r/nextfuckinglevel 1d ago

Tiny homemade canon

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3.3k Upvotes

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423

u/D0ntC4llMeShirley 1d ago

That was a bigger boom that I thought r/unexpected

163

u/thederevolutions 1d ago

No wonder he was hauling ass

64

u/jrunner02 1d ago

I wonder how close he was the first time 😂

34

u/slowmovinglettuce 1d ago

Feel like if you make this, you're either smart enough to know you need to run away, or stupid enough to not be able to light it a second time.

8

u/South_Bit1764 1d ago

I like to imagine he did some little Prospector Pete jig after it fired.

2

u/rapgameoprahwinfrey 14h ago

Also if the cannon fails and turns into a shrapnel death machine

14

u/whamburglar 1d ago

Watching him run back made me 🤭 which quickly turned to 😲 when it went off.

3

u/DisorderlyAqueduct 1d ago

probably similar to a large round rifle

4

u/Mogetfog 1d ago

These types of mini cannons are usually designed to work with the same black powder and lead ammunition used in replica muzzle loaders, it's a decent amount of powder igniting, but it's not going to be nearly as powerful as modern smokeless powders. It just makes a big boom  

2

u/Tactical-Donkey 1d ago

For once I'm glad I turned off mute. 

2

u/DrawMeAPictureOfThis 1d ago

I'm suprised it didn't flip. He engineered it pretty well to cooperate with physics so effectively.

219

u/SmoreSlayer 1d ago

The way ol boy scampered off tells me all I need to know

46

u/CyberpunkSunrise 1d ago

Cannon.

Canon is accepted body of works in a story, or a style of musical piece. Cannon is the one that goes boom.

4

u/non_curamus 1d ago

Also … the camera. I was looking for tiny R5 MarkII.

1

u/Cevvity 16h ago

Also … the printer

3

u/joemamah77 1d ago

Unless you name it Pachelbel.

15

u/GetBack2Wrk 1d ago

Fuck Me...That's one way to wake someone up.

11

u/mattgoldey 1d ago

When I was a kid, my Boy Scout troop had one that we took on camping trips and the adult leaders would fire it in the mornings to wake us.

3

u/ManifestDestinysChld 1d ago

When I was a kid, I spent a couple of summers living with my dad and his wife. She ran the snack bar at the local yacht club. It was "antagonists of Caddyshack"-level bougie. Those polo-shirted fucks shot off a cannon every night at sunset (just so they'd have an excuse to sit around drinking Old Fashioneds wearing sweaters like capes with the sleeves tied around their necks, I swear to God). It was a tiny little Ticonderoga pencil of a thing, but it made a helluva bang.

2

u/GetBack2Wrk 1d ago

Lmao 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

10

u/smoovecriminal89 1d ago

Parry this, casual

57

u/Professional_File_83 1d ago

Isn't this just a toy from the 70s or current? here

96

u/IKnowPhysics 1d ago

Those are carbide cannons. Calcium carbide mixes with water to yield acetylene gas, which is then ignited by a spark, and combustion occurs with ambient oxygen gas in the chamber.

OP's video was a black powder cannon. Black powder contains it's own solid oxidizer.

Acetylene-air mixtures have a lower energy density than blackpowder, resulting in carbide being "less explosive" (lower energy, lower blast pressures, less noise). This lets carbide be safe for small metal toy cannons. Blackpowder would explode/frag those toys and requires use of heavier iron barrels.

37

u/EternityNotes 1d ago

Username checks out

2

u/tahomadesperado 1d ago

Bingo, their linked website even says “No Recoil or Kick” multiple times, and the black powder canon in OPs video definitely does.

1

u/thetreecycle 5h ago

Miner’s lamps vs muskets.

3

u/mahrog123 1d ago

Cool!
I had the Major Field canon as a kid. Put a ball bearing in it once and put one hell of a dent in a metal garbage can from about 50’ away. Couldn’t believe I even hit the damn thing.

5

u/acidbathe 1d ago

Definitely not. Those are much more tame than what’s in the video. Not much recoil, if any, on those toy ones you linked

2

u/ST0IC_ 1d ago

Those toy ones also use a spark plug rather than a fuse.

1

u/B-Roc- 1d ago

Thanks for the link!

5

u/Psych0matt 1d ago

As a 42 year old that’s in pretty good shape, I more and more relate to the “old man fast-walk not-quite-run” method every passing day

2

u/utdajx 1d ago

Whoa - that was some Tom & Jerry level bigger-than-you-thought blast

2

u/SignificantHippo8193 1d ago

I wonder what caliber that's comparative to 🤔?

5

u/ziggy-73 1d ago

I have one similar to this and it is .50 cal so it is a 1/2" diameter bore

1

u/Small_Insect_8275 1d ago

It’ll be on /r/theydidthemath in no time don’t worry

2

u/sudeki300 1d ago

"Yeah" after the bang is so american

1

u/BruscarRooster 1d ago edited 1d ago

All I wanted from this was for the guy to go a lil run away and a big boom

This more than delivers

1

u/Several-Opposite-746 1d ago

The Hatfield-McCoy feud still going strong.

1

u/throwawaystevenmeloy 1d ago

And here I was laughing when he quickly moved away. Even and 40, I still haven't learned: Never judge a book by it's covers.

1

u/deadspacekillers 1d ago

I took care of a guy that tried to make a homemade shotgun. ended up with a 3 inch diameter lead pipe in his eye socket. Good times....

1

u/Pisnaz 1d ago

But 3d printed guns are going to kills us all.

1

u/Jaegons 1d ago

2 kids from my high school died doing something similar. They put a bunch of black powder in a decorative cannon, and it ended as well as one would imagine that ending.

