Field testing

[Double D]

Golf ball Mortar design.  Passed

Lined Vent hole.  Failed. 3/16 hole through a 1/4-20 screw is just too thin. Try 5/16-18

Windows Movie Maker.  learning.

[Cat Whisperer]

Shazaam!

Great shot - at the critical instant!

What kind of range are you getting?  Charge?

Brand of golf ball?

[Double D]

My powder chamber holds about 25 grs. of FFG.  The first shot was a double charge and take cover.  The Ball went about 150 yards.  Mortar survived.

After that  I was just pouring powder in from the measure and filling the chamber.  As long as I kept all the powder in the chamber I got a about 30 yards.  Any powder in the ball cone and the range was drastically increased.  This was an exercise to see if I had built the mortar right.   I used up all my FFG this evening

I had a bag of Salvation Army  golf balls and when I to Winchester I realized  i had left them on my desk, so I whip into K-Mart and bought the cheapest dozen I could find.

Playing with Windows Movie Maker tonight  I learned how to move one frame at a time and cut out the garbage and add sound. It's surprising how that fireball is only in one frame.

[CAV Trooper]

It's surprising how that fireball is only in one frame.

That's the same thing I found. My camera captures 30 frames per second and in every clip I made of cannon shots, the flame only shows in ONE frame. That's FAST! I figured it would build up and die down.

Really neat though to step through frame by frame and watch the progression from the first flash of the priming powder to a second or so after the main charge goes.

[John N]

I've found short barrel mortars provide a better chance of catching a second frame with flame.  With a cannon, more of the flame event is occurring inside the barrel. I have captured two frames of flame with a cannon, but it's a rare occurence.