How many cannoneers on the list?

[capnwilliam]

Any cannon at all! Big field or deck pieces, as part of a crew? Smaller personal pieces?

How many actually shoot projectiles?

Mate Jan and I shoot cannon (powder only) : six pounder field piece at the Chalmette Battlefield.

I just a few days ago got a 1" bore, 1/4 scale model naval piece. I have to finish drilling out the vent hole before it's firable.

Would be interested in hearing from any of ye "big boom" lads and lassies! What sort of piece(s) do ye fire? What size? Iron or bronze? Projectile or just powder? Etc.!

Capt. William

[callenish gunner]

i have been a part of the fort macintosh garrison in pennsylvania for 23 years we have and fire a 9 pound field piece and a 6 pound naval/garrison mount we usually only fire powder loads since our range is in the town limits and we fire over the ohio river ....planning on getting a 6 pounder naval carriage this spring for myself

[Fox]

Bonaventure gunners working a small gun belonging to Lord Orkney's Regt.

Me (striped shirt) with a couple of untrained extras working one of the Golden Hinde's demi-culverins for BBC's Battlefield Britain.

My father (sponge) and I (worm) acting as crew during the inaugural firing of the Royal Armouries new Elizabethan saker at Fort Nelson.

We also have our own long Tudor era swivel gun (1.5" bore, 5ft barrel) which will be mounted on the bow of my skiff from next year.

Generally we blank fire (black powder and wads, but no shot), though I have done live firing. We rigged up some railway sleepers to simulate a ship's side and a telegraph pole and ropes for a mast and rigging, and put some dummies on the "deck", then spent a happy few hours firing different guns at them to see what would happen.

I also recall one occasion when my father managed to convince some Germans that he was really firing at a passing Dutch schooner from Mont Orgueil, Jersey. Well, it was the mid 1660s, we were at war with the Dutch and they sailed past. He trained his gun on them, did a big show of gauging distance and checking elevation and then fired. Naturally there was no shot in the gun, but they still went off to tell the castle staff how irresponsible they thought we were.

[capnwilliam]

Callenish, where is Fort Macintosh? I'm originally from PA (Philadelphia), but was not much interested in history or reenactment when I lived there; more's the pity.

Capt. William

[capnwilliam]

We also have our own long Tudor era swivel gun (1.5" bore, 5ft barrel) which will be mounted on the bow of my skiff from next year.

Generally we blank fire (black powder and wads, but no shot), though I have done live firing. We rigged up some railway sleepers to simulate a ship's side and a telegraph pole and ropes for a mast and rigging, and put some dummies on the "deck", then spent a happy few hours firing different guns at them to see what would happen.

I also recall one occasion when my father managed to convince some Germans that he was really firing at a passing Dutch schooner from Mont Orgueil, Jersey. Well, it was the mid 1660s, we were at war with the Dutch and they sailed past. He trained his gun on them, did a big show of gauging distance and checking elevation and then fired. Naturally there was no shot in the gun, but they still went off to tell the castle staff how irresponsible they thought we were.

Foxe, what loads do you use in that 1.5 incher? We generally shoot 8 ounces of powder in the Park Service's six pounder; sometimes 12 ounces, and yes, you do see and hear a noticeable difference.

I know I'll have to drastically scale down for my 1 incher. :)

How accurate was your piece with projectiles?

Those Krauts have no sense of humor!

Capt. William

[Fox]

Off hand I don't recall what charge goes in the swivel gun - it's me old man's - but I know it's incredibly tiny. Because the barrel is so long even a small charge gives a very satisfying crack (note to future purchasers of guns, barrel length is more important than bore when it comes to bang). I'll ask and get back to you - for some reason I keep thinking 1oz...

IIRC we used 3 pieces with projectiles, a 3pdr, 6pdr and a swivel gun with grape shot. I really couldn't tell you how accurate they were, the target was too damn big for missing to be a possibility, though I do recall that the gunner in charge hit the "mast" with a bit of chain so they must have been reasonably accurate. The most vivid memory is the dummies decapitated by the first 6lb round which lodged in the wood but sent 2ft splinters flying. Deadly. With the swivel gun we pointed it at half a dozen dummies at a range of about 15-20 yards I guess and let rip. Not one of them would have fought back if they'd been real people.

