Impulse Buy!

[Newtire]

Got carried away at the gun show last weekend. Gonna be hard to sneak this one into the house.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSgxpZD2qRw

[Tatume]

One Thanksgiving when I was a child my Dad took me onboard his ship, the Iowa-class battleship USS Wisconsin. He took me inside a forward turret, and let me crawl into the breech of one of the guns. It was awesome! The Wisconsin is now parked in Norfolk, Va., near here and where Dad was stationed after WWII.

On another Thanksgiving he took me onboard the USS Canberra, a Boston-class guided missile cruiser. Also awesome. The Canberra was the only U.S. Navy ship named for a foreign warship or foreign city.

[lefty o]

them are big barrels. in the early 90's when i was stationed at long beach naval station they had a pile of them. was probably 40 of those 16" barrels stacked not too far off the missouri, and new jersey's pier. they disappeared shortly after the battleships were decom'd.

[am44mag]

I've been on the USS Alabama and the USS Texas. The guns on those ships are beyond impressive.

[enfield]

ya but try finding a bullet mould for one.

[beagle]

I have had the rare privilege to see the terminal effects of the New Jersey's 16 inchers in Viet Nam. We were flying along the DMZ and got an artillery advisory on the Guard channel and pulled back a little. In a few minutes there were huge explosions inside the DMZ. The New Jersey. It was so far off shore that in the haze it wasn't visible. I'd have hated to be on the receiving end of those.
In Hawaii, 16" projectiles were stored in outdoor storage on the north shore. A narrow guage railway ran to Pearl Harbor for transportation. They're huge./beagle

[P Flados]

Yeah, and after ya find that mold, consider that ya gotta use a forklift to move them boolits over to the oven for the PC.

Not only that, but hummmm, maybe we better talk to them zlug guys as a full castin session with lead might deplete the entire scrap lead inventory for all sources within a couple hour drive.

[popper]

Yea Beagle, her BIL witnessed the same, destroyed ammo dump. I was on the Canberra, had a barrel replaced, took several days.

[bosterr]

Inside the museum at the Wisconsin dock there's a section of the 16 inch barrel. The darn thing has micro groove rifling!

[Idaho Mule]

Soooo.... Calvin, ya bringin' that to Winnemucca next year ??? JW

[Newtire]

Soooo.... Calvin, ya bringin' that to Winnemucca next year ??? JWYou bet John. Make sure you get on my team for the board shoot. 16" qualifies it for a rifle.

[samari46]

When I was at the Philadelphia naval base waiting for my separation papers to come in, they had the USS New Jersey in drydock on an overhaul for duty in the south china sea. We went on board and naturally went forward to check out those massive 16" naval rifles in their equally massive turrets. Pictures do not really do them justice. Standing next to the turrets is a lifetime experience. Thanks for the memories. Frank

[Hardcast416taylor]

There are several replacement barrels still around for the Arizona. They are at the memorial for the Arizona in Phoenix, Arizona. I was told that the caliber of these massive guns was the bore diameter followed by the barrel length, like a 16" x 54`.Robert

[lightman]

Thats a cool video. I've worked around some heavy equipment but never handled anything quite that heavy.

[lefty o]

There are several replacement barrels still around for the Arizona. They are at the memorial for the Arizona in Phoenix, Arizona. I was told that the caliber of these massive guns was the bore diameter followed by the barrel length, like a 16" x 54`.Robert

a 16"54caliber , the length is figured by multiplying the bore diameter 16" in this example times the caliber, 54, you get a 72 foot long barrel. common modern guns 5"54's are 22.5' long and the new 5"62's are 25.8' long.

[Smoke4320]

wonder what the cast weight would be? how bad would the hollow point be?

And what would be better load density, bullseye or unique?

Bullseye is the only powder to use in this situation

[DxieLandMan]

I've been on the USS Alabama and the USS Texas. The guns on those ships are beyond impressive.

I've been on those ships too! The only battleships that I have been on.

