Thursday, June 28, 2012

Mystery Item, Unveiled...

Well, enough folks guessed correctly the last time I posted about the mystery item that I figured it was time to let the cat out of the bag, so to speak.

This:


is, in fact, a literal handcannon.

Fred was the first to guess correctly. TomcatTCH also got it right. Old Radar Tech was the first to use the "correct" term (handgonne), but Ambulance Driver just nailed it:
Like someone took the Snubby From Hell back a few hundred years.
Bingo. Someone give that man a kewpie doll.

Spear, my *other* favorite gunsmith, was kind enough to work this up for me to show off his gunsmithing prowess and, I suspect, to give me something to play with that I've never tried before. I have fired a black powder firearm exactly once before - JD brought a smokepole to  one of the Northeast Bloggershoots a few years back that he let me touch off. This is about as primitive as a firearm can get - start with a measured charge of powder, then a patch to keep things in place, add a lead ball (.50", of course; although I think even the Bradys would admit that shooting down an airplane with a 4" barrel blackpowder cannon would be a stretch...), tamp down, stick a fuse in, and light her off.

I can't *wait* to shoot this, Spear. Thank you.

That is all.

4 comments:

Mopar said...

I thought I let you shoot a black powder revolver at one of the bloggershoots?
This year I'll have to bring MY black powder hand cannon; .50 single shot pistol, 13" barrel, with 70gr of powder behind the bullet.

chiefjaybob said...

Damn. And I was *CERTAIN* it was a buttplug.

Jay G said...

Mopar, I know you brought a blackpowder revolver to one or more of the shoots. I do not believe I ever got a chance to shoot it.

If you want to bring it this year, I'd love to have a "black powder" round at the shoot - heh, it's like guns through the ages; the cannon, JD's smokepole, then the sixgun...

chiefjaybob,

No comments from the peanut gallery... :)

Dave H said...

Fuse? I figured it used a touchhole.