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My Hotchkiss 1.65" Mountain Gun
- Thread starter Birdseye
- Start date
Birdseye
BOCN Contributor
The sighting is accomplished by a brass rear sight which is moved up and down in a hole in the breech. It is calibrated to 4000 yards and is an exact replication. You can see it better in the shot below.The front sight is simply a pin mounted on the trunnion reinforce.
My .223 Ruger has a longer sighting radius than this cannon.
It was "Packed" by 3 mules. The Barrel and wheels on one, the Trail on another and the ammunition on a third.
The print shows the gun in action.
I will not speculate on what the guy to the left is doing. <shudder>
My .223 Ruger has a longer sighting radius than this cannon.
It was "Packed" by 3 mules. The Barrel and wheels on one, the Trail on another and the ammunition on a third.
The print shows the gun in action.
I will not speculate on what the guy to the left is doing. <shudder>
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Birdseye
BOCN Contributor
No. That is the magic date, generally. In fact, Hotchkiss guns are not classed as destructive devices regardless of date. ATF made a ruling on that some time ago.
Birdseye
BOCN Contributor
A horizontal breech. You work a lever and the breech block slides to the right. You insert the shell from the rear and the slide the block back and secure it with the lever.
Falcon
Well-Known Member
I can see it now. What types pf projectiles could it use (solid shot? explosive? canister? etc.)?
Do you have the Breech Block?
Do you have any drawings of the rounds or real rounds you could show?
Birdseye
BOCN Contributor
There were case, HE, and base fused common shells. Winchester and Frankford Arsenal were the major makers, I believe, but evidentially UMC made primed cases.
The earlier cannon were fired by a friction primer and the shells had a diaphragm at the base to allow the flame from the primer in. The rightmost drawing shows a cutaway of this.
I just read the the wider band is later production (post 1894 since I read it in a document dated 1894). Interesting, I was wondering about that.
Just realized that I didn't comment on the pictures. The first projectile is a nose fused HE shell presumably from before 1894. The next is the same but post 1894 and the last is cannister. The cannister round has a UMC case and the HE round is Winchester.
The earlier cannon were fired by a friction primer and the shells had a diaphragm at the base to allow the flame from the primer in. The rightmost drawing shows a cutaway of this.
I just read the the wider band is later production (post 1894 since I read it in a document dated 1894). Interesting, I was wondering about that.
Just realized that I didn't comment on the pictures. The first projectile is a nose fused HE shell presumably from before 1894. The next is the same but post 1894 and the last is cannister. The cannister round has a UMC case and the HE round is Winchester.
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Birdseye
BOCN Contributor
That is correct, these are late model cartridges.
If you look at the diagram for a shell ignited by a friction primer (below) you will see that there are a number of holes thru the head of the shell. These are covered by a diaphragm. Then the primer is ignited, the flame forces it's way past the diaphragm and ignites the propelling charge.
Simple fact is that I have never come across the earlier shell. They appear to be transcendentally rare.
Oddly, the Frankford Arsenal casing that I have has weird stuff going on around it's head. Look at the photo (it's an inside view). It sort of appears that this may have been originally made for a friction primer but was retrofitted to be percussion.
If you look at the diagram for a shell ignited by a friction primer (below) you will see that there are a number of holes thru the head of the shell. These are covered by a diaphragm. Then the primer is ignited, the flame forces it's way past the diaphragm and ignites the propelling charge.
Simple fact is that I have never come across the earlier shell. They appear to be transcendentally rare.
Oddly, the Frankford Arsenal casing that I have has weird stuff going on around it's head. Look at the photo (it's an inside view). It sort of appears that this may have been originally made for a friction primer but was retrofitted to be percussion.
Attachments
Birdseye
BOCN Contributor
Short answer is yes.
Longer answer is that it would be tough/dangerous (maybe).
-First off, I have never seen even unloaded friction primer compatible cartridges. Really nice quality percussion cartridges are around at $250 a pop. I suspect that I will, eventually, get my hands on the earlier cartridge. I also expect that it is going to cost north of $500. So, yeah, one might get the ammo.
-The bore is a bit rough. I would not wish to be near it if it were fired.
-Because of the roughness in the chamber, cartridge extraction might prove to be challenging.
-One could, a la the CSA and their Whitworth guns, weld the breech shut and use it as a muzzleloader.
But in terms of packing it off and attacking the Spanish in the Philippines? No.
Then again, remember that John Browning made a lever action rifle fire full auto ... because he could. Anything is possible.
Longer answer is that it would be tough/dangerous (maybe).
-First off, I have never seen even unloaded friction primer compatible cartridges. Really nice quality percussion cartridges are around at $250 a pop. I suspect that I will, eventually, get my hands on the earlier cartridge. I also expect that it is going to cost north of $500. So, yeah, one might get the ammo.
-The bore is a bit rough. I would not wish to be near it if it were fired.
-Because of the roughness in the chamber, cartridge extraction might prove to be challenging.
-One could, a la the CSA and their Whitworth guns, weld the breech shut and use it as a muzzleloader.
But in terms of packing it off and attacking the Spanish in the Philippines? No.
Then again, remember that John Browning made a lever action rifle fire full auto ... because he could. Anything is possible.
Falcon
Well-Known Member
Do you keep the breech block out of the gun when it is stored?
As for firing it, i had in my mind making the ammunition, not using original rounds. Some sort of turned brass or steel casing with a lower volume than an original round (which would be the only option due to the fact that the walls would have to be thicker with turned brass compared to drawn). Shooting a cast lead or turned brass or copper projectile.
When the guns were converted to percussion, I suppose the hole for the friction primer was welded shut, and a firing pin mechanism added to the breech block?
Sorry if its annoying you by asking these questions, I am just interested in the gun.
As for firing it, i had in my mind making the ammunition, not using original rounds. Some sort of turned brass or steel casing with a lower volume than an original round (which would be the only option due to the fact that the walls would have to be thicker with turned brass compared to drawn). Shooting a cast lead or turned brass or copper projectile.
When the guns were converted to percussion, I suppose the hole for the friction primer was welded shut, and a firing pin mechanism added to the breech block?
Sorry if its annoying you by asking these questions, I am just interested in the gun.