BP hand cannon

[foxhole]

67521Purchaced this hand cannon from Denver Duck (dont ask me why I just did it,things happin,lol) the bore is smooth and mics out at .5535 DIA.My Question is what DIA lead ball to fire out of it and what a starting charge should be.I had a bp 50 cal riffle years back and it seems it took a 50grn charge.Hoping some of you muzzle loaders would be able to help me out with some info ,thanks

[DODGEM250]

Was there supposed to be a photo ? and .54

[fouronesix]

I wouldn't start with 50 gr BP. More like 30-35 gr and work up. Since a smoothbore is less forgiving in PRB fit than a rifled bore and if it is a .5535", I'd try a .520, .526 or .530 plus pillow ticking first. Be best if you could find a few round balls already cast in a few sizes to try first then invest in a mold of the best size.

[foxhole]

I was also thinking of using small dia fuse to fire this instead of powder in the flash hole.

[fouronesix]

Yeow. Since you posted the picture, now I see what the thing looks like. No way to tell how it is made or what a safe charge would be. I'd be inclined to mount it in a carriage of some sort and shoot it that way. For sure start with a patched roundball and small charge. If it were mine I'd start with something like 25 gr BP. Yes, a fuse will work fine but treat it just like a miniature, real cannon.

[I'll Make Mine]

That looks like a replica of a "handgonne" from the late 14th or early 15th century. If it's a good replica, it'll have a smaller diameter counterbore at the breech end; the correct charge would be "homemade" quality black powder to just fill that counterbore. That counterbore makes these guns work better on slower powders (made without the press cake and corning processes) than they do with modern type BP.

These were also originally shot without a patch and used a ball with considerable clearance ("windage") in the bore; with your bore size, a .54 ball, unpatched, is the biggest that's likely to be correct and it might want something closer to .52 (the undersize ball was for ease of loading after fouling built up from several shots). Yes, the ball will roll out if you point the muzzle down; don't do that. This barrel would normally be mounted to the end of the pole around five feet long (goes under your arm to fire, supports the gonne while you load), so it's easy to carry muzzle up after loading. Traditionally, ignition would be via a slow match held in a linstock, applied to priming powder around the touch hole just before firing.

No, these would not be expected to be accurate, rapidly deployable, or quickly reloadable, even by muzzle loading standards (though you can make paper cartridges, if you choose, to speed loading). There is, however, an undeniable "cool" factor to having a functional gun like the ones in use 600 years ago...

[starmac]

What was they used for??

[waksupi]

I also have a handgonne, mounted on a shaft. They were good for scaring the bejeebers out of mass attacks in China centuries ago. Mine is pressed into service during the World Smoothbore Championships.

[Multigunner]

Before slow match came into use they ignited the charge with a red hot wire on a stick.
braziers with several of these heating up were stationed at gun positions.
Sometimes one gunner would have many of these guns mounted at a fixed angle so they could rain lead iron or stone balls on an advancing enemy.

The Chinese also used the "fire lance" which was basically a hand cannon make from a stout bamboo tube wrapped with silk cords and firing a rounded stone such as a river rock.

[drhall762]

Here's one for you.

6768467685

[KCSO]

The Charge depends on how long the stick is doesn't it??? I use 40 grains of FFG in mine with a 530 rb.

[I'll Make Mine]

What was they used for??

I've seen references to city guards (equivalent to modern police) using them back in the days of helmets with broad brims and high crests (say, 1450-1500 -- much later than that, they'd have been replaced by Miquelet locks, an early form of flintlock, and mounted on something that looked like one of the fancier Arabian rifle stocks).

They were more expensive (both to buy and to operate), slower, less effective, and less accurate than a bow or crossbow, but anyone could learn to load and fire one in a few hours. This was important when city guards were likely to be hired more for their willingness to take a risky job than for their skill...