Cannon Ball Sizes

[oderlesseye]

Eye found this web site and thought it interesting and appropriate to share here...

All about the size of Cannon Balls

http://arc.id.au/Cannonballs.html

[HarborMaster]

A basic rule of thumb is 39/40. What ever the given bore size ..., divide by 40. Then re multiply by 39 and have your ball mold built there. for example. on a 1.00" bore ., correct ball size is .95 . This provides proper windage . Minimal loss of power (max velocity) . However this bore needs to be perfect and wormed wet mopped and dry mopped every time its fired. If the mold to bore ratio does not come out correct ., re manufacture ball mold until its right. we all know what happens if its too tight. Powder residue will make it too tight. The rulz must be followed to be safe.Always remember to use less powder in a cannon firing a projectile. The weight of the ball ramps up the expanding gas pressure in the breach of your gun 100 fold to a blank signal charge. UNDERCHARGE your cannon. There are formulas for proper powder to bore size ., however I cannot trust this info because the formula does not mention breech thickness or ball weight (conicals are heavier) . Blank signal rounds are notoriously over charged. Do not fall into the idea ., I been using X-Amount in my blanks ., lets try that with the ball. Please under load powder ., and try. Use a paper and pencil ., correct cannon grade powder and a scale to weigh. keep track of your loads until you get whats right for you. I have several cannon we have carved inside the carriage ., correct powder charge for a given gun., as guns are different. Cheers mate

[Commodore Swab]

A good guideline for breech thickness is that the breech should be equal to the bore.