[jdfoxinc]

One "flake" of powder weighs about 1/4 lbs. The shells are machine turned bronze. I have an acquaintance that served on the shore battery of 16" guns at the opening of San Francisco Bay. This was after his tour in Nam. During an inventory his unit found loads for the guns. 5 bags of propellant lined up behind each shell. They test fired one round. A flight of jets, (not F 4s ), passed over the battery going super sonic as the gun was fired. My acquaintance received gun camera footage of the shell rising to just below the flight's altitude, out racing the jets then falling out of sight on its ballistic arch.

[RGrosz]

When I was young, a good friend had a picture of his uncle sitting on an unexploded 16" progo from one of the battleships off the south Pacific island that he was on. He was sitting on it like a stump eating C rations like there wasn't a care in the world. It was a neat picture. The shell was huge.
Rob

[Texas by God]

I was under the impression that Blackpowder in sacks were used in the 16" guns? I thought I read that in G&A a long time ago.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[popper]

six silk bags–each filled with 110 pounds of propellant. 2,700-pound projectiles 20.55 nmile range. gun (each) 267,904 lb
8" used canister powder.

[mold maker]

Took my Sons picture standing next to one on the deck of the USS North Carolina. He's a tall muscular fellow but was dwarfed by that projectile. I seem to remember it weighing almost 3000 # and over 6' tall, with brass bands to engage the rifeling.
He is now 53 so that was that was 38 years ago.

[mold maker]

Double post

[chuckbuster]

Brings whole new meaning to "Oversize Load"

[rockshooter]

Calvin!
Don thinks he has a 4-cavity mold somewhere- if he can find it!
Loren

[lefty o]

Calvin!
Don thinks he has a 4-cavity mold somewhere- if he can find it!
Loren

the real problem is the 100 gallon lead pot.

[Moonie]

Took my Sons picture standing next to one on the deck of the USS North Carolina. He's a tall muscular fellow but was dwarfed by that projectile. I seem to remember it weighing almost 3000 # and over 6' tall, with brass bands to engage the rifeling.
He is now 53 so that was that was 38 years ago.

Been to the USS North Carolina several times, always a wonderful experience. Was there with my youngest 2 last summer. 16 in/45 Mark 6 on her, as opposed to the 16-inch (406 mm)/50-caliber Mark 7 on Iowa class.

[Mk42gunner]

six silk bags–each filled with 110 pounds of propellant. 2,700-pound projectiles 20.55 nmile range. gun (each) 267,904 lb
8" used canister powder.
Actually, 8" guns used both separate loaded (bag charges) or semi-fixed (Cartridge case with separate projectile) ammunition. I'm not old enough to have ever worked on an 8", but one of my chief's did.

The quarterdeck of the US Navy Gun School had rounds on display ranging from the 3"/50 to the 16"/50. I don't remember offhand just what a 16"/50 BL&P projectile weighed, but I do know it was just about all four healthy young men wanted to do to stand one back up in the middle of the night. The watch before us had laid it down then couldn't get it back up so we had to help. Makes me wonder just how many times those projos got laid down on the midwatch.

Fun times, as long as you didn't get caught.

Robert

[Powder Burn]

My dad was aboard USS Arkansas BB 33 running convoys to Iceland before the War. He was present when Roosevelt and Churchill drew up Atlantic Charter in Aug 41. He transferred to USS New Jersey BB 62 (Plank Owner) Dec 43. Was in Navy 21 years. I've toured many battleships i.e. USS Missouri, USS North Carolina, USS Massachuetts. He was able to tour the New Jersey in California before it went to shell Lebanon in 85? Met up with some old ship mates while visiting.

