Cohorn mortar

[RetiredArmy]

I want to buy a Hern Iron Works Cohorn mortar with the kit.  What is the deal with drilling the fuze hole and what kind of projectiles work best with this?  Where is the best deal for fuses and powder?  

Thanks in advance.

[GGaskill]

I have no direct experience with the Hern Coehorn mortar, but examining their website info on it shows it to be about 85% of full scale versus the "Full" scale they claim (14" length versus actual 16.32" length) and substantially underweight (80 lbs versus at least 125 lbs if bored to 24 pounder size and more like 160 lbs if full scale but bored to 2.25".)  This may be a good thing if you don't have an assistant or three to help carry the thing, as a full scale mounted Coehorn weighs in around 200 lbs.
 
The other major issue is what to use for 2.25" projectiles.  It's too small for beer/soda cans and Red Bull is too expensive to accumulate a lot of those cans.  Cast round shot are expensive to purchase or require special moulds to cast them yourself.
 
Powder and fuse are relatively easy to find.

[Cat Whisperer]

I want to buy a Hern Iron Works Cohorn mortar with the kit.  What is the deal with drilling the fuze hole and what kind of projectiles work best with this?  Where is the best deal for fuses and powder?  

Thanks in advance.

WELCOME to the forum, RetiredArmy!

There are folks here that will comment directly as to their experience with the quality of Hern Iron Works.  Look at our Sticky on "where to find ..." there are several listings there.  There are also a couple of threads just on fuses not too far back in time.

[GGaskill]

The best deal for powder and fuse may be local as the UPS "Hazardous Materials" surcharge has made mail order/web purchase of small amounts of powder substantially more expensive than it used to be.

[Terry C.]

The best deal for powder and fuse may be local as the UPS "Hazardous Materials" surcharge has made mail order/web purchase of small amounts of powder substantially more expensive than it used to be.

I dunno, depends on where you are.

Around here finding real black powder is almost impossible. Even 'Black Powder' shops don't carry it, just Pyrodex and the other substitutes. And if you do happen to find someone with some for sale, they milk the scarcity for every dime they can get. The last time I saw BP locally was about six months ago at a gun show. All they had was a few cans of FFg for $25 per pound.

I held off my my last order from Powder, Inc. until I was able to order a ten pound lot. It ended up costing $13.50 per pound after shipping and HAZMAT. That may sound like a lot to those of you with cheap local sources, but for me it was a bargain.