[Hawkyns]

Current count is 4 major pieces. A 2 1/2 pdr, a 2 pder, a 1 pder swivel and a 6 inch coehorn mortar. The larger piece has 2 carriages, a 15th c veuglaire and a standard naval carriage. Both are being rebuilt/replaced at this point. I'm changing the veuglair carriage to a culverin carriage similar to the smaller one in Gerry Embleton's "Medieval Soldier" book. the naval carriage is being replaced completely with a Dutch 3 truck carriage. The 2 pdr robinet is on an ECW field carriage and is my oldest piece, I bought in in '84. The swivel is on a pintle mount with monkey tail that I can either drop into a ships rail or use on a small carriage that I made up based on a similar one in the Artillery museum at Woolwich. The mortar confound me a bit. She's a coehorn, which makes her OOP for most of what I do. I do use her occasionally in 18th c, but since that's normally either battle or shipboard, there's not much call, and we we haven't got a bomb ketch, yet. I have her on a 16/17th c mortar bed, which does somewhat disguise the fact that the trunnions are at the breech instead of the middle, but I'm still not sure if that's the final incarnation.

All pieces are sleeved for safety. The larger piece, Cricket is somewhat unique in that. She was cast around a 3 foot section of 40mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun. Rifled to hell and gone. Makes for a nice bark, but cuts swabs apart like crazy.

I use all my guns whenever I can, which is frequently. Since I'm also the gunner on the Half Moon, I get to play with her 4 bronze 4 pdrs and her breechloading murderers. Firing a full broadside from below decks is a major trip!

Hawkyns

[Fox]

Since I'm also the gunner on the Half Moon, I get to play with her 4 bronze 4 pdrs and her breechloading murderers. Firing a full broadside from below decks is a major trip!

When we did the International Festival of the Sea earlier this year the opening ceremony involved a kind of tableau piece of HMS Victory entering the Battle of Trafalgar. Lots of running about the decks and cheering Lord Nelson etc. The finale was the firing of a broadside, using pyro alas, not black powder. When we went to the rehearsal the night before they fired off one of their pyro tubes from a gun so we'd know what to expect, and it was frankly pathetic. The following day we did the tableau and at the end they fired a full 54 gun broadside. The Victory, in dry dock, moved perceptibly beneath our feet and everybody's spine went cold... It'll never happen again I'm sure, and I'm damn glad I was there. :)

[HarborMaster]

Currently I have in my personal collection

1--- .50 Caliber old english naval gun (Bronze )

1--- 1" Bore 1/4 Scale Napoleon (Machined Steel and Blued)

6--- 1" bore1/3 scale 6 pounders (Sleeved Cast-Iron)

1--- 1 3/4" Bore Wild Imports HMS Victory Signal Cannon (Bronze)

1--- 1 3/4" Bore Old English 30" Swivel Gun Carriage mounted (Stainless/Nickel)

2--- 2 1/4 Bore - 55" 2/3 scale 3" Ordinance Rifles Naval Carriage Mounts *Not in field carriages* (Sleeved Cast-Iron)

1--- 2 3/4 Bore Coehorn Mortar (660 Naval Bronze)

And a small collection of brass fire cracker cannons.

Cannons are a problem.,and can be an addiction.

With proper therapy and correct guidance however your spouse may get past it .

[callenish gunner]

capt william it's on the ohio river about 30 miles downstream from pittsburgh it was a rev war site of what was then the western fronteer to stop the british from attacking the colonists from coming in behind the line from canada, saw some action but mostly from indian allies of the english ......originally proctor's artillery and later mad anthony wayne's ....the garrison was active until the end of the war of 1812 with a company of gunners (24 men & 3 guns) and a company of rifleman

it was where my father's ancestor's were stationed when they changed sides from being hired hessians to fighting for land and freedom during the rev.

i used to live a few miles away from valley forge so i was active at that time with the 1st pennsylvanaia rifles and with the washingtons crossing site where he invaded trenton on christmas eve and the encampments at the daniel boone homestead site northwest of philly

[the Royaliste]

Seven Iron Cannon.

six are U.S. carronades, one long gun.

one naval bronze swivel, numerous 1" bore weapons.

