Rainy day outside, so took some time to goof off and fire my pocket cannon. These are a hoot, they are kinda loud and fill the yard with smoke. If loaded correctly it can penetrate a soda can from 2” away. No practical use but just for fun. My understanding is this particular cannon can be loaded all the way with powder and loaded with a ball bearing without harming the cannon. I use TP to get a good seal around the projectile. I clean every four or five shots. Lots of smoke and noise I fired the same ball bearing 3 times because it landed next to the cannon. Lots of powah.
Pretty neat little unit! More of a noise and fire maker than cannon though. But what's not to like about noise and fire? Some wag around here had a miniature civil war mortar that fired soda pop cans filled with cement. He used a powder measure made from a 45-70 cartridge. Same as yours, lots of fire and smoke but it lobbed those cans easily a couple hundred yards with fair repeatability.
That gets my inner child giddy I started making one of these years ago but never finished it, just made a base with some spoked wheels to make it look like field artillery. What size ball bearing is that?
There are some on the market I’d like to get but it’s hard to justify for just lolz. Traditions makes reproductions of historical cannons. I can justify hunting rifle or saw but it’s truly just for having a laugh. That would be sweet to make one, I for one have zero of the skill sets to accomplish such a feat.
