Author Topic: Maximum charge for a Golfball? (Read 1388 times)

rays89 · « **on:** February 01, 2009, 04:52:42 AM »

This is a hypothetical question. Due to my impact area for a mortar is 300 yards and less for a cannon. I cannot attempt to find out or I would send a golfball into the next neighborhood (not good) I know alot depends on barrel length. But I also know a goldball will expand by deforming under extreme pressure with the possibily of a bore obstruction causing very undesirable results. I figure tis would be an interesting topic. Before someone puts a very large load and finding out that they have a grenade instead of a cannon. Any answers?

GGaskill · « **Reply #1 on:** February 01, 2009, 06:14:21 AM »

We talked about this subject once before and, as I recall, we decided that since the force was being applied to the ball from all around the aft hemisphere, that it would not be subject to the kind of distortion seen in the slow motion movies of a golf ball being struck by a golf club. The other conclusion was that the ball would depart at such great velocity that there was little point in using the maximum charge since it couldn't be seen in flight or found afterwards. I would say that the maximum blank charge for the bore would be safe with a golf ball shot.

Double D · « **Reply #2 on:** February 01, 2009, 07:19:39 AM »

Switlik's book the More complete Cannoner has a chart listing maximum loads for bores under 2 inches. We have had that chart posted for sometime with permission of the Author in our safe loads sticky at the top of this forum. Refer to that chart for maximum load.

thelionspaw · « **Reply #3 on:** February 01, 2009, 08:46:18 AM »

Switlik seems to stop @ 1.5" bore & 500 gr. charge of Fg for a projectile? If I extend his curve, it doesn't seem to peak much more than that.

I don't see any figures for a golf ball size lead or real golf balls.

I'm trying to learn too and what I have gleened fom this forum is that a 01 lb. lead ball with 400 grains of "cannon grade" will reach 600 yards, whereas a golf ball will reach 300 yds..

Now I am not sure if these distance figures are for mortar or cannon or if they are correct.

Maximum blank 750 grains and maximum lead ball 400 grains in a reasonable cannon?

I don't want John Wayne moon shot figures. I'm looking for reasonable Sam Elliott cannon loads for 50yd target. Beyond that, I'd just be making noise.

If I were around here at this forum for years as some have been, I would be more knowledgable and wouldn't have to ask boring questions.

I do know this though: The dimples on the golf ball are there to break-up the resistance of the surface air and allow the ball to reach a greater distance. I don't know how and I don't care why.

GGaskill · « **Reply #4 on:** February 01, 2009, 10:02:25 AM »

200 gr of BP will throw a 2 lb cannonball sinker 600 yds from my little bronze Coehorn. So that should somewhat be a cap for a golf ball cannon since a 1 lb lead cannonball sinker will just fit most golf ball bores.

I guess part of the question is what kind of trajectory do you want for your 50 yd shot? 25-30 gr of 3F will throw a golf ball 50 yards from a golf ball mortar, but in a maximum range 45° trajectory. If you want a typical flat cannon trajectory, you will need more velocity, therefore more powder. I would say start with 100 gr of 1F and see what it does; then adjust for the desired results. If you are launching sinkers instead of golf balls, use Cannon grade.

thelionspaw · « **Reply #5 on:** February 01, 2009, 10:14:44 AM »

Thank you for the advice. rc

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #6 on:** February 01, 2009, 02:34:00 PM »

The real-life answer is to start rediculusly small and work up.

At some point you'll realize that 300 yards isn't going to be enough and it's time to stop adding powder.

I have 1-7/8" bore Napoleon that will get a half dozen golf balls to the 100 yd berm and bury them into it without being able to see any get from point a to point b. It didn't take much powder to do it either.

shotgun31 · « **Reply #7 on:** February 02, 2009, 04:30:55 PM »

I use a quarter cup of ffg or fffg in my golfball-size dahlgren boatgun, that's about 450 grains of black powder. An old machinist told me that more than that would "break" the golf ball, from his experience. I've never broken a golf ball, but haven't gone more than 1/4 cup of powder, either!

