# Smaller Cannons



## dlane (Sep 12, 2015)

Got some brass , gona make me a cannon.  Picked up a 11"x 2-1/4" brass round , biggest drill I have is 
3/4" x 10"" should shoot wine corks's


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## bpratl (Sep 12, 2015)

Sounds like a fun project...keep us posted.


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## brino (Sep 12, 2015)

Yes, pictures too please!
-brino


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## dlane (Sep 13, 2015)

Got a little done on it ,the brass  bore ID .786 x 9" reemed , it's 11" long , it's about 10 # now, here's what I have to work with, it doesn't need to look old  or anything it just needs to go _boom a bunch .
Paint is drying on 3/16 x 1 /1/2 " strap rolled with 5/8 axils gusset welded  " forget the name for it "  it clamps into around the barrel . Gona use the black wheels, aluminum frame , more to come , any advice appreciated .                  don't know why italics are on
Thanks_


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## dlane (Sep 14, 2015)




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## dlane (Sep 15, 2015)

Getting there, all that's left is fuse hole and front sight , ram rod ,I already have 10' cannon fuse and 4lbs of pyrodex it is fffg equivalent, that's kinda why I built a cannon to use it up ,
it came with me from Arkansas. Anyhow I'll be loading to this chart for .750 bore I'll start low.
Should work good for a small cannon


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## bpratl (Sep 15, 2015)

Great job, now we need to see a video of it's first firing.


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## Terrywerm (Sep 15, 2015)

Very nice work on your cannon! It should provide plenty of fun and excitement.

I do not mean to be a naysayer, but safety is of the greatest importance here, and I would not go by that chart as it is for powder of a larger granule size, probably 1F judging from the curve shown there, possibly for 2F but I doubt it. That chart is also for grains of weight, which is a different measurement than grains of volume as is usually used for the F grades of powder. For the bore size that you have you should be using 1F, but you can get by with 3F if you use a smaller load. Remember that 3F will generate far greater pressures and will burn much faster than 2F or 1F. The smaller the granule size, the faster it burns.
As for caliber and how much powder to use, the general rule of thumb is as follows (measuring by volume):
Bore size less than .50, use 3F. Use 1/2 the caliber as a good place to start. (EX: Caliber is .44, start with 22 grains.)
Caliber of .50 to .70, use 2F. Use the caliber as a good place to start (EX: Caliber is .58, start with 28 grains)
Bores of .70 up to about 2"  use 1F.  Caliber times 1.5 is a good place to start (EX: Bore is 1", start with 150 grains

If I were you, I would start at 35 or 40 grains with 3F due to the diameter of the bore. That will be enough to make quite a show. Make sure you aren't standing behind it when it goes off. I definitely would not fire 100 grains of 3F out of that brass barrel, at least not without being behind some sort of shrapnel proof barrier.

You can fire a small charge from a muzzleloader (or cannon) hundreds of times, but you can fire too big a charge only once.


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## dlane (Sep 15, 2015)

Thank you terry are you a cannoneer, I will keep all of what you wrote in mind when firing it off.
The pyrodex p  fffg I have had for several years , don't have muzzle loader anymore , I just have center fire weapons now , and reload for those. Planning on shooting tp for now but might make a mold for .750 and cast something prob aluminum. I joined GBO site for info and sent a pic they liked it for a modern cannon they say it's an advanced design.


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## Terrywerm (Sep 17, 2015)

I have dabbled with cannons for a very long time, and also do quite a bit with muzzleloaders. I am also a National Board certified muzzleloading instructor within the 4-H Shooting Sports program. In addition to working with the youth, I also train other adults to be instructors for the kids. All of the cannons that I have made have been steel, with a 7/16" or 1/2" bore. I currently have one planned that will be a .70 or .80 caliber, also made from steel. I also want to build a golf ball mortar, but it is lower on the priority list right now.

I assume that you mean Gray Beard Outdoors when you refer to the GBO site. I am familiar with it and read through it from time to time. You might want to check with them for their recommendations on powder for your cannon. I suspect that most will roughly concur with the powder recommendations that I mentioned.

Good luck with your test firing, it ought to be a blast! (Pardon the pun)


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