Small arms

May 25, 2012 3:11 PM

Dominick Carpenter builds and sells miniature cannons and mortars. Sometimes he fires them.

His youtube channel features more bangs and more laconic delivery.

posted by tigrefacile (16 comments total)

Some of his welds are not commensurate with the thickness of the plates he's using.
posted by Tube at 3:24 PM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]

I think I just figured out what my nephew's gettng for his birthday......
posted by easily confused at 3:57 PM on May 25, 2012

"Never seen a gun like that," Rydell allowed. "What's it shoot?"
"Grapefruit cans," Turvey said. "Fulla concrete."
posted by Mister Moofoo at 4:12 PM on May 25, 2012 [2 favorites]

I don't trust those welds, either.

Not that I've ever seen a homemade cannon explode into shrapnel when firing a 12-gauge shell. Or anything.

/poorlytrainedwelder
posted by BitterOldPunk at 4:19 PM on May 25, 2012

Dixie Gun Works is the only place I buy my artillery.
posted by blaneyphoto at 4:23 PM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]

There are no welds subject to barrel pressure.
posted by ryanrs at 4:23 PM on May 25, 2012

Should I lower it?

No, you should be good there, it's not going to hurt anything back there, it's 500 feet.. 600 feet before any houses.

Okay.. at what point do these stop being miniature cannons and become real cannons?
posted by charlie don't surf at 5:00 PM on May 25, 2012

easily confused: "I think I just figured out what my nephew's gettng for his birthday......"

Best Aunt/Uncle EVER
posted by Blasdelb at 5:05 PM on May 25, 2012

I had one very similar to his keychains years ago. It was an absolute blast (pun intended) to shoot off of the back deck with my dad. Sadly, we only got a few hours of fun out of it before I tried to store it in an Altoid tin, and the damn thing rusted practically overnight.
Father's day present found.
posted by piedmont at 5:30 PM on May 25, 2012

miniature cannons
posted by various at 5:36 PM on May 25, 2012

>>"I think I just figured out what my nephew's gettng for his birthday......"

>Best Aunt/Uncle EVER

And simultaneously the worst sibling ever.
posted by Mayor Curley at 6:50 PM on May 25, 2012 [5 favorites]

There are no welds subject to barrel pressure.

True, but of concern is the potential of catastrophic failure of the welds between the barrel and the support plates during recoil.
posted by Tube at 8:00 PM on May 25, 2012

That strikes me as the least likely way to injure yourself with this cannon.
posted by ryanrs at 2:00 AM on May 26, 2012

Sorry, why is he firing WWI artillery directly at a target? Wasn't it always used in a ballistic arc?
posted by Canageek at 8:30 AM on May 26, 2012

It's no mountain howitzer.
posted by ryanrs at 4:52 PM on May 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

You could put an eye out with that thing.
posted by imjustsaying at 7:55 AM on May 27, 2012