That seems to be a good load for me. At 1 degree I've gotten 7 skips on a lake's surface, and at 25 degrees, over 1500 yards to splash in the lake.
Shotgun

Terry C. · « **Reply #8 on:** February 02, 2009, 05:08:36 PM »

1/4 cup is WAY more than 450 grains. Over twice that.

In my opinion (and it's worth what you paid for it), you shouldn't be using FFFg in your Dahlgren.

I just measured out 1/4 cup of GOEX Fg. It weighed 924.7 grains. There might be a slight weight difference with a finer granulation, but not much. Also, measuring powder in this large cup is difficult, and glass measuring cups are not known for their accuracy. So you might get slightly different results in another cup.

Not saying your charge is excessive, just correcting the math.

Double D · « **Reply #9 on:** February 02, 2009, 05:59:13 PM »

FFFG has too fast a burn rate for 1.6 inch diameter bore and pressures are going to be pretty high. 500 grains of Fg should be considered just about Maximum.

How can you even see a golf ball splash at 1500 yards, thats just under a mile.

Measuring cups, thimbles and film cannisters are not proper devices for determing the proper volume of blackpowder propellants.

BoomLover · « **Reply #10 on:** February 02, 2009, 07:42:44 PM »

This is a very timley thread, since I Just today got my "Thunder Cup" from Dom in the mail! (Thanks again, Dom!) And, It's Golf Ball bore! Anyway, because it is at the vertical, 4 1/4inch high, 3 15/16inch dia, I'll have to make a mount that can hold it at a 45 degree, (or so), if I load it with a Golf Ball, otherwise, blanks will do. All the advice is great, and I'm ready to make some noise! I do have a digital camera capable of movies, so I'll see if I can make that function work. BoomLover

Victor3 · « **Reply #11 on:** February 03, 2009, 02:05:50 AM »

Quote from: Double D on February 02, 2009, 05:59:13 PM

How can you even see a golf ball splash at 1500 yards, thats just under a mile.

Musta been a 'super ball'. I find it hard to believe that a standard golf ball could travel that far unless it were caught up in a tornado.

thelionspaw · « **Reply #12 on:** February 03, 2009, 03:54:49 AM »

This is a perfect example of what this site is really best at, i.e. not what we have in hardware but what we do with it that saves limbs and lives.

rc

RocklockI · « **Reply #13 on:** February 03, 2009, 07:03:15 AM »

I've got some plans to splatter a golf ball onto a piece of cast iron .

Yea that's the ticket ! A black powder powered atom golf ball smasher . (ABPPAGBS)
Particals ,quarks ,netrenos , spectrums of wave patterns and OF course atom tracks .

Anything for science

.

The possibility remains that instead of a golf ball smasher , it could be a simple golf ball return device thingy. With much vigor

.

All precautions will be taken as not to become newspaper headlines ..."Local Stupid Man dead from ...well stupid cannon/ golfball tricks." Youtube proly to follow

.

I did find the golfball that hit a rock on our first outting . It looked as if someone hit it with a sanding block for a second or two lightly . They will be a worthy opponet ! gary

seacoastartillery · « **Reply #14 on:** February 03, 2009, 07:20:26 AM »

Remind me to set up the rarely used Plexiglass shield, a la Mythbusters, before you shoot, Gary. NONE of OUR stuff has any bounce-back potential! That's OK, just a little extra excitement at the prairie range. Like the Boy Scouts, you just have to be prepared!

