A Big Boom

[Kentucky Colonel]

I was asked to do a black powder demonstration and history lecture for a group of middle schoolers at a Renaissance Festival. I prepared short comments, borrowed a blunderbuss, and brought one of my flintlocks. I would shoot the rifle (sans ball), set off a small pile of black powder, and burn artistic patterns into wood using arranged black powder. 

I was set next to the HM Royal Artillery. I struck up an amiable black powder conversation with Robert Russell who was in charge of the cannons. 

That's right. Cannons. 

We hit it off and pretty soon I found myself with a surprise invitation to fire a scale version of the cannon from Old Ironside- the USS Constitution.

I discovered that I do not have the will power to say no if someone offers me the chance to fire a cannon. 

It was made clear to me that I was being afforded an honor. Only 5 people outside the HM Royal Artillery had ever been invited to fire one of these cannons. 

Boom! It was full daylight, fellas! This makes it look like we shot at night. We didn't.

It was an intense, surprising, and wonderful thing. Bucket list item achieved.

 

[RhinoDave]

One of the guys in my club builds his own scaled down cannons. I've crewed for him on a few occasions and they are indeed fun to shoot. This one is a 1" scale Napolean cannon.

 

[Buck Conner1]

Here's a match of shooting cannons between a group of North South boys that had just won 2nd place in a National Cannon Match and a group of buckskinners with a member's keel boat cannon.

Who do you think wins, Civil War guys, or the rag-tagged buckskinners ???​

 

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

I have been invited to come to a Ren Faire in February and join in for another cannon shot. If I can make it, I will. They say they have more and bigger cannon there. This is one of the pics they shared with me.

 

[Buck Conner1]

Cannons are fun to shoot, but very expensive for the ball and the powder - WOW.

 

[sqezer]

Looks like a lot of fun