How I Homebuilt a Howitzer

By Will Dabbs, MD

Posted in
#Guns

Editor’s Note: The following article describing how the author made a cannon is intended for discussion purposes only. It describes one man’s project and can involve substantial risks. Follow all federal, state and local laws regarding the construction and use of this type of product.

We were some of those homeschool freaks. It was my wife’s idea. I was a hard sell at first. Nowadays, I’m a homeschool apostle. Homeschooling was one of the best decisions we ever made as a family.

Ever wonder how you would make a cannon at home? That’s exactly what the author did as a homeschooling project with his kids.

The teacher/student ratio in a typical good school is maybe two-to-22. In our school, it was two-to-three. Homeschooling let us go at our own pace and chase rabbits as we saw fit. We also had no problems with drugs, violence or bullying. All of my kids turned out swimmingly, and we had some incredible experiences along the way.

Our homeschool co-op hosted presentation night, wherein the kids would work up a project and then present it to the group. As we were unfettered from typical draconian school rules, we naturally built an operational howitzer.

DIY Components for Making a Cannon

I sourced the barrel for a down-sized Napoleon howitzer online for not too much money. The wheels were rubbish from Harbor Freight. The kids and I crafted the carriage. The end result produced a muzzle blast that would part your hair from across the yard.

cannon barrel used in the construction of this home made blackpowder artillery piece — A cannon barrel is integral to the making of a project like this. While a few readers probably have the skill to smith one, most people are likely better off buying one locally or online.

The barrel is the tough bit. We found ours online from a company that does not seem to be in business any longer. Back two decades ago, it set me back around $200. This beast is formed from cast iron with a steel liner. Similar tubes are available online today at fairly reasonable cost. Google is your buddy. Be careful when selecting a barrel — you shouldn’t assume that just any pipe would make for a safe cannon.

Our cannon barrel is 23” long and is shockingly heavy. To make ammo, we take steel bar stock and cut it into slugs using a cutoff wheel on the table saw. The barrel came without a flash hole. We sited that with a center punch and bored it with the drill press.

Amish made cannon wheels used on the authors home made cannon — When the original wheels proved too poor a quality, the author’s wife gifted him a set of Amish-made wheels that have proved to be of exceptionally good quality.

We were stone-cold broke, so we sourced a cheap pair of decorative wagon wheels from Harbor Freight Tools. These looked great, but they were absolute trash. My sweet wife later gifted me a nice pair of Amish-made wheels she found on eBay for Christmas.

The Homemade Carriage

We trekked to the military park at Vicksburg, Mississippi, to sketch the gun carriages and obtain some dimensions. The barrels on all of those old cannons are original, but the carriages seem to be some sort of newly made, weatherproof replacements.

cannon trail in how to make a cannon article — Much of the cannon can be made with materials from the local hardware store. Time, patience and hand tools made up the balance of the project.

The main part of the trail began as a piece of 4×4 fence post from Home Depot. The side walls and the crosspiece were formed from 2” white pine grossly cut to shape and then finished by hand. We secured everything with lag bolts.

We formed the hardware by hand with a hammer. The top straps began as steel stock from Home Depot. We just gradually pounded them into shape using a vise as an anvil. Our predecessors built the pyramids with simpler tools. This process requires a great deal more patience than talent.

Particulars

We crafted a ramrod out of a length of dowel. A 10-gauge shotgun component mounted on the end of another wooden dowel became the bore swab. Large-bore screw eyes hold each in place on the sides.

retaining straps for cannon barrel — The retaining straps for the author’s cannon barrel were fitted using a ball peen hammer and some elbow grease.

It would be easy enough to fire this gun using a commercial waterproof cannon fuse. You can find that online. For serious cool points, however, you’ll want to use a lanyard. Bodging together the firing system was not a challenge, and we have yet to experience a misfire.

lanyard fired ignition system for home made black powder cannon — A simple lanyard-fired ignition system on the author’s cannon proved to be both reliable and safe for many years of use.

We used a hand tap to thread the flash hole to accept the nipple from a muzzleloading musket. We then took a piece of scrap steel and fashioned a hammer with a groove on the bottom for the cord. A bit of sheet steel formed a shroud. Another scrap beaten to shape produced the mounting brackets. We crafted all of this stuff with nothing fancier than a Dremel tool and elbow grease.

To affix the firing assembly to the gun, we harvested one of my son’s old leather belts. We cut it to length, punched a hole to accommodate the new diameter, and riveted the mechanism in place using a cheap hand riveter from Harbor Freight. The rear bolster makes a great place to wrap the lanyard when not in use.

It Is Alive!

We painted the barrel with flat black barbecue grill paint and finished out the carriage with wood stain. The end result is about the size of an undercounter dishwasher and will barely fit through a standard doorway if you angle the wheels just so and shimmy it a bit. The gun is a two-person lift to get into the back of a pickup truck.

large bolt and nut for elevation adjustments — A large bolt and nut work extremely well for elevation adjustments. Knowing your target is every bit as important with a homemade cannon as it is with a modern firearm.

This is an eminently serious contrivance. Treat it with the same respect you might any live firearm. The manual of arms is identical to that of a really big muzzleloading rifle. Be sure to swab out the bore between loads to ensure no errant sparks remain.

ramrod and swab for home made cannon — A ramrod and barrel swab are important parts of the cannon. Swabbing the barrel after each firing ensures no sparks remain when packing a fresh load.

We typically measure out the powder charges and wrap them in paper in advance. We then poke a hole in the back prior to loading. The entire process from load prep to rounds downrange is an educational opportunity.

projectiles for homemade cannon — The author’s cannon is capable of firing a broad variety of types of projectiles. Note the percussion caps.

Once everything is charged, have everyone stand well clear, retract the hammer, and put a flanged musket cap in place on the nipple. As there have always been children present who were rabid to do the deed, I have yet to actually fire this gun myself. Touching it off at dusk creates a fireball the size of a car tire along with some impressive recoil. The combustion can make a loud boom. Bring plenty of ammo. The kids will not want to quit.

homemade cannon penetration oak tree — Just because you make it at home doesn’t mean it is a toy. A cannon like this should be treated with a great deal of respect. It will bury projectiles in stout hardwood trees.

This gun will shoot anything you can safely stuff down its gullet. Dixie cups filled with BBs and sealed with duct tape create a very effective grapeshot analog.

Ruminations

You never hear old people complaining that they wish they had spent less time with their kids. I can tell you from personal experience, your children will only be young for about 15 minutes. Before you turn around twice, they’ll be off to college and gone forever. You need to maximize every opportunity to be with them, even when you’re exhausted, distracted or broke.

author cannon made at home in how to make a cannon article — Although smaller than the original Napoleon howitzers, the author’s homemade howitzer provides a great deal of fun.

I built a functioning scale howitzer on the cheap for less than the cost of a typical centerfire pistol. Add a couple of decent wheels and clean it properly, and you can pass the thing down to your grandchildren. If you set it up in the corner of your man cave, living room or office, expect more spirited conversation than you can stand.

firing a blackpowder cannon made at home — If you have a homemade cannon, be prepared to make a lot of new friends who will want to try it out with you.

Do not bring this cannon out to the range if you are an introvert. A homebuilt live-firing down-sized Napoleon howitzer becomes the absolute center of attention anyplace it is unlimbered. You’ll make more friends than you can manage.

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