T&M

RocklockI · « **Reply #15 on:** February 03, 2009, 07:24:26 AM »

I plan to hide like a Sissy behind your Chebby Suburban

dan610324 · « **Reply #16 on:** February 03, 2009, 09:16:54 AM »

hide ??

why not bring your old tennisracket and take it on volley when it returns

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #17 on:** February 03, 2009, 11:48:40 AM »

Quote from: shotgun31 on February 02, 2009, 04:30:55 PM

...
At 1 degree I've gotten 7 skips on a lake's surface, and at 25 degrees, over 1500 yards to splash in the lake.
Shotgun

Cool !
7 skips is about max - after that water takes over.

shotgun31 · « **Reply #18 on:** February 03, 2009, 02:59:11 PM »

You know, just hang tough on that load recommendation. I'm relying on memory, and haven't shot my first GBC for a couple of years. I KNOW the charge was 450 grains of BP 'cause I weighed it. I may have had a mind cramp about the 1/4 cup measure. That's what I thought it was, but I must have been mistaken--maybe it was a 1/8 cup. Modify my response--I use 450 grains by weight with a GB.

Still, that load gets 7 skips or 1500 yds (measured on a map of the lake). Heckaofa bang.
Shotgun

Terry C. · « **Reply #19 on:** February 04, 2009, 12:24:09 AM »

1 ounce by volume is 1/8 cup. The typical 1 ounce dry measure should throw a little over an ounce of BP by weight. This sounds more like your scenario.

As I said, glass kitchen measuring cups are notoriously hard to use as powder measures, and not very accurate.

By weight is best but not always practical. A measure calibrated by a scale is second best.

I have a thread on the construction of my powder measures, but I'm headed off to work and don't have time to hunit it out right now. I'll see if I can find it later.

Here is one of the photos from that thread. This measure is made from a copper "air chamber" and a file handle, and was calibrated by my electronic scale to throw 500 grains of GOEX Fg.

rays89 · « **Reply #20 on:** February 05, 2009, 04:03:42 PM »

I know sometimes I do throw in some off the wall comments. And this may be off subject a little. But it amuses me When I hear numbers like 500 grains or measurements like a cupful, When I am so used to reloading smokeless (45 acp) where the the difference between the max load and min load is only a half grain..

Terry C. · « **Reply #21 on:** February 06, 2009, 01:53:50 AM »

I know what you mean, I reload as well.

A lot of my reloading is done using a volumetric measure, and I get good enough results for practice loads. These are nowhere near max and it would take a significant metering error to result in an unsafe round.

Of course, the heaviest loads are weighed for safety. But it seems the older I get, the lighter my "heaviest" gets.

With 8 grains of Unique behind a 255 grain bullet in a .45 Colt, a 1% variation is only .08 grain.

.1 grain is about as close as a scale can reliably measure.

With 250 grains of Fg, 1% equals 2.5 grains. My 250 grain measure (the smaller one below, salutes use the 500 grain measure), if used properly, can achieve that degree of accuracy. And this is a safe load, with some margin for error.

I like (and prefer) to weigh each load, and I do when I'm preparing them beforehand. But I also take extra balls, powder, my measures, and some foil out with me when I go shooting.

You never know when the aliens will attack...

EL Caz 66 · « **Reply #22 on:** February 06, 2009, 02:35:49 AM »

Nice job making those grain measuring utensils. I would love a 500 grain measure for my Howie

. Don't you mean attack of the ZOMBIES?

Terry C. · « **Reply #23 on:** February 06, 2009, 08:08:54 AM »

Nah, buckshot is for zombies.

Killer aliens require heavier ordnance.

At least I can count on assistance from these guys (well, when they're sober, anyway)...

dan610324 · « **Reply #24 on:** February 06, 2009, 08:24:08 AM »

how often is that ??
what I can remember Ive seen them like that more often than I seen them sober and working

Terry C. · « **Reply #25 on:** February 06, 2009, 02:57:35 PM »

Quote from: EL Cazador 66 on February 06, 2009, 02:35:49 AM

I would love a 500 grain measure for my Howie

I searched out the original thread on the construction of these measures. I had to repair the photo links in that thread because the board no longer allows HTML code in posts.

Here is a link to that thread.