IndianaRog and the Temple of Steam

I purchased this beautiful handmade brass model cannon from a gentleman named John Joline and I couldn't be happier with it !!!   This specific model is his "Large 24 Pounder", referring to the weight of the cannon balls the originals fired. 

John's four cannon offerings are:
- Large 24 pounder (11.5 inches long overall like this one)
- Small 24 pounder
- Dahlgren Naval gun
- Yorktown Mortar (another I have purchased, visible a bit further down)

These cannons are functional works of art and I'm so pleased with mine I wanted to give John a bit of publicity at the same time I display it here.  He sells these four models via eBay under seller name:   thebandmaster  and direct from his own website:  www.bestmodelcannons.com

OR you can contact him directly via email:  jej1861@comcast.com

Back to the 24 pounder... a 1:10 scale museum-quality black powder firing model cannon faithful to the design of the original. 

I also opted for the 3 piece brass tool set, walnut ball rack and set of lead balls...all made to the same quality standard as the 24 pounder.

The 11.2 inch barrel is machined from solid industrial brass bar...not a casting, and it WILL fire the cast lead .56 caliber balls, so it's definitely not a toy.

The wooden carriage is made of quality American walnut and the metal hardware is solid brass.  The bore size is a over one half inch diameter and the model weighs a hefty 9.25  pounds overall. 

I kind of like the fact that it's 100% American Made of American sourced materials by an American modeler.

Overall specifications for this model are:

Scale: 1:10     Length: 12"      Caliber: .56     Barrel length: 11.5"
Width: 4.75"   Weight: 9.25 lb.   Toolset  Weight: .75 lb.

Though built to be fired, this one is too pretty and I want it to stay that way.  I have other lesser cannons and mortars for actual firing. 

The Naval 24 Pounder...a bit of history by John Joline

Two centuries ago, freedome of the seas was an empty expression unless you had the strength to ensure your freedom. In the early years of the United States, it was the Naval 24 pounder and the ships that carried them, that commanded respect for the new republic.

Privateers, Barbary pirates and British ships-of-the-line all learned about the severe damage that these long, powerful guns could inflict upon them.

American naval construction in these early fragile years was concentrated on building a class of frigates that were bigger, stronger and more heavily armed than the ships of other navies.  The U.S. frigates could outrun and outmaneuver the ponderous ships-of-the-line that could defeat them.

Any hostile ship that might be fast enough to catch the U.S. frigates would become easy prey under severe broadsides from the American ships.

The U.S.S Constitution (Old Ironsides), the vessel show abov e and from which this particular cannon was patterned, was one of the very first frigates to use the 24 pounders.  The gun arrived at it's name by the 24 pound cannon ball that it fired.  The Constitution carried thirty of these long guns as it's main battery on the gun deck as well as using them aft for stern chasers.

Typical of the American-made Naval guns of the period, the 24 pounder was lighter and had longer range than similar cannon used by foreign navies.

Ideally, the 24 pounder would be served by a gun crew of 10 to 12 sailers.  The casualties of battle would too often reduce this number, sometimes leaving no more than 4 or 5 of the original gun crew keeping the piece in action.