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[samari46]

And the puny 5"x54's on my ship had projectiles that weighed 54 pounds and used a brass case for the powder charge. Scarfed one fired caseing while the mount was actually firing with a set of ear muffs from a buddy who was in the air wing, asbestos gloves from the engineroom and a good old fashioned galvanized 32 gallon trash can. Made it into an ashtray which I still have over 50 years later. The machinest cut the case down, took a cut to get down to the brass which was covered by powder fouling, and drilled out the primer and rethreaded with a large bronze bolt then face'd off the base but still has all the original markings. Don't know how many watches I spent sanding that thing then brassoed the heck out of it. found some 1" x8" strip brass so it will get it engraved. Finally after all these years. All the machinest wanted was the left over brass casing as he made belt buckles in his off time. Some of them were pretty darn good. Frank

[lefty o]

And the puny 5"x54's on my ship had projectiles that weighed 54 pounds and used a brass case for the powder charge. Scarfed one fired caseing while the mount was actually firing with a set of ear muffs from a buddy who was in the air wing, asbestos gloves from the engineroom and a good old fashioned galvanized 32 gallon trash can. Made it into an ashtray which I still have over 50 years later. The machinest cut the case down, took a cut to get down to the brass which was covered by powder fouling, and drilled out the primer and rethreaded with a large bronze bolt then face'd off the base but still has all the original markings. Don't know how many watches I spent sanding that thing then brassoed the heck out of it. found some 1" x8" strip brass so it will get it engraved. Finally after all these years. All the machinest wanted was the left over brass casing as he made belt buckles in his off time. Some of them were pretty darn good. Frank

lots of ashtrays have been made form shell casings. 3"/50 brass was just about dead on perfect size for it.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I heard a reference to when a 16" was fired it was like throwing an equally weight automobile down range. I remember seeing on the news during the Lebanon shelling where it took 8 locals to carry off an un-exploded projo.Robert

[am44mag]

Found some old pics of the Alabama. I have a ton of the Texas too, but I have no idea where they are.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/jpQiJkwQd51N4cwQ3ORHxtdi9tEXVG0srJSLxgZbAN4uWTsJJD i-t56dxT-RYmsCrQhG2P16VVhAglfKMQ6RWQ-chUfDbhr8an0_BmSDudXWqyp9Gdv2kvW048N22riA5KknSM7Jd fyYec6f52pLMCiRGJSTEqP88xBVoFY5d2IutjHiQmzPcNKEH2y 260K9MdKQqUBwg__5od1TbROV2GihgPBARUXIYbAMCVwSm0gPl NEO1xT9u6PTZ6DDLgXC-9lDuNtdJaIMf3vGlpxPRplTCUR6Lq_nqIsnmPBFWhSPyavoIlP CBEZMT9itkL3yusGJYnuLoGzk1qfFdRFyZyVXHL4m5epe4mb_E Eka8MTAATc0LQfhQJmlxqWtNK02b4xPn27mhgAi_ELhkWhgW7n l_4wGI6aDfXkGMFA8loV5w_YkNZh2s6xVicGX4wdZ2QvTtJJHj H524QNL5zq4VH_cWxGL0YLASXuuB3eED1Ge4yvKoNjczTjOgtK nAjR6pZ-YX76RqXFpCt9dcYe8WWmM-SUghc3ksP2K-P8wMru6J3SWnstOhjlNbwTr2B_cJdtdqjEb56PAxcbSDYZEVPO kLs0WvnkYwfYE7DjTGH-Q4ZBiIBj_JfpmYdncjl4mgu6ZsDbBsuu908o9DOxWlusiP9GRb yXn0zleY2oL4SBw=w1417-h944-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/qK3MFf8oD6p28TJe3D0kN7VmNMQXHQQblRxgDROK86M2FFNAZL TI0-Bn8PlKbK-d1DJp2mgKmOIeS_mLMb75OjEUM_idQeRR0ba9RuAzIgCiIHj6r DiYo-erbiU2h5h5qRX6VpK-M16r4Hd72c9i7JnOdEO3E2NtTxB2FkYlkg2oaKRzXIqUUjRie8 A5dpI9haQmT1qxFfXXZPiqvCS4gqeoychXNCsJG97aIZG7qazf opxkrbJxFF-DggZVg-pqjmOa3bm-jpSGfSSia8lNCqEWFF3sfyEO2rFrG-Sb7c8oHi-rlP2fdsjCEf5JOglKK8IWZCcoTN4xrbQ392FGCkbcDKx_9PnNX _R5McxkaQtHwZQu7byflo33RZ4CCIxPjVZ29fIqK8Gn5FZjUG4 Nn03vORMfoK5P7hKdhmHlt6CRrExgqEju47vmnpfFv-stskOcrJbMS4XOFFg3WGcwC054M2gZIzZRzUgk6jr0tlZzvtOC EKwWBr_H3_xIWmKCi8gdWngPfW4sDLMLAf7MllcdmcYt5nnIkD q6EFOzfw-WCQ3okuyM4dr569TIPQcp2OUcYTz5qHdjaJ0rEE3oDgqZc6Sj0 php-xj6ucjxaNZhcXney9hN8Mpk3hwUZUxyX4Rt2z8OTG-xFnF2UGw5OG3qWa7BruJcJq30ziQU6jaS=w1615-h944-no

