Bowling Ball Cannon - Distance Test
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- čas přidán 25. 08. 2024
- Craig Beals and a team of friends shoot a homemade black powder bowling ball cannon to test how far a 16 pound (7.25 kg) bowling ball will travel.
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WARNING:
This video is only for entertainment purposes. If you rely on the information outlined in this video, you assume responsibility for the results. As with any experiment, proceed at your own risk.
You fired the last wadding shot at too low of an angle 26° degree. Range loss increases below 27° degree. The optimum range is achieved at ~35° degree angle due to air resistance. In your previous video the barrel appeared very rough & rusted, so you should sand it smoother & wax it. The ball is very loose & needs a sabot. You should be able to get it to go a ~mile then.
Um. Lemme guess. Former artillery guy right😂👍
Sound like a guy I knew who got on my ass for not knowing the twists of my handgun and rifle and the precise powder. I used my hand gun and rifle to protect myself and others. Irritating lol
DAGBY
🤣🤣🤣
Fuck yeah
Excellent info .
Real science.
Tell me what you think! What should we do next with the Bowling Ball Cannon?!
Thank you for watching!
~Craig
It's too late for this year, but next winter try to hit a frozen lake/pond!
More toilets
@@gregoryfilar1783 I agree!!! Definitely need more toilets!
Very fun and interesting and it got me thinking. I think you may be able to get a mile or more out of your cannon by finding out the best angle to use for distance. Maybe computer modeling would be of help in this regard. Anyway, thanks for a great vid!
I think it would be neat to hollow out a ball and fill it with powder so we can get a "tracer" bowling ball. Also maybe a 3d printed an aerodynamic projectile. Thanks for the vids I'm a new sub
My dad shot black powder for decades, a Polished and clean barrel is the key to get consistent accuracy. Shooting for distance is fun and relaxed, try to hit a object is very vary hard. Things like a few grams of powder less or over, dirty barrel, gust of wind, the holes in the ball in different orientations, getting the Jeep exactly in the same spot as the last shot. Great video very fun to watch. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching and for the comment!!
We definitely need to clean our barrel....
I’m Blown away that this channel doesn’t have more views, keep it up that cannon is sick!!
Thank you for the kind words!!!
blown away, get it, cannon, heh
@@hunterc_pe 😂😂😂 didn’t even realize I put blown away, shits funny😂😂😂
Wow! What a shot. Congrats, I'm looking forward to the next.
Thank you! I’m looking forward to the next one too. I am ready to shoot it at some stuff!
well, this looks fun.
Fun to blast big round things a half a mile away, but also, having the whole gang there just seems like such a good time for everyone involved. I know that when I was a kid, I woulda loved to have been on one of those chase dirtbikes. Heck, I would probably enjoy it now too.
It is fun for all ages!!
Thanks for the comment!
BTW, I looked it up for the charge needed for a 16 pound ball.
There is no hard and fast rule, but typically, you would use 25% of the projectile weight for Goex cannon grade or 2FA. So 4 pounds of powder.
That should get you over 1 mile at 45° elevation. (Maybe need a stronger pipe.)
Modify your cannon pipe for a touch hole. Pack the powder in a cotton bag, ram it down. Use cotton batting for a patch. Ram it. Add your bowling ball. Ram it.
Insert safety fuse in the touch hole after piercing the power charge bag. Use enough for at least 10 seconds or more to retreat to a safe distance. Light fuse and RUN to safety.
Thank you for all the great info!
I agree that I need a different pipe if we are going to go over a mile with a 16 pound ball. It needs to be longer and reinforced and the diameter needs a snug fit with the ball.
Look
45 degrees, 2ft longer barrel, aluminum foil wadding, 2 lbs powder... will easily get you a mile.
Great Videos!
I’ve never thought of using aluminum foil for wadding! That is a great idea!
Thanks!
It is super critical, when shooting Blackpowder from any tube, from pistol to cannon, that there be as near a ZERO air gap between the charge and sabot/projectile as possible. Any air gap creates a shockwave induced over-pressure that can turn the very stoutest barrel into a pip boom.
