This particular one was hand built for me by my engineer friend Toby and is one of my most treasured possessions. It is actually a full size, fully functional cannon.
When we were proofing the barrel, we thought we would use a golf ball rather than a real lead ball as it would cause less damage if our aim was a bit off. We took it out into the middle of nowhere, and to our shock and amazement it fired the golf ball across the two large fields and smashed a substantial branch off a tree, a full 300 yards away. Oooooops!
We have five cannons in all in our pirate group and we have used them regularly at battle re-enactments and even at gigs (golf balls not included). we use the gunpowder from crow scarers, which produce a huge bang and lots of smoke without actually killing anyone.
When we go for a 5 cannon broadside...... it really is quite a spectacle.
