THIS is a 3" Ordnance Rifle, which is the top picture in the article, but is mislabeled. Another fine example of American journalism.
Posted on 06/16/2012 10:48:07 AM PDT by marktwain
Ray Carr, a resident of Charleston, Illinois, builds and sells homemade cannons. His most recent one is modeled after an 1862 Mountain Howitzer, it’s fully operational, and it can be yours for the low price of $4,750.
Despite the high price tag and the obviously limited market, Carr claims that a bunch of people are interested. He told The Daily Eastern News, “Most [prospective buyers] say, ‘I’d love to have it, but the wife wouldn’t let me.’” We've all been there before. So, what motivates a man to build homemade Civil War replica cannons? The same thing that motivates all other gun lovers: he just likes ‘em. Carr has been interested in cannons ever since he was eight years old when he attended a Civil War reenactment. He recalled that they “were big and powerful and a lot of fun and make a lot of noise. Everybody jumped and ooh’d and ahh’d."
People are still doing quite a bit of ooh’ing and ahh’ing now that Carr has perfected his craft. He likes to fire blanks with a bit of coffee creamer. “Calories is calories,” Carr explained. The creamer adds a bright flame to the already impressive bone-shaking boom.
When he’s not firing dairy products out of his cannon, Carr’s other favorite ammo is cement-filled Christmas ornaments. They shatter on impact and don’t have a chance of ricocheting back and hitting the user. Carr asked, “Wouldn’t it suck to get hit by that thing?” Yeah, probably.
The great thing about a cannon like this is that it’s generally legal to own one of these things. It gets around the Gun Control Act of 1968 because anything modeled off of something constructed before 1989 counts as an antique firearm. So, assuming you’ve got five grand to blow and you have the world’s most forgiving wife, this bad boy could be yours.
Can you imagine how much fun it would be taking this to the shooting range?
It is not 1989, would that it were. The date is 1898.
What’s the going price for an 11 inch Dahlgren?
But then, journalism isn’t journalism anymore.
that and the fact that it is a muzzleloader. and muzzleloaders are not classified as firearms.
There are numerous articles on making this artillery piece.
This is most likely the M1841 version of the venerable Napoleon and was cast in bronze.
Barrel wight of 220lbs & with carriage totaled 500 lbs & shot a 12 lb shell.
Quite nice IMO
Yeah, but it is still Illinois. He probably needs a FOID card for possessing it.
I visited Barney’s Cannons in So. Bend back in the early ‘70s. He made replica muzzle loading cannons. Got an 1812 naval cannon replica (big and really heavy) about the same time from Dixie Gunworks and also machined a nice 1.6” bore cannon from really heavy wall (1”) steel tubing. They make lots of noise with a half soup can of black powder.
I wonder how far a guy could shoot a potato with one of those.
Tell the wife it's a lawn ornament, set it in the front yeard and plant a garden around.
Just remember to leave a little path through the flowers so you can to tow it out to take it to the range and to 4th of July events.
The French 75 mm field gun. (Canon de 75 modèle 1897.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_de_75_mod%C3%A8le_1897
Mauser C96
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauser_C96
THIS is a 3" Ordnance Rifle, which is the top picture in the article, but is mislabeled. Another fine example of American journalism.
Intelligent journalists is an oxymoron. :)
I would love to have one and the wife wouldn’t care, but the $4,000 prce tag is too steep for me.
Ah wants me one of them thar two piece cannons Suleyman the Magnificent used to batter the walls of Constantinople!
OK, Mon’s Meg will do! “It is said a woman was got with child in it”.
I guess I will have to settle for one of those PVC pipe cannon fired with carbide gas.
You mean I can have a 4.2 mortar?
A civil war mortar...yes
Not one that uses a metallic cartridge(self contained)
See my post #9. If you told her you bought it for her, you might still be married. And you'd have the cannon.
I remember that exhibit when I got to visit Caslte Edinburgh in 1992.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.