Posted 13 years ago
fossilhunter
(38 items)
I picked this up in a swap deal. It's 34" long with a 2.5" bore. I cant find the wick opening, and suspect it might be a display signal cannon repro. It was supposedly found on Cannon Beach OR, by an old friend of his back in the 40's. It has some significant rust like it was buried and subjected to saltwater but I dont know. I have it sitting on a mocked up carriage that I threw together. I was thinking of displaying it next to a flagpole in hte front yard, but I just don't trust it will stay there, so for now she'll just dress up the shop. Always wanted one, bucket list #143 "check". ;)
This looks to be a mountain howitzer.
Thanks for the love mrmajestic1. From what I can gather online, the mountain howitzers were 4.62inch bore and up. The style and size had me thinking Verbruggen 3 pounder, used mainly during the civil war, but whats it doing out here on the west coast I wonder.
Wow....Great piece.
Thanks Jim
Thanks AR8Jason!
I need this.........think of the positive impact on my bowling score....say nothing of the effects it would have on the neighbors loud music.
As long as we have been such close friends, I can't believe you haven't offered to give it to me for the Heineken Regatta starting gun. I'm truly hurt! Of course you can always reconsider!
Thanks fhrjr2 and blunderbuss2. In those ever immortal words..."You can have when you pry it from my cold dead hands", LOL.
Well, I tried! Your conditions are a bit extreme, possibly risky & the venue makes it almost impossible.
Very nice piece. I wonder if you could have it xrayed to see if there is anything in it. cannon ball,coins etc. If the rust is not thick it may be possible to turn it down on a lathe to bare metal ,rebore it and be able to fire it. No projectiles.
Kollector the overall length of this without the lifting ball is 29 1/2", down approximately 19 1/2" there is a blockage. I tapped the thing all the way down and it has a hollow sound past the blockage so I figured it might be a ball, who knows. I edited the pictures to show the blockage and the severe rust on the end. X-raying would be cool but thats a bit of cash to have done. I've always fantasized that there was gold behind the blockage...it's nice to daydream sometimes...LOL.
Do be careful & listen to experience. In the '60's, I came up with an 1863 Ord. Rifle barrel that had something in the barrel that was solid(iron bar bounced back) but only about 2 1/2' long as I gauged. After a few beers 1 nite, poured a "little" Blk. pdr. down the touch-hole, screwed a bolt with a hole for a fuse in the copper sleeve & shot a hole thru my house. Took out the brick vaneer & a stud. Ended out to be an exploded but unfired base from an Absterdam's pat. 3" shell used to spike the gun. Have fun.