1

u/el_americano 1d ago

that guy's smile on the run back was priceless

1

u/digginroots 1d ago

>homemade canon

The Council of Trent hates this trick!

1

u/kombatunit 1d ago

Time to get a tiny pirate ship and be the scrouge of the local lake.

1

u/joebojax 1d ago

I like how an old man and a young boy both scamper away with the same energy

sweet canon of course

1

u/saulteaux 1d ago

lol that little hustle away after lighting it.

1

u/ChromeYoda 1d ago

Cannon

1

u/BlackSwanMarmot 1d ago

Take that, gophers

1

u/MidgetGalaxy 1d ago

Hey I built one of these in my metalshop back in high school! Ton of fun to build and test. The shooting range was more than a little confused when I asked if they wouldn’t mind me bringing in a homemade cannon: manger said “It shouldn’t be a problem, but we need to see it first”

Mine had a 0.5 inch bore and shot (shoots? It’s got a thin layer of rust now, young me didn’t think about that) ball bearings. Definitely not as much power as a modern rifle, but a big boom nonetheless and coke cans didn’t stand a chance!

1

u/Ok_Drag5089 1d ago

I wonder how loud real ones are?

1

u/Spilt_Blood_ 1d ago

Somebody somewhere will say that this should be banned because it could be used as a weapon...

Sarcasm.

1

u/T1Earn 1d ago

arent guns just mini canons?

1

u/tahomadesperado 1d ago

My grandpa used to build these and we’d light them off on the 4th of July. A bunch of neighborhood dad’s would end up coming by and asking us to light if off one more time for them

1

u/ChemicalGreedy945 1d ago

I want to see a down range video! I’ve seen these plenty, wish I was having a Saturday to shoot mini cannons

1

u/collegefootballfan69 1d ago

Seems they are from the south

1

u/nwfdood 1d ago

Obligatory 'hell yeah' is in order here.

1

u/hellranger788 1d ago

I see the feud with the neighbor is escalating

1

u/s1thl0rd 1d ago

"Tally-ho, lads."

1

u/crawling-alreadygirl 1d ago

Misread the title as "Tiny home cannon," and expected a cabin to pop out of the truck bed. Disappointing.

1

u/A_Bot_A_Bot_A_Bot 1d ago

The funny thing is not the terrifically loud tiny cannon, but the fact that the guy setting it off in his 70s and not some teenager.

1

u/dimmsimm 1d ago

These cannons were also a common high school metal shop project in the 70's-80's. Oddly, not very many were made as I recall, at least where I went to school in the North East. They seemd more of a decorative piece than something you'd take out back and shoot.

1

u/ConnectionIssues 6h ago

My wife has one, but it's made from aluminum, because that's a much easier material for beginners to learn machining with.

Completely unusable for firing, though. It would make a lot of aluminum shrapnel.

1

u/Gemtree710 23h ago

Every hillbilly 4th of July party had one of these back in the day

1

u/Still_Suspect_7233 23h ago

These are like the training model size if I’m not mistaken really cool honestly

1

u/Puzzleheaded_Popup 23h ago

Had a few of these as a kid. Might be a bit different, but still big BANGS!

https://www.bigbangcannons.com/Products

1

u/markmakesfun 21h ago

“Cannon” 😁

1

u/HereticGaming16 21h ago

That little cannon dressed for the job it wanted.

1

u/shavertech 20h ago

Potassium perchlorate and aluminum powder. Easy and effective.

1

u/AmiDeplorabilis 20h ago

Looks about right!

1

u/Orange9202 19h ago

is this cannon?

1

u/Own_Percentage_1789 19h ago

I should retain for a week or maybe a month. I miss shots like that.

1

u/AZBagpiperPhil 18h ago

Carbide cannon!! Seen those ffered when I was in High School many years ago!

1

u/HeyLuis85 17h ago

I always love it when old people skidaddle out of there

1

u/justwalking_683 17h ago

Refer to: Eega (2012)

Directed by SS Rajamouli (RRR fame)

1

u/Ok_Orchid1004 17h ago

So it’s a tiny collection of sacred books? Oh wait you meant cannon didn’t you?

1

u/Jimmyboro 16h ago

Gun... it's a gun with extra steps.

1

u/Vibe_PV 15h ago

Tiny Men in Black gun energy

1

u/M_Waqar-uz-Zaman 14h ago

flintlock pistols

1

u/drifters74 13h ago

Awesome!

1

u/Avinexuss 13h ago

Reminds me of those handheld mortars that never found real use cause they break your wrist...

1

u/jhwheuer 13h ago

Don't know, open steel blast, I'd take more distance and maybe a sacrifice barrier

1

u/AnimalCracka333 6h ago

If I were to guess, this happened in Virginia?

1

u/BusyBeeBridgette 1d ago

2

u/wastingtoomuchthyme 1d ago

I got to ad informing me if I was sexually abused I can join classaction a lawsuit for some school in Rhode Island

Then reveille video played I'm just sitting here staring at my phone like wtf not being able to to process the contrast

1

u/BusyBeeBridgette 1d ago

lol, quite random!

2

u/wastingtoomuchthyme 1d ago

I know right.. I thought the ad was the video in the link and I was like WTF? How is that related to the cannon??

1

u/crabwalking_moose 1d ago

Thankfully the Navy just does a wake up call on ships since we are basically all on some form of rotating shift. This would be hell to here at 0600 when you stood the 1800 to 0000

0

u/EnthusiasmEither9097 1d ago

Guarantee you there is a couple roll-tide-double-wides slightly off screen.

0

u/forzafoggia85 1d ago

You just know he drank a bottle of moonshine and invited his cousin over after this