[Don Halter]

I had to try out some new software to convert my 8mm video to digital. I made a realvideo file and uploaded it to youtube.com.

This was this past weekend out in Arizona in the boonies. It's my 1.1" gonne with 140 gr Fg powder and a 3oz lead ball being shot at 40 yards.

It lost a lot of resolution between several different conversions. Nexy one I'll do as a mpeg3 instead of realmedia. Nice cannon sound, though! ....my wife kinda jumped a bit holding the camera when it went off as well!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd7IgpS5tOI

I've been doing quite a bit of testing with different loads and projectiles. I've actually been shocked at the accuracy of this one, even out at around 75 yards. I have quite a few more in works in different calibers up to a 6" bore burgundian peice...copies of museum pieces. Those will be fun to test as well. Eventually I'll make my own powder as well.

I plan on setting up a few webpages with info on ballistics for these early firearms. I always here the armchair experts stating that anything past 50 feet is hard to hit based on the innacuracy of these. That's crap. I've shot unpatched .75" steel projectiles out of the 1.1" bore which I know generated a lot of wobble and could still hold a 24" group at 60 yards. With a properly fit ball, it's closer to 6". If I had real sights as opposed to a tick mark, I'm sure this would be better.

Anyone else here messed with replica gonnes?

[Russ Ellis]

I have not messed with them but I find your efforts in that regard absolutely fascinating. Thanks for sharing. Where are you going to get your guano?

[Don Halter]

You can actually buy guano here at the ag co-op supplier. We have four colonies here at the university if were to really want to scrape it myself. I'll most likely just buy the KNO3 in bags and skip the terd-brewing, though.