Thank you for the info!
New subscriber, thanks to the collaboration with the Slo-mo guys and How Ridiculous.
Thank you for the sub!!!
I am honored that you came here after watching their videos - it has been such an amazing thing to be a part of!
Wadding was the right idea ,, but the 26 degree angle of attack wasn't , the 45 degree angle was better for range
Good wholesome family fun. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
The most efficient angle is 45 degrees of elevation. The last shot was 26 degrees.
I agree!
Ohhhh boy. This, is gonna be good.
I hope so! 🤞🤞
@@BealsScience you don't need wadding... you need a sabo.
@@HopefulPessimist I should definitely build one and see how well it works!
Hey, just got here from How Ridiculous. Looking forward to more videos. Now I'm a subscriber
I am glad you found your way over here!
Thanks for the sub!
Needs more views . The lord bowling ball cannon is pleased .
Thank you!!
All you'd need is the muzzle velocity, ball drag coefficient, and local weather conditions and with a ballistic calculator you could factor the best barrel angle to achieve the most distance per a given charge.
Thanks for the tip!
@@BealsScience Ballistics is a great interest of mine, but I'm more used to small arms information than bowling balls Hahaha
theres a guy on here that has hit 3 miles with his bowling ball canon
Awesome!
Can you share a link? I’d love to see it.
If it's those dudes at an old mine linked here: czcams.com/video/kxj7n-M-IYE/video.htmlsi=UmN7j5qVCze-CCn9
I think it's clickbait, they have no idea where it landed and for me the barrel is too short to get that distance...this setup is better all round than what they had.
Would be cool to see you guys blast a capped 55 gallon drum of water. Like your other vids, this one was excellent!
I like that idea! I thought some 5 gallon paint buckets in slow motion could be pretty cool too!
@@BealsScience Maybe instead of paint, use some gravy? It's almost the same consistency and wouldn't be a problem to leave on the ground, as opposed to having to clean up a paint spill. I just checked and you can get gravy in 5 gallons for about $66 USD. So, probably cheaper than paint as well.
I was going to ask about the wadding, but i figured id let it play and, as expected, you gave the answer i thought you might. Excellent video!👍
Thank you!!
Proper wadding is not a rag stuffed into the barrel on top of the powder charge. You have to wrap the projectile in the wadding, only to the length of the projectile. No excess wadding needed. At the same time, the wadding needs to seal between the barrel and the projectile. In a sense, putting the bowling ball in a cardboard box, then ramming it down the barrel would do. Thanks for the video. Jon
Agreed. Like shooting a patched round ball in a muzzleloader. I would coat the patch in Crisco oil, set the ball on it, then start it into the barrel. Then cut the excess patch off. Should make a nice tight seal especially if you use someone else's suggestion and have a touch hole for the fuse in the back.
Thanks for the suggestion!
Thanks for the suggestions!
@@craigsturman6661 This idea sounds best to me, along with possibly polishing the inside of the barrel, but IDK how rough it is in there.
Just great ,keep goin. I'll need oNE of those. 4 motherinlaw's home.gracias for ur videos.
Great video sir, was waiting since a long time.
Thank you!!!
I forgot to mention what a great video that was. I hope you attempt a mile shot. And please put it on U-tube.
Thank you!!
Very informative thanks for a great video.
Thanks for the comment!
Now that’s entertainment!👍
Thanks!!
I think that you should have always fired with a 45 degree angle for maximum distance rather than varying it for each firing. Any angle other than 45 degrees is less than optimum for distance
I agree.
@@BealsScience If you agree (and I assume you already knew this) - why wasn't it done? Why were you shooting at 40 and 26 degrees?
A very late reply, however, 45 degrees for maximum range would only apply in a perfect vacuum.
Drag means any projectile is decelerating on exit. In simple terms you need to get it down range before it slows too much , the more "draggy" a projectile is the lower the initial angle will be for maximum range.@@kenadler777
There is something pleasant about firing 16lb bowling balls 👍
I agree!
