Signal Cannon

[lakeparkv8]

I am familiar with cannons but no expert! Seeking some advise about this cannon I recently purchased. Does anyone know anything about it? Maybe a kit, maybe a yacht, maybe just homemade. However it is old, that I can determine. It weighs around 18.4 pounds with the carriage. muzzle is 1.760 with a .888 bore. Breech is 2.824 and overall length of the barrel is 10.875 - 11.0 inches. Hard to measure as is. Any help would be very much appreciated! Please look at the pictures and let me know what you all think,
https://imgur.com/5O4GjRx
https://imgur.com/Tg6aA7i
https://imgur.com/YBWwvN6
https://imgur.com/catQNnP
https://imgur.com/d1hURat
https://imgur.com/qFbdhmL
https://imgur.com/jUH5o80

[NyFirefighter357]

I don't know but now I want one. Is it bronze or cast iron? It needs some TLC & it will look great.

[lakeparkv8]

I don't know but now I want one. Is it bronze or cast iron? It needs some TLC & it will look great.

It is awesome NyFirefighter! I don't know if it will hurt the value of it or not but your right, it will look spectacular with a new white oak carriage and all polished up. It is solid brass from what I can tell.

[Winger Ed.]

The barrel looks cast. The carriage is more nearly home made.
To just pick up the phone and order one, that barrel will get to 3-4 hundred dollars pretty quickly.

From looking at how stout it is, and the hoop to keep the muzzle from jumping:
It's not just a signal cannon. Its the real deal, and meant to fire a lead ball.

The guys that fire those usually use Lead salmon weights (about 2-3 ounce) they cast themselves or buy.

With a 1/2-3/4 (or so) ounce charge of single 'F', it'll launch one about a mile.

For a true replica base that you can build yourself, look at Naval cannon from the 18th century,
or coastal defense batteries from the 17th-18th centuries..
The proper Oak lumber for them can be ordered from saw mills in the Carolinas.

[lakeparkv8]

The barrel looks cast. The carriage is more nearly home made.
To just pick up the phone and order one, that barrel will get into 4 digits pretty quickly.

From looking at how stout it is, and the hoop to keep the muzzle from jumping:
It's not just a signal cannon. Its the real deal, and meant to fire a lead ball.

The guys that fire those usually use Lead salmon weights (about 3 ounce) they cast themselves or buy.

With a 1 ounce charge of single 'F', it'll launch one about a mile.

For a true replica base that you can build yourself, look at Naval cannon from the 18th century,
or coastal defense batteries from the 17th-18th centuries..
The proper Oak lumber for them can be ordered from saw mills in the Carolinas.

Thanks Winger Ed! I will try to find a similar barrel and get an idea for a new base. So you think Salmon fishermen may have used this?

[Winger Ed.]

So you think Salmon fishermen may have used this?

Probably not. They tend to use gill nets.
It was other folks that learned they could 'repurpose' the weights that go on the bottom of them.

[Eddie2002]

Oh that cannon is cool, have always wanted a full sized one. I've seen just a 1 1/2 inch cast barrel go for over $500.00. The 4th of July is coming up (wink, wink)

[lakeparkv8]

Oh that cannon is cool, have always wanted a full sized one. I've seen just a 1 1/2 inch cast barrel go for over $500.00. The 4th of July is coming up (wink, wink)

Eddie I love cannons! I bought this one with the intent to sell it. The more I look at it the more I want to keep it! LOL I want to restore it and fire it before it goes anywhere though.

[Winger Ed.]

I want to restore it and fire it before it goes anywhere though.

Get over to Graybeards Outdoors. They have forum there just for cannons and mortars.
You'll learn a lot about the proper way to restore and fire it.
I couldn't have built my bowling ball mortar without their help.

[lakeparkv8]

Get over to Graybeards Outdoors. They have forum there just for cannons and mortars.
You'll learn a lot about the proper way to restore and fire it.
I couldn't have built my bowling ball mortar without their help.

