Having built a few mortars my daughter knows what I can do. She saw this at a pawn shop and took the picture. She said they paid $5,000 for it and were asking $8,000. First thing I saw was the size of the axles on the wheels and knew it had never been shot with any heavy loads. The last one I had would put a 16 pound bowling ball out of sight with 3 ounces of powder. Recoil is very high when doing something like that. The one pictured would never hold up under that type of load.
Yeah, looking at the welds on the tube I wonder how it is put together and if it should be fired at all...
My daughter said they fired it but only went a little ways. The last one I made we shot a ball over 1/2 mile.
I think you can buy a good full scale cannon from Dixie for a couple grand. I'd sure pass on this one.
The solid soft lead bullet is undoubtably the best and most satisfactory expanding bullet that has ever been designed. It invariably mushrooms perfectly, and never breaks up. With the metal base that is essential for velocities of 2000 f.s. and upwards to protect the naked base, these metal-based soft lead bullets are splendid.
John Taylor - "African Rifles and Cartridges"
Forget everything you know about loading jacketed bullets. This is a whole new ball game!
I do believe thats the Infamous Pawn Stars shop and if you want to see that mortar fire, watch the back episodes.
The Chumlee poster in the background gave it away.
Four years ago at the National Skirmishes, N-SSA. org you could buy a complete mortar and a set of balls (Zinc, weight/diameter matched) for $1200. About 5" diameter bore if I recall correctly. I was helping crew several mortars then. Quite a few are shot in accuracy competition and a few are big enough to require a hoist to get them off the carriage to set up. BvT
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| BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
| BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
| BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
| C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
| HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
| PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
| LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
| GC | Gas Check |
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