Maximum distance is achieved with the barrel set at 45 degrees. When set at 0 degrees (parallel to the ground) whatever distance the projectile travels will be 10 times greater at 45 degrees.
Yeah, I don't understand why they are changing the angle.
Is that exact? That's pretty neat
This is exactly how Napoleon trained his artillery before heading off to Moscow.
😆
I use to build cannons 50 years ago I used news paper for wadding. I shot a 4 lb piece of steel round like a piston 3 1/2 miles at a 45 degree angle.
That sounds incredible!!
New subscriber from Centralia, WA! Keep up the good work!
Thank you for the kind words and the sub!!
Yankee doodle playing while you shoot a bowling ball out of a cannon. I have never been more proud to be an American.
💥🇺🇸🎉😉
You know, this is awesome.
Thank you!
Optimum angle for distance is 33 degree. Most bowling ball cannons are made from used 'K' bottles, so line your barrel with a 'K' gas bottle.
Thanks for the tips!
Build a castle breeching cannon. aim at a cinder block wall or small structure. Test accuracy. or a 30 foor by 30 foot wall.
I love that idea!
That 2 lb black powder shot of a 16 pound bowling ball that went 4099 feet is very impressive.
Thanks!!
You need a sabot. A round wooden block behind the bowling ball. If you use one, you will lose less wind windage and you'll easily pass the mile.
👍
Great fun! Am I wrong in my assumption that extra distance would also be achieved if the Jeep was anchored firmly therefore not sacrificing the thrust taken to move the vehicle?
I agree. Some of the energy that would push the ball even further is being lost to the vehicle.
Enjoyed the video, thanks for putting it up. I would suggest that when you have changed the barrel for a somewhat longer one, I would suggest a wooden disc cut just shy of the bores diameter with a dished to fit against the ball held in place with some light glue (not strong stuff as you want it to separate as soon as it leave the barrel - watch out though as it can fly off at odd angles.
one of the things that is limiting your range is the jeep, if you watch bach you will see the jeep go down on its suspension before the ball leaves the barrel, this lowers the angle and absorbs a lot of energy that could be used to propel the ball. look at old artillery cannons and mortars and they are on ridged frames. Good luck with the record and try a frangible containerl filled with steel ball bearings or nuts fired horizontally against some wooden shuttering at about 100 yards to see the effect cannister shot would have. get the search crew to paint some soldier outlines on it in old line regiment formation for the woo effect!
Thank you for the extended comment and all of the great ideas!!!
Would like to know how far when the ball is slightly smaller than the barrel .
Thanks very fun and enjoyable. My concern is that as you add more powder, then at some point you will break the ball into pieces before you get to the one mile distance. Guess time will tell, be safe!
Thanks!
I don’t understand why you shot at 26 degrees with the wadding when the others were at 40-45. Won’t that affect it? Ideal is 40/45 no?
Shaun had a plan so we went for it! In all fairness, there was a significant headwind up high and the other beals were reaching altitude and then just hanging there as the wind pushed on the. So the goal was to try to keep it a little lower and under the shear winds up high.
Ok. Was just curious. I would have thought you would have beat the distance with the wadding. Thanks
@@BealsScience So, it wasn't a fair test of the wadding. Both the greater recoil and the flame coming out of the fuse port indicates that the muzzle velocity and chamber pressures were both much higher.
@@winstonsmith478 I agree!
If you’re going for distance attempt the record with the first or second shot. Before the metal used for your barrel has a chance to fatigue.
👍
Use the cloth around the ball like a muzzle loading rifle would , you would need a ramer then to insure good contact with the powder .
👍
Have a Bowling Ball Catcher !!!
?? I’m trying to picture this!
The real deal is to use sack cloth soaked in burnt oil for wadding and oil the barrel of the cannon as well .That will allow for more powder and your on to a supremo.
Thanks!
You should try a angles from say 20° up to 45° in 5° increments with wadding but don't fill the barrel, just enough to prevent gases escaping
Great idea!
Beats the hell out of Chuckin pumpkins. Is there a competition yet?
😆
Cool video
Thanks!!
Great Video
Thank you!!