I will head over there, I forgot about them. That mortar is a work of art, I need one of those!

[LUCKYDAWG13]

Get over to Graybeards Outdoors. They have forum there just for cannons and mortars.
You'll learn a lot about the proper way to restore and fire it.
I couldn't have built my bowling ball mortar without their help.

They make them for golf balls too

[Winger Ed.]

I will head over there, I forgot about them. That mortar is a work of art, I need one of those!

Thanks. It is a good conversation piece...…….. and it's still over on Swapping and Selling...….
The folks over there will be more than glad to help ya too.

[Eddie2002]

Here's one that I built a few years ago, it's a model of a 1700's British 24 pounder and is .54 caliber.
Won the raw casting on flea bay and did all the turning on my South Bend heavy 10. The carriage is made out of a slab of cocobolo.

[wch]

It looks "yachtish" to me.

[bedbugbilly]

The muzzle looks pretty rough to me. If I was thinking about shooting it - blank or with projectile, I think I would want the bore and breech scoped to check for any damage/cracks/etc. I have shot full size 10 pounders as well as original siege mortars and scoping was a regular safety inspection on a yearly basis. It's a neat piece - just remember that regardless of what projectile is used . . . i.e.lead, golf ball, juice can with concrete, etc. - it's a projectile and you have no idea o the range it will shoot so be careful.

We had a "know it all" who built himself a bowling ball cannon in my area a number of years ago - had no idea of what he was doing nr the range of it. He got it done, put what he thought was a good charge of powder - not using cannon grade . . touched it off. It was on their family farm and the neighbors weren't too happy about having a bowling ball fall from the sky on to their property - especially since it went through he roof of their outbuilding.

Our group had two full size 10 pound Parrots - South Bend - one was rifled and the other smoothbore - we cast up our projectiles from zinc - conical with lugs for the rifle and round ball for the smoothbore. Many years ago, we were invited by the state of Michigan to attend "Artillery Through The Ages" - examples of artillery form very early through modern - live fire. With our rifle, we hit a junked out National Gurd pick-up at 1 1/4 miles which is just about maximum range - that was with a regulation service load/projectile. So now what is out there whee the cannon is pointed.

It's a nice looking piece - any idea of the history of it? Any markings on the muzzle or tube itself?

[Beeks]

I think I need a bowling ball mortar.

[lakeparkv8]

The muzzle looks pretty rough to me. If I was thinking about shooting it - blank or with projectile, I think I would want the bore and breech scoped to check for any damage/cracks/etc. I have shot full size 10 pounders as well as original siege mortars and scoping was a regular safety inspection on a yearly basis. It's a neat piece - just remember that regardless of what projectile is used . . . i.e.lead, golf ball, juice can with concrete, etc. - it's a projectile and you have no idea o the range it will shoot so be careful.

We had a "know it all" who built himself a bowling ball cannon in my area a number of years ago - had no idea of what he was doing nr the range of it. He got it done, put what he thought was a good charge of powder - not using cannon grade . . touched it off. It was on their family farm and the neighbors weren't too happy about having a bowling ball fall from the sky on to their property - especially since it went through he roof of their outbuilding.

Our group had two full size 10 pound Parrots - South Bend - one was rifled and the other smoothbore - we cast up our projectiles from zinc - conical with lugs for the rifle and round ball for the smoothbore. Many years ago, we were invited by the state of Michigan to attend "Artillery Through The Ages" - examples of artillery form very early through modern - live fire. With our rifle, we hit a junked out National Gurd pick-up at 1 1/4 miles which is just about maximum range - that was with a regulation service load/projectile. So now what is out there whee the cannon is pointed.

It's a nice looking piece - any idea of the history of it? Any markings on the muzzle or tube itself?

Thanks for the info bedbugbilly! I think it is cool too. I have no history about it other than the guy I got it from had it for a couple of years and has never fired it. He said the guy he got it from had it for many years before he passed away and fired it regularly. It doesn't have any marking that I can see at this time. May be able to see something when I clean it up.