Muzzle Loader Question.....

[Richard]

I think it's "original" in that some guy in (sometown) Indiana cast it many, many years ago.

I recall climbing onto their (swingset? Treehouse?) and using their zipline while I zipped across their lawn. I thought that was the coolest thing I had ever seen/done.

I don't want to damage anything (obviously).... don't want to damage the ball that's in there if I can save it. Dad said he shot it with a ball in it once and said it went "about that far" as he pointed to a neighbors house that stood maybe 100' away (he didn't shoot it in this area). I think he was let down with the performance of the shot. Said he never fired it again.

 

[r porter]

Blackpowder Mortar & Cannon

www.go2gbo.com

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

OP,

Any news on the progress?

I noticed in one post you said you were "99% sure" it wasn't loaded.

Then in another post you said the ball was "10 inches from the lip of the barrel".

Just make no mistake here, if there's a ball seated in the barrel, the cannon is "loaded", and should be treated as such.

Unless someone unsure of what they were doing seated a ball down the bore with no powder charge. When loading the cannon, the powder is inserted into the barrel first, then any wadding if used, and THEN the ball or projectile last. So if there's a ball in the barrel, there's most likely a powder charge sitting behind the ball.

 

[Wagtail]

OP,

Any news on the progress?

I noticed in one post you said you were "99% sure" it wasn't loaded.

Then in another post you said the ball was "10 inches from the lip of the barrel".

Just make no mistake here, if there's a ball seated in the barrel, the cannon is "loaded", and should be treated as such.

Unless someone unsure of what they were doing seated a ball down the bore with no powder charge. When loading the cannon, the powder is inserted into the barrel first, then any wadding if used, and THEN the ball or projectile last. So if there's a ball in the barrel, there's most likely a powder charge sitting behind the ball.

Wouldn't putting an inspection camera down the bore answer any doubts?

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Wouldn't putting an inspection camera down the bore answer any doubts?

No, because you won't be able to see past the ball in the bore to tell if there's powder sitting in front of the ball.

OP's already said he can see the ball in the bore, so we know there's a ball in there.

 

[Wagtail]

^^^
OK, I wasn't aware that the OP had confirmed that there was a ball in the bore.