Awesome keep it coming
Thanks! Will do!
Imagine firing this cannon inside a real bowling alley. What a great way to score a strike.
I might finally be able to get a strike!
my buddy's a cannoneer We've had so much fun on the farm aiming at old cars. We made our own balls. Your bowling ball is quiet the challenge.. fun stuff.
What do you make the cannon balls out of?
Well bcs they were for short range practice in a field and he was a Civil War Rein actor / they were concrete with something to smooth the edges and bind it together. It's been years I played with the big guns. @@BealsScience
He had 3 cannons and one was special replica of Civil War (his favorite) so different balls for different walls.
@@dferrantiJfr concrete is a great idea!!
Thanks for sharing!
@@dferrantiJfr 👍
Why did you divert from the 45 degrees?
That should be optimal.
Some of the crew wanted to experiment. So we tried it out.
Lets see, the Army has/had a M110 howitzer, mounted on a mobile chassis, sorta like yours. The projectile is about 8in, close to your 16lb BB. They can lob a M106HE shell that weights about 200lbs about 10 miles. Barrell length is about 10ft. Something to shoot for? Pardon the pun.
I think it is time for a new barrel. Longer and closer to the actual diameter of the bowling ball.
Then…look out downrange!!
It’s back!
Finally!!!!
Not that I’ve been checking weekly for months or anything. 🤨
We did the same thing but the cannon is a lot bigger. And instead of bowling balls, we shoot things like appliances and car parts. We just sent a dryer about a mile and a half. Pretty cool.
Awesome!
I'm a bit late on this one, but i have an idea. In which financial realms are we speaking, if you would take a higher grade, or thicker steel pipe with more length, to increase pressure in the chamber and maintain longer? During WW2 the range of artillery and AT cannons increased significantly when adding barrel length. Cheers!
@@The.Toaster No, it is literally written down and very clearly observable. Nice try at being a dumbass though.
All that flame comes out as waste of powder or energy so you are right a longer barrel would use more of that but it would increase the breach Pressure
The reason for not using wadding was the barrel was just a length of pipe. Would welding 5 ribs of 1/2" strips of steel the length of the barrel stiffen the barrel?
That would probably help!
Thanks!
If you want high capacity go to a sch. 160 pipe and Flange. Then make sure you bolt all the holes. I see you only had bolts in half the flange for this test.
Thanks for the advice!
On an overcast day like this testing had, you need to paint the ball yellow to pick it up better in the sky. That's why they make yellow gold balls for. Red is for the bright sky because it makes it look blacker against it.
Thanks for the tip!
Heat up the bowling ball, then melt beeswax, coat the ball with the wax then smooth down the wax to exactly the diameter of the cannons barrel. That way the wax will maximize the effect of the expanding gas on the ball (without blowing up the cannon)
That is a very creative solution!
Thank you!
drill a core plug and insert a tracking device also use a cloth bag packed with the gunpowder the bag acts as the waddage. In the old days they used straw as the waddage and up the gund powder to 2,5 pounds in the bag and pack in the barrel.
Thanks for the tips!
That's a pretty incredible distance:)
It is incredibly hard to keep track of them at that distance! I am thinking of putting a smoke canister inside one next time so we can watch it fly.
@@BealsScience Ever consider painting them with glow paint like at a night golf course? Might be a little dangerous at night haha
@@canadajim I agree! It might be dangerous but it sure would look cool!!
sub here from the slow mo guys and how ridiculous. you have got to make more videos with this thing.
Thanks for finding your way to my channel and thanks for the sub!!
More videos to come with the cannon!
I love how exploding shit and sending bowling balls off into the distance is called science now.
Get some drone shots of that thing in the air moving
Good idea! I carved out a ball to put my go pro inside and that should give us some good video of the camera survives!
why 26 degrees?
That pipe scares me. I'd have to reinforce it substantially.
It scares me too!
