A tiny cannon

[fernando]

I have shown this piece the other day, together with another one in bronze, pictured from the seller's website.
Now i have acquired this one, which reduced dimensions are worthy of note ... i think .
Also worthy of note is the cared groove in the bottom ( hard to picture), making path for the match cord ... again i think .
The fire hole is placed very low in the rim, so that such groove has a 'natural' horizontal alignment.
I maintain the option to call it a cannon and not a noise mortar, following previous apreciation had by Michael, which i humbly subscribe.
Further coments and teachings will be so much welcome.
Fernando

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[Matchlock]

Hi Fernando,

No teaching here, just a comment.

I am glad to finally have found a very good and doubtlessly geniune piece which resembles much your cannon or handgun barrel. This I photographed at the Firearms Museum in Suhl, Thuringia, which had acquired it directly from the ruined tower of a nearby castle.

It is highly important for retaining its original oakwood full stock. The recoil absorbing ring hook drawn over the barrel at the same time fixes the latter to the stock. The piece is preserved in original 'untouched' condition overall, the bore is about 20 mm and much the same size as yours. The stock is drilled thru in two places. We know from other handguns, e.g. two pieces preserved at the Royal Armouries Leeds and a third at the Vienna Armory, all of which I posted in earlier threads, that the rear hole in the buttstock was for suspension of these guns in the armory, comparable to the stirrup of a Gothic crossbow. The forward hole may have served to receive an iron axis to adjust the piece vertically.

The overall length is estimated to be 60-70 cm, the length of the barrel ca. 10 cm.

On a formal basis marked by the hook drawn over the barrel, and by comparison to my earliest complete handgun made in about 1400-10 and modernized by adding a hook and firing mechanism during its working of ca. 1430-40 - posted here earlier - I should suggest a date of ca. 1430-50 both for the Suhl gun and your barrel. That was the period when hooks first appeared, and as I showed before, all of the earliest known hooks were not fire welded to the underside of the barrel but drawn over it.

Again, congratulations to your cannon barrel, Fernando.

I am afraid I cannot really explain for the groove in the bottom of your barrel though; you may be right in guessing that it sort of marked the way of the red hot igniting iron down into the touchhole.

Best wishes,
Michael

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Matchlock

... No teaching here, just a comment ...

So ... just a comment ... He, he, he

Here i go, swallow all the fantastic lecture and the material provided.

Danksche, mein freund .

Fernando

[Matchlock]

Sure, Fernando, my dear friend,

That's just the way it goes:

You present 'the real stuff' and next Michael comes commenting on and adding to it from his experience.

Didn't I do well ?!

Best, my brilliant pal:
m

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Matchlock

... Didn't I do well ?! ...

Obviously you did super, my dear Michael

One thing is confusing me, though .
The recoil hook being simultaniously the barrel embracing ring. How 'rationaly' is it holding the barrel?
When you shoot the thing, with the hook stuck on the wall (or similar) the impact is in a direction that tends to cause the dismounting of the hook ... if i make myself understood?
Fernando

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[katana]

Another cannon Fernando I think you should have a new nickname ....pouco canhão

All the best
David

[Matchlock]

Originally Posted by fernando

Obviously you did super, my dear Michael

One thing is confusing me, though .
The recoil hook being simultaniously the barrel embracing ring. How 'rationaly' is it holding the barrel?
When you shoot the thing, with the hook stuck on the wall (or similar) the impact is in a direction that tends to cause the dismounting of the hook ... if i make myself understood?
Fernando

.

Sure, I often wondered about that phenomenon as well. Does not seem too logical right away...

On the other hand, if you look closely at how tight the ring fits the barrel, as well as consider the fact that the ring was drawn over when red hot and naturally had to shrink when cooling down I do not think it would have been moved considerably by the kick back. On my contemporary handgun the ring is riveted so hard that, although having been in use for quite some time, will not move even most minimally.

Additionally, the pronunced muzzle ring both on your hand cannon barrel and the one in Suhl would certainly have prevented the hook from slipping off.

Best,
Michael