Homemade Cannon - the Joy of Boom

Am Shooting Journal ^ | 3/12/2019 | R Cheseck

[w1n1]

These crazy guys built a homemade cannon using some weird scraps. Such as a frame of a Ford Model T and the suspension of a John Deere 7700, Scott Welker of Leg Arms made this real functional cannon.
The video, posted on Welker Farms Inc Youtube, shows these folks shooting at a number of different targets, including the side of a building, an old sedan, a preowned Ford Escape and some random junk. They mix up the projectiles, too, as they start with a whole size turkey before moving on to an actual cannonball.

Watching the turkey against the building is not a huge boom just the turkey getting obliterated. But, I doubt anyone expected it to do a whole lot to the building.
The cannonball was certainly impressive, firing straight through the vehicle a number of times and almost through the side of that building. Imagine how much energy is required to force any projectile through a wall of cinder blocks, and consider how close this one was to making it through. The Welker Farms Youtube channel focuses mostly on farming, so this had to be a stress reliever and a ton of fun to film. See the rest of this homemade cannon.

[Yo-Yo]

As long as you use black powder, there is no destructive device tax stamp required.

At least at the Federal level. Check you state and local laws.

[rlmorel]

Ahhh...typical boys at play!

[IronJack]

Looks like the breech isn’t sealing too tight. A lot of blowback.

Or maybe it’s just dust.

[riverrunner]

As long as it is muzzle loading one even could use smokeless.

[IYAS9YAS]

Imagine how much energy is required to force any projectile through a wall of cinder blocks

Yup. Cinder blocks are what I think of when I want to stop projectiles... Alrighty then.

[Buttons12]

The ancient Romans could lob a ball about a thousand yards with a catapult (ballista). Balls were made of clay or soft limestone that shattered on impact. Highly effective.

[hadaclueonce]

best thing about living out in the middle of no where, a potato cannon

[PreciousLiberty]

Homemade cannon aren’t for the faint of heart.

I remember a newspaper article after one Independence Day, detailing how a local had lit a homemade cannon, which then exploded taking off a large chunk of his head.

Unless there is a military emergency of some kind, I’ll pass. ;-)