Thats a very good video! Now i have a really stupid idea and with the risk involved i doubt it will ever be done (unless there is a 10 minute fuse) to basically point the cannon directly towards the sky! Im a dad of 3 and thats my inner child telling me its dangerous but im genuinely curious to the outcome and the trouble is safety and also being able to track the height it reaches, also theres the risk to the cannon and whether enough propulsion will generate.
I’ve wanted to do this while the Jeep is moving to prove the physics!
But…it’s probably not the best idea I’ve ever had…
I am not sure if it will work but how about a GPS device installed and just drill and adjust weight to compensate wish I was there looks like fun
Thanks for the tip!
Bowling ball cannon! Why in hell didnt I think of that?
😆
fun experiment. I'd echo the other commenter that you performance isn't bad but could easily be improved with some barrel prep and a sabot. It's significantly underpowered for the ball's weight, smooth bore 16lbers were typically fired with `6LB of powder, though you'd need something to manage recoil as I don't think your jeep will take it... cannon walls are very thing as well too so might want to just call it good before Ian accident occurs!
Thanks for the info!
I just built a new barrel with nearly double the thickness of steel at the ‘chamber’. Will be testing it next week!
Piękne zabawy 😉😁🤠
👍
Brave of you to try it with the wadding, with something that isn't exactly a cannon barrel you don't know how it would handle that pressure haha
I will try again but with a little different setup and 1 pound of powder.
And 45 degrees. It should really fly!
@@BealsScience Styrafoam circle about an inch or two thick and tight to the cannon walls between the powder and the ball would work much better
If you use bigger power loud you need a bigger jeep. Use weights in front are in back of jeep were ever its needed. it will help so much kick back so much, I think right.
Thanks!
My bowling ball mortars are made from K size oxygen tanks. One is quite close fitting & out shoots the other one easily. I've been considering fins. I've come up with fins on 3 of my smaller mortars, an 81mm, 76.2mm & 70mm. I fire them backwards fin first. It goes about 100 ft. Or so then turns around & goes like hell. Right away i started getting nice groups & got first place at our cannon shoot. They are fired with shotgun primers, one is fired with musket caps & a lanyard. Dixie gun works has cannon locks for this. Its safer & more reliable than fuze😊
Thank you for the info!
For ignition, are you using loose powder in an ignition chamber to ignite with caps?
@@BealsScience I use loose powder, there is no chamber just the bottom of the tank w/ball on top of that. Both shotgun primers & musket caps are fired with a lanyard & cannon lock. We fired one with 2 lbs pdr & 16lb ball, it's still going strong after a rebuild, the legs went flying, the 3/8" base plate folded around its base, it was shoved over a foot into hard rocky ground. I put the Dixie gun works cannon locks on the lower bottom side of the bbl to insure ignition, they were unreliable on top & on the side. Does this help?😊
@@michaelpierson7256 Yes! Thank you for the info!!!
Lol... i was commenting about wadding and youve just said it 😅
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This is soo cool 👍
Thanks!!
Big fun... I'm concerned about pressures in your tube exceeding it's strength. Be safe.
Me too!!!
Thanks for a great video which has provided some very interesting black powder ballistics information, as well as great entertainment. Do you have any idea of muzzle velocity? My guess is 700 to 800 FPS. With an accurate figure I would love to know what the muzzle energy is.
OK, well a 16.1lb projectile with muzzle velocity of 750ft/sec would equal a muzzle energy of 9,110 ft/lb.
You kept changing one of the most important variables - angle.
We have definitely concluded that the distance shots have to be at 45 degrees.
Obviously the bowling ball must be pretty good matter👍
👍
are there fingerholes drillrd in the ball ?
Yes
That affects aerodynamics and distance as the holes cause drag...I bet if you use an undrlled ball with the same parameters you will get more distance. Just saying
you seem new mexican bro. god bless america. 6:18 my goodness look how huge that horse is, as big as the cars that thing!
We never saw A bowling ball leave the canon! Hmm...
very well thought out, i feel ya stressed the tube though. im a mechanical engineer, hands on plus a welder. i think, ya need a new tube and no wadding. perhaps a simple recoil cradle with a total loss water system, cheap and no pollution.
Can you tell me more about what a total water loss system is?
