Guess what I pulled the trigger on!

Nope. Not a car.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/1003/914Dan/?action=view&current=MVI_0889.mp4

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/1003/914Dan/?action=view&current=MVI_0884.mp4

Spent a week playing with the Marines at 29 Palms California.

Propellants are chosen based on how far you want the projectile to go, they range from 1 to 8. Pumping zone 8 stuff bad things happen to the cannon; but the Marines get all excited. This 10,000 lb. cannon gets pushed backward a foot with every shot, even though the trailing legs are dug in pretty good.

The high zone stuff rattles your Soul! Ever stood on the line when Gassers are running at the drags? Not even close, this is reverb!

All of the vehicles within 1/4 mile have their windows rolled down, otherwise they are blown out.

Soldiers are not allowed to shoot more than 10 rounds of this stuff, the concussion impacts their health and sleeping habits. (bad dreams and breathing)

We shot 50 rounds of high zone stuff, I got to pull the trigger twice!

The projectile (bullet) ended up 20 miles down range.

29 Palms is 3/4 the size of Rhode Island.

More pics later, long week ....

Baghdad Highway.

No, this is on the highway, not a military base.

These guys are here 200 of 365 days. Cactii, taruntulas, Black Widows and oh yeah, when you go to the Porta-Potti - lift the seat and peek around for scorpions.

If you're not out by sunset, you're camping out; not allowed to leave.

God Bless these guys - - - screw that.

Me letting one fly! Take a look at the rear legs of the weapon. They had to stop, dig out, relocate and start again. 25 ft. lanyard because of the concussion.

It took six minutes!

Very cool looks like some fun

A reminder from the land of where stuff don't rust .....

if you are going to pull a trigger... you took the saying "go big or go home!" to heart...

I bet it sounds like fun

That smile should wear off by about May.

nifty

Big boom = big fun. Next time you go, can you put me in your luggage?

What bore size? What propellant? Black powder?

155mm M777 is what it looks like......and it wouldn't be blackpowder....

155mm (6.100 inches) M-777, H203A1. Again, 1 to 8 in horsepower, we fired eights.

I have to qualify this by sayng the bullet makers don't talk to us, the gun makers. They invent the latest greatest propellant and never even consider whether the tube can stand up to that kind of pressure. The issue I am investigating is the propellant has titanium in it to slow the burn rate. Under intense heat and pressure the Ti goes right to a gas but 4ft. down bore is cools to a liquid, sticks inside the rifled grooves and then goes solid, taking with it all the debris and BS with it. This is harder'n hell, like a ceramic. Cut the tube in half where you can get at it and you can't remove this stuff with a hammer and chisel. The problem is the projectile has a band of copper around its butt. In the first two inches of forward movement, the rifling cuts grooves into the copper forcing the projectile to follow the helix of the rifling. With the rifled grooves full of crap, the band gets removed, the shell "ballets" or bounces down the bore. One in Afghanistan bounced so bad that the rear of the shell was so tipped up that it hit the inside of the muzzle brake, causing the thing to blow into 40 or so pieces. No one got hurt, luckily I didn't have to do a field trip for that one.

The question today is: "What's changed in the last five years to cause this problem?"

Anyone?

Bueller?

Bueller?

Unleaded propellant?

They stopped using hair spray?

Time to put magnesium in it instead?

The REALLY big guns, Battleship size, use black.

CO2 regulation?

They stopped putting a little bit of Chuck Norris's hair in every bullet?

Ethanol!