Live fire accuracy in the 800-1200 yard range (as good as our binoculars) projectiles cast cyclindrical cement. At our rate of fire, you would be bankrupt trying to fire iron or lead. An occaisional adventure in grapeshot(lead)

2 more swivels in the works.

[Dorian Lasseter]

As of yet, I do not own a cannon... HarborMaster has given me great hope that soon I will no longer be 'cannonless'...

I have, however, fired all of the cannons owned by Master Hawkyns, and a few others as well...

Hawkyns, do you remember Friedric? He built a 16th C. brass barreled robinette several years back... Had it ta Pennsic a few times... That is a beautiful Cannon, I have video of us firing it off in a parking lot across a valley, great echo...

I will say I get th' most enjoyment outta firin' his Robinette, and his Swivel...

I plan ta have a 4pdr brass barreled piece on a naval carriage soon as th' gods will allow...

[Captain_MacNamara]

Both blank and projectile:

44mm/1.73" bore Deck Cannon

Just blank:

.40 caliber miniature

.50 caliber miniature Naval Cannon

.60 caliber miniature Carronade

We had more, but some scurvey rat stole half our armoury a couple months ago. We're also getting one of the 1" bore Grey Star barrels in February.

[BatSpell]

Woo Hoo!!!

I Loves the sound of cannons going off!!!

It gets me blood pumpin!!!

-Deadly Drucilla

[Captain Jim]

So far I have four, all sub-scale.

My first was a .32 caliber all-brass (carriage, bucket, powder measure, rammer, swab and two blocks as well) naval cannon. It is jewel-like in its craftsmanship. It was made by Valley Cannon Works in Tigard, Oregon. If anyone knows anything about them, please drop me a note.

My next two were .45 caliber naval cannon, wood carriages and, oddly, rifled bores.

Next was a Napoleon Field piece, .75 caliber (anyone see a pattern here?) The barrel was plated and has since been painted black.

My next aquisition will be a scale swivel gun in 1.75 caliber sometime this year. Loaded with grape (rock salt in a canister) it should make an impression on that pack of wild dogs running on my property.

To anyone reading this who wishes to buy a cannon: Buy one now. Buy a small one (.45 -.75 caliber) for small dollars and learn the proper loading procedure and practice it on the small scale. Big guns cost a lot to shoot regularly and mistakes will cost you your hand, while a smaller gun can impress while keeping you in practice for when it is time to fire off the big stuff. Learn the dangers and follow the rules. Warnings and Object Lessons

[HarborMaster]

Capnwilliam Have you fired that Jefferson Armory yet?.., I looked at that cannon for quite a long time., that is a magnificent gun. It looks heavy in the breech and has a nice looking muzzle. I bet it packs a wallop!

[William Brand]

I do not own a cannon, but I have enjoyed the practice of firing a cannon.

[capnwilliam]

Capnwilliam Have you fired that Jefferson Armory yet?.., I looked at that cannon for quite a long time., that is a magnificent gun. It looks heavy in the breech and has a nice looking muzzle. I bet it packs a wallop!

I haven't; still have to finish drilling out the vent hole. Been too busy getting ready for the Battle of New Orleans reenactment, but I hope to be able to get onto that project soon.

Capt. William

[LadyBarbossa]

Alas... have not fired one. But I SO want to! Ooooh, how I be desirin' to do so! I tell ya... to me... standin' near a cannon is the most comforting sensation in th' world! I love the feel of the cannon's shovewave crashin' through ya.

One of these days.... I'll be learning how to fire a cannon. Ones ya see there upon the battlefield likes a 2 or 3 or 5 pounder at Rev War events.

Someday I'll be blowin' holes in the side of ... well.. ANYTHING!

[HarborMaster]

If ya be in the market fer one soon LadyBarbossa I will have one finished pretty soon with an Oak carriage and a lot of brass trimmings in a month or so. I have 2 I need to get to good homes. Both have a 1" bore and are easily handled (about 50lbs total weight) 35lb barrel.

[LadyBarbossa]

Oooooo.... you know exactly how to tempt a piratess, man!

Perhaps...