I wonder if any of those bowling balls went supersonic (Mach 1), around 1,125 fps at sea level.
No, there was no Crack in the air. They were all subsonic.
A couple of ideas: Make sure the truck has minimal or no recoil. Maybe make a 1.5 foot trench to drive into? Lightly grease the bowling ball?
Good ideas! Thanks!
@@BealsScience Dude... ever thought of making concrete balls?… as a Scientist you'd probably find the way to make them of the right size, near perfect spherical, the right weight, etc. and probably much cheaper than bowling balls. Hollow or light centered for reduced weight, using a baseball, softball, Lawn Ball, etc.
Something else you should do is add some protection around the cannon tube, maybe thread a cable around it for added strength and security. At least a rope would be better than nothing. You could also reinforce the barrel with welded on rings made of steel bars, double on the end of the barrel.
You are also using too much powder, I noticed that increasing the powder charge to almost double, only added a few hundred feet in range, and making the cannon more efficient, should make it need less powder and have the same or better range. I'm thinking that possibly wrapping the ball in newspaper, so it goes in snugly, and also try occasionally brushing clean the cannon barrel.
Thinking of making my third or fourth - this time to shoot BILLIARD BALLS, May not live to finish it however. Thinking if you seeking range that you need to search out a heavier barrel. Or Parrot Rifle it as far as manufacturing, That can get tricky, finding and matching of old piping. Stay Safe HAVE FUN
👍
Great video! Please keep your cannon on the other side of the Montana mountains. Looks a little dangerous. :)
Thank you!!
I will keep it pointed east!
But don’t you think Bozeman would appreciate a little cannon blast too?!
Maybe for homecoming?!
Angle the camera so we can see more of the ball leaving the cannon. From behind all you see is smoke and close up from the side the same thing. Get a little further away at a better angle.
I agree.
Next time we will get some foot side and or wide shots.
Why 40 degrees? Wouldn't 45 give the most distance?
Initially it was 45 degrees but the weight and multiple times shooting have crushed the shocks and springs and now it doesn’t sit very level.
You only need to know the muzzle velocity to calculate the range at a 45° angle.
... and if you know the range and angle, you can calculate the muzzle velocity
Why wouldnt you always shoot at a 45 degree angle to maximize distance?
I agree. Part of the crew wanted to try the lower angle because they thought the flex of the frame was causing the ball to exit at somewhere between 45-80 degrees (I disagreed) but thought I would let the have their fun.
We didn’t have time for another shot that day so we will have to try again next time we go out.
geez, was like watching my brothers in laws home movies
😆
it's awesome, but there's a problem: after a lot of shots the geep may be destroyed by the recoil, why don't try to put the cannon a little further on the geep and try to put a big spring as a recoil control system, it can be usefull and really cool to see when shoot with it
it might be difficult because you would have to change the position and shape of the gun but it can be done
Science is a religion now. Love the cannon.
To achieve maximum range on a mortar or cannon I always thought elevating the tube to 45 degrees was optimal. Why did you use 40 degrees?
As the powder explodes it compresses the shocks on the Jeep, more so on the front. So as the ball exits we are pretty close to 45 degrees.
Hey Craig. How do?
Why 26°? The others were 40-45°. I've almost always found that a 40° angle is best. Also, I don't know if you need to, but clean up the inside of your canon. Now use appropriate wadding like maybe pvc foam(nice n firm whatever it's called) & some cloth with maybe a piece of ¾" plywood in between. Last thing I swear, stabilize your jeep better so it won't move (at least not as much). The more solid the canon base the better your shotput or shot or whatever.
I know everything I mentioned will make this even awesomer🤠
Your neighbor & friend, Chris of Spokane Valley, Wa
Thanks for the tips Chris!
And thanks for watching!
@@BealsScience Thnx for your quick reply Craig. Just want you to understand, I wasn't being a critic, just wish I could be there to have fun & help. I think I'd be helpful & it'd be a blast.
Anyway, best regards Chris
@@chris_758 no worries! I appreciate your feedback!
Thanks for watching and commenting!