OT--Winchester 10 Ga. Cannon

[Sixgun]

Fellow Shootists,
Check this baby out. These Winchester 10 Ga. "Salute Cannons" are very rarely seen as only a couple of thousand were ever made. (Some repros were made in the 70's, but don't count here ) These cannons were made for the "ritzy" people of the era for starting yacht races, 4th of July celebrations, drinking parties etc.

I don't have my books handy but I believe they started making these around 1898 and it was about done by the WW2 era. This particular one is an early one made at the turn of the century. (has the iron wheels)

They were made to fire the 10 ga blackpowder blank, which surprisingly, is still made by/for Winchester. Its not advertised, but when my buddy Tom got this cannon several years ago, he called one of his buddies up at Winchester, and they sent several new boxes down. We shot a few rounds out of it a while back. Boooooooooooooooommmmmm!!!

Anyway, its neat.-----------Sixgun

side view,
,

front view,
,

Back view (notice laynard ring for firing),
,

Another back view with breech open,

[2ndovc]

Always wanted one of those!


jb

[Rusty]

A local gunshop has one that must be one of the repros. It has larger wheels and is chrome all over. They seem much louder than something that size should be.

[morgan in nm]

My dad had one of them back in the early eighties but was talked out of it for the grand total of $25. Not too bad at the time because he had a grand total of $20 in it at the time. Its amazing the stupid stuff we do when we're young and when its too late to wish we had those treasures again.

[rjohns94]

very kewl, I need one of those on my boat!!

[Bronco]

Howdy & Merry Christmas,

Amazing what you can find on the computer! Check'em out here http://www.thecannonstore.com/

John

[Charles]

They had one of those at Boy Scout Camp (Camp Perry, Rio Hondo, Texas) they shot off every evening when we lowered the flag. Loud sucker as it always made me jump a little.

[gamekeeper]

I don't know what I'd use it for, but boy I would love one.

[Terry Murbach]

THEY USED ONE OF THOSE AT CAMP MIAKONDA [ BSA ] TO WAKE US UP EVERY MORNING. YOU AIN'T KIDDING ONE BIT, THOSE CANNONS ARE LOUD !!! WE LIVED IN THREE SIDED ADIRONDACK CABINS AND IT SCARED THE stuff OUTTA ME EVERY MORNING.

[ SO TELL ME SON, HAVE YOU BEEN TO PHILMONT YET ?? NO SIR, NO NEED, WE'VE ALL BEEN TO CAMP MIAKONDA !! ]

[O.S.O.K.]

I can't help but wonder if you can shoot standard shells in em....

Bet they have a restrictor or something...

[Sixgun]

I can't help but wonder if you can shoot standard shells in em....

Bet they have a restrictor or something...

Nope--no restrictor I can see. It has a normal chamber with a step in it. The breech lock on the back don't look all that strong and my guess, it would blow up with anything more than a feather-lite load.

Goota remember though--these cannons were marketed during a time when the average American had some sense and lawyers did an honest living. (well, for the most part )-----Sixgun

[cas]

They have one at the university, they use it to start the heats in the annual cardboard boat race. You want to see people jump when that thing goes off and they don't know it's coming!

[Ben_Rumson]

Not nearly as neat as Sixgun's cannon but this Winchester Gun/Cannon (it has a lanyard) I'd wager is louder.. It's an 8ga Industrial Gun called the "RingBlaster"... Fires a 2oz pure zinc slug..I don't remember the MV but they had a 100gr of some kind ball powder under that slug...They are used to knock cement rings apart that build up in rotary kilns.. The action is a falling block type... Think Martini on steroids..The Barrel is about 2" in diameter..What your seeing in the pic is the gun sporting it's suppressor..They actually look more like a car muffler close up.. The cradle the gun sits in has a large coil spring for the recoil mechanism..The place I used to work leased 3 or 4 of them from Winchester .. Part of my job was to hoist them up to the mounts on the kilns when a ring or boulder needed to be blasted out..Then take them down for cleaning.. Hoppes by the quart!
The handle the worker is holding operates the the block.. Typically he aims, fires and ejects and an assistant loads...A good team can crank off mebbe 30 shots a min or more..Sometimes they'll use 4 or 5 cases of ammo..Complaints would come from other industrial facilities nearby if the suppressor wasn't used..

[Sixgun]

. It's an 8ga Industrial Gun called the "RingBlaster"... Fires a 2oz pure zinc slug..I don't remember the MV but they had a 100gr of some kind ball powder under that slug...They are used to knock cement rings apart that build up in rotary kilns..

Ben,
Those slugs HAD to have been dangerous to shoot. They come back at the shooter?---------Sixgun

[dr walker]

One of the local Shriner groups has one of those mounted on a pirate ship parade float. I always get a kick out them shooting that thing off as they roll down the road. You should see the crowd jump evey time that goes off.

[Terry Murbach]

THE LAST ONE OF THOSE KILN GUNS I SAW IN ACTION WAS A HANDHELD 8ga SHOOTING THAT SAME LOAD. THIS WAS IN A PORTLAND CEMENT PLANT OVER IN INDIANA.

[Ben_Rumson]

Sixgun...On the rotary kilns the port that guns fired through wasn't much bigger than the gun..maybe 6" on a side.. I never heard of any splashing back..But on one of the shorter 75 foot kilns a guys missed the mud ring and the slug went through 1" plate access doors on the back of the kiln and traveled another 25ft smashing into a 12" I beam leaving a dent.. well actually two dents.. He missed twice!.. The I beam supported the Kiln operator's control room.. The funny part is that the Kiln operator was the Gunner!.. After that a shield got made from two layers of 1" plate...It was made to put in place before the gun was even set up after that LOL
When they shot the vertical kilns, the hatch they fired through was about 2ft across.. Never heard of any splash back there either..But there was hell to pay if the gunner missed the sides of the kiln and hit the stainless turn table at the bottom 30 feet away.... knocking holes in it or bending it was a big no no.. The misery for me was when they hit the water cooled burner tips... Hot job replacing those.. 500 degree skin temp on the kilns.. Ever melt yer hard hat?
Edit: They had one of the hand held ones Terry... But no one would use it if they could get me to set up the Ringblaster.. In fact they were glad to wait for me!

[Bogie35]

I have ALWAYS wanted one of those! They get a perfect "10" for coolness!

bogie

[jd45]

Speakin of 10 guage cannons, IIRC Doc Holliday supposedly had a sawed-off at the pistol grip & forearm 10 guage Meteor shotgun he called his "street howitzer"........hung it from a lanyard under his coat, might even have used it at the OK fight. jd45

[kaschi]

That thing really is cool. I'm surprised no one has made a repro of it yet.

[Terry Murbach]

That thing really is cool. I'm surprised no one has made a repro of it yet.

IT HAS BEEN REPO'ED. JUST A FEW YEARS AGO AS A MATTER OF FACT.

[Ysabel Kid]

Looks like someone we know if getting ready to ring in the new year!

[Ysabel Kid]

very kewl, I need one of those on my boat!!

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