeing if anyone here has any experience with something similar. Do you use black powder or Pyrodex? Powder loads for blanks vs loads for projectiles, dos and donts, Or any info you have. Thanks Scott

ilikegunspdx · Dec 14, 2019

Cool. I wonder if u can put powdered metals in the load to make some dramatic fireworks displays.

Watch YouTube videos for what metals make what colors etc. you can also buy premade firework materials too.

I thought about getting one of those polish 26mm flare launchers that use reusable black powder cartridges for the same reason. There are a few iTunes videos on how to make fireworks with those as I recall.

Capn Jack · Dec 15, 2019

At one time I had one of South Bend Replicas 1 1/4" bore 1/3 scale 10 lb Parrot Rifles.
It's hard to tell from your picture. Does your tube have the 1/4" SS liner? They made that one
for competition shooting. If not, I would stick to shooting blanks, (Black Powder) only.

Shoot safely, use a fuze, always swab the bore between shots and don't mix anything with your powder.

task1 · Dec 15, 2019

Capn Jack said:
At one time I had one of South Bend Replicas 1 1/4" bore 1/3 scale 10 lb Parrot Rifles.
It's hard to tell from your picture. Does your tube have the 1/4" SS liner? They made that one
for competition shooting. If not, I would stick to shooting blanks, (Black Powder) only.

Shoot safely, use a fuze, always swab the bore between shots and don't mix anything with your powder.

It definitely has a liner. I don't believe it is SS but it is 60+ years old. Did you ever use pyrodex? Thanks for the advice.

Ura-Ki · Dec 15, 2019

DO NOT use Pyrodex, use only Black Powder rated no hotter/faster then FFg ( 2F) and keep powder charges under 100 grains! Do not compress your charge more then a pound or two, and use felt or hemp rope for a wad which you want to pack with a little pressure, but not much!
Swab the bore between shots, and make sure to lube with a natural lube such as bore butter or a tallow based lube! Make sure to clean when done firing using water and a mild soap and drying thoroughly before final lubing and storage!
Be safe and enjoy, cannon are a lot of fun, make a great big bang, and get lots of attention!

Note of caution, discharging a cannon in city or urban areas can/will be treated the same as any firearm and subject to the same restrictions and legalities that may follow! In short, if you would get trouble touching off a gun, your going to be in trouble touching off a cannon!

task1 · Dec 16, 2019

Ura-Ki said:
DO NOT use Pyrodex, use only Black Powder rated no hotter/faster then FFg ( 2F) and keep powder charges under 100 grains! Do not compress your charge more then a pound or two, and use felt or hemp rope for a wad which you want to pack with a little pressure, but not much!
Swab the bore between shots, and make sure to lube with a natural lube such as bore butter or a tallow based lube! Make sure to clean when done firing using water and a mild soap and drying thoroughly before final lubing and storage!
Be safe and enjoy, cannon are a lot of fun, make a great big bang, and get lots of attention!

Note of caution, discharging a cannon in city or urban areas can/will be treated the same as any firearm and subject to the same restrictions and legalities that may follow! In short, if you would get trouble touching off a gun, your going to be in trouble touching off a cannon!

Thank you that is the kind of information I am looking for. Do you need to lube between shots if only blank loads are used?

Capn Jack · Dec 16, 2019

Always lube after cleaning....Always clean after firing.

thereddog · Dec 21, 2019

Carbide cannon! Those things are as loud as hell.

Take calcium carbide and mix it with water. It makes acetylene gas. REALLY REALLY Loud. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ3N-UsidFE these guys blew out all of their windows.

task1 · Dec 21, 2019

thereddog said:
Carbide cannon! Those things are as loud as hell.

Take calcium carbide and mix it with water. It makes acetylene gas. REALLY REALLY Loud. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ3N-UsidFE these guys blew out all of their windows.

Funny you say that I just bought these off eBay for my kids Lol

Mikej · Dec 21, 2019

thereddog said:
Carbide cannon! Those things are as loud as hell.

Take calcium carbide and mix it with water. It makes acetylene gas. REALLY REALLY Loud. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ3N-UsidFE these guys blew out all of their windows.

Crazy. It seemed like as the videos progressed that the participants got drunk(er) and started getting stoopid(er).

I grew up with one of the cannons in our house. Dad use to fire it off outside my bedroom window at 6:00 am on the 4th of July. When I got older I was the one that got to shoot it. ALL day long on the 4th. Wish I still had that cannon.

task1 · Dec 21, 2019

Mikej said:
Crazy. It seemed like as the videos progressed that the participants got drunk(er) and started getting stoopid(er).

I grew up with one of the cannons in our house. Dad use to fire it off outside my bedroom window at 6:00 am on the 4th of July. When I got older I was the one that got to shoot it. ALL day long on the 4th. Wish I still had that cannon.

They still make and sell them. BIG-BANG Cannons Conestoga Company

They are kind of pricey new but I found the 2 I have on eBay made in the 40's or 50's for about $50.00each plus the bulk size calcium carbide that will last years. Just needed a little cleaning up and they work good as new.

Mikej · Dec 21, 2019

task1 said:
They still make and sell them. BIG-BANG Cannons Conestoga Company

They are kind of pricey new but I found the 2 I have on eBay made in the 40's or 50's for about $50.00each plus the bulk size calcium carbide that will last years. Just needed a little cleaning up and they work good as new.

The one we had was the 17" model. I still have a bottle of carbide rocks. It's starting to deteriorate now, after 30+ years. I've used it when I fire up the antique carbide miners lamp I have that my grandpa used working in the mines in Utah.