Hand cannon from Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford

[pmel018]

Hi guys
here is a nice weapon of medieval mass destruction found amongst a small collection of firearms at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford.


Predictably there was no technical details or even some basic measurements
Museum label

From the butt end

from the muzzle

touchole area


From rough measurements I would say it is about 900-1000mm long, about 40-50 mm at the muzzle and around 100mm at the butt end. You can quite clearly see the way it has been constructed out of strips of iron welded together, at the muzzle the opening is nowhere near round. Brave man who test fired this
Regards
Phil

[pmel018]

Hi guys
anyone in NZworking with early gunpowder weapons???
Phil

[Gaius Drustanus]

That would be Stu.

[NigelT]

We have a couple in Wellington at least as well - Quentin and Andy.

[Stuart]

Hello Phil,

I am the cannon man here in New Zealand. In the early 90`s ( UK ) I was one of the people who pioneered cannon at Bosworth and Tewkesbury.
I own seven guns, from a simple hook cannon to a wheeled 15th century piece. In addition I have an earthshaking mortar of about 4.5 inch bore.

What is your interest ? I seem to recall stories from friends who have said that legally owning any re-enactment gun in England now has become a leglislative nightmare, and that many of them had frequent problems with really stupid policemen, and Health & Safety officials who did not know one end of a gun from the other.

Cannon are not difficult to make. Feel free to contact me if you need advise.

[Frosty]

hey stu

did you hear that we are wanting to start a black powder gun guild.
im going to contact craig and i want to try and organise a meeting down here at the local rifle range for any who are interested in the black powder guns. there is a camping ground next to the range

[conal]

Hmm....At last, a use for the science grade carbon I rescued from the skip bin.

Cheers Phil,

conal.