Oh, and here's a 2700 lb AP projectile (would you call something this big a bullet?) from a 16" gun.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/m5pzah5HtK4EFO79uYCi_Fq05YEesEDKkYuTpdtPlmgLQ-mWK7hVpDPVv8gJLpguC0eq5azAiMKEPae6dEOCCrSLoSWv9o6O 4TCOWZbcx8W6c2Xvdxav53JOnhOV--Ikt5e2gJPKHikyztUvPsgtzuDFoi50YVRfJ4h-7RZ7AicZGQEi-WFgaUGLHmLQ23HxpPHh_BbmZXeeM88kt11LlE1Wksu7QFqadUd IYHM6FqmXcmSefU12N_MNjTPACYX9wxM4WZk5mnuYcA5xS4Jj6 padwTMTKeljOQzwG47g2ic0o1v2myjIvdm2PfARi6jQV84WTtl G0jreAfZWVUGwS59H8dieTu94y0RrM0Ri8Kv-pJ6bN8MXEpCdxzi0jH5JlBX_OZTFcwD85MsjRrDsyXnkuVl1db CKWNPg5AAPBkPVpX2Mvyd01yzrpP-EiPaHXH3cVcl9Mrt517vREKwqkLim733FV_AXaim0PHhJNTP-nIV78naKdr7EF2vOE2zzp-5kTR2qjT9p3gHwvizqt-hlYliSA_5h9B6TKC-EyLDAJcHrp6ybllUUvWqX321Utaui_QT89giNEVwOwKKITza-eIl0OFBZGp5hx2LNMChoJ65OifMH1rAkZANiwzyRRSb5i11HRF 6mq8HmSfiYRTpqTYqDz5fVuli0dR2Dy_sy=w546-h944-no

[Char-Gar]

Seems like allot of work to me. Why not just put some stamps on the barrels and mail them?

[jonp]

Casting for that is the real reason Doe Run shut down. Ran out of lead

[popper]

We can find the lead, just where to you find the LimbSaver!
Mk42 - The older 8' were bag guns but the never (now extinct) are autoloading guns with canisters. We hi-lined them, they are heavy, you don't unclip them till the turret hoist is ready.

[Char-Gar]

My dad was aboard USS Arkansas BB 33 running convoys to Iceland before the War. He was present when Roosevelt and Churchill drew up Atlantic Charter in Aug 41. He transferred to USS New Jersey BB 62 (Plank Owner) Dec 43. Was in Navy 21 years. I've toured many battleships i.e. USS Missouri, USS North Carolina, USS Massachuetts. He was able to tour the New Jersey in California before it went to shell Lebanon in 85? Met up with some old ship mates while visiting.

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During that deployment (85) the NJ berthed in Haifa Israel for a time. I was in Haifa and saw her out in the water. A majestic sight indeed.