Hello it's me, 🤓, and i want to tell you that the is the wrong way to use the word nonplussed. You do get a pass because that's how it is most commonly used tho
According to my reading, it was rapidly discovered that lighting the fuse in advance of firing is superfluous. The blast of firing automatically lights the fuse . . . that became common practice at sea for fused rounds. Saves on the uncertainty of a two man slow match team.
How come? To begin with, the safety fuse depicted in the video is completely ahistorical, meaning it was invented in the early 19th century only, decades after hand mortars fell out of use. Earlier, there were basically two options for grenades: a form of slow match (just infused with larger amounts of saltpeter and thus burning much faster - I won't bother you with the details) and a tubular fuse that was filled with special powder mix and inserted into the grenade (somewhat resembling modern grenade fuses, just without the priming mechanism). The first wasn't particularly good for grenades (its burning rate isn't sufficiently stable), though it was still used in some special 17th century designs. The tubular powder-based fuse was the main form of fuse used in all types of powder grenades throughout most of their history. However, simply firing the grenade from a hand mortar with the fuse looking forward wasn't sufficient to light it with any degree of certainty, and the attempts to place the grenade with the fuse looking into the barrel ended in accidents, as elements of the burning fuse were pushed into the grenade by the pressure of the powder gases, resulting in an immediate explosion inside the barrel. That, alongside with the fact that the hand mortar itself could easily misfire, leaving you with a primed grenade inside the barrel, apparently was one of the factors that led to the hand mortars falling out of use in the mid 18th century (when hand grenades still retained some limited use in the navy). What reading you're referring to?
It was the Dutch who learned to shoot bombs from mortars. A bomb was a hollow metal ball filled with powder and having a small hole in it for a fuse. First they tried “single firing” which was putting the bomb into the mortar with the fuse down, in contact with the propelling charge. That didn’t work. Firing the mortar often drove the fuse right into the bomb and blew it up right in front of the gun. Then they tried “double firing” with the bomb turned over, fuse up, and the gunner lighted the fuse by hand at the same time he lighted the touch-hole of the piece. this required a nice sense of timing It wasn’t until 1650 that someone discovered, probably by accident, that double firing was unnecessary. The heat of firing would light the fuse even though it was turned away from the exploding charge. More precisely, it was the flame of the propelling charge firing, washing around the bomb through the windage, that ignited the fuze. This method was standard up through the American Civil War. From forgottenweapons com
This looks like an absolute treat. Also that fuse burndown take at the start... Heh, even though we all knew what was up, it was still harrowing to watch
Thank you once again from my historical author wife for displaying another period weapon. This will doubtless appear in her future writings as she is chuckling gleefully and humming a martial folk song of the era.
I was at an 1812 re-enactment where there was a competition between one of these and an M-204 for distance. The smoke pole outshot the modern equivalent by about 60 feet. Impressive.
This is a handmortar, not the Shooting distance in flat fire is important. Important is ,Steilfeuer' ( don' t know english word) it is fired into Air in high Angle for a parabol ( ?) way of flight. The mortars, also howitzers , usually are Not intended for direct aimed fire. The high angle fire has the reason, that in case of a siege the fortress is surrounded by a trench system similar to wwl. The soldier, standing in an attack trench/ ditch dug next to high stone walls , or thick earth ramparts covered with palisades or earth filled large baskets ( Gabiones) can" throw a handgrenade over a high obstacle, when standing before the obstacle, there is the danger, that you throw grenade against upper part of wall, and it jumps back to you
Forgotten: The Handmortar is intended to throw the grenades over high obstacles on rather short distance, not only for throwing handgrenades over a long distance
Kids, if they were shooting for distance, neither one was fired straight. They were both shot at an angle up into the air. ...and if your target was not on the other side of a wall, you would indeed shoot it straight at your target, perhaps a window on a house or on a ship.
@@brittakriep2938 the english term you were looking for is "indirekt fire". (not as descriptive as Steilfeuer, but that's what they got) As for the distance thing: it still is a "valid" comparisson, as modern day grenade launchers also can be used for Steilfeuer, and in general, the distance also gives you an impression about "how high" the obstacle can be or how heavy the load can be and still get over there.
@@nirfz : I am Brittas boyfriend, only using her Computer too. I personally think that those handmortars of muzzleloader era are a siege thing, perhaps naval battle thing, not so much a field battle thing, and small ones had been , according to Ian McCollum ( Forgotten Weapons channel) a civilian Fireworks thing. Why do i think so? In 17th century the grenadiers had been soldiers, operating alone or in small groups as light infantry men/ in german Plänkler, to throw grenades into Tercios or other tight ( ?)formations. After Thirty Years War these grenadiers became regular Units , seen as Elite troops. Being an Elite troops they got flintlock muskets before regular musketeers, who sometimes had arround 1700 still matchlock muskets. In contrast to musketeers, the grenadiers carried their flintlock muskets with a sling at their back. To not loosing their hat when taking the musket from Back, they got a Zipfelmütze ( don' t know Englisch word). But relative early in 18th century the throwing of grenades became rarer, you notice this in grenadiers cap with decoratve Metal or textile covered cartboard frontpiece, such a Cap would Fall down, when taking a musket with sling from Back. In Mid 18th century, as far as i know, unloaded handgrenades remained in Fortress inventorys for siege fights, and on warships ( Here in Pirates, privateers or merchant vessels context often only powderfilled bottles). So handmortars use in 18th century field Battles? Doubtfull. So i don' t realy believe, that distance/ reach was then important. But in wwl this trenchwarfare had much similarity to siege warfare of especially 17th century. Starting in 1890s, Experiments with handgrenades and new variants of Military Explosives had a Comeback. Note: In 1890s Swiss engineer troops still had ,Petarden' in Stock. When trench warfare started in 1914, No european Army was really prepared, so i believe the Story, that british officers ordered the use of 17th century Coehorn mortars from Museums as First emergency weapons. But in wwl rifle grenades appeared, in this Case as infantrymans light artillry, reach became a thing . In wwl may be Not so important, but in wwll reach became for mobile warfare reason really important, siege warfare with indirekt fire became lesser important.
Thank you! Please remember that we are entirely demonetized and wholly crowd funded. If it's possible, please consider supporting the channel: patreon.com/inrangetv
@@patrickw9520 one way to deliver premade grenades ready to use to your enemy... But i do wonder why they didnt just prep it, then throw in the grenade with its fuse to the front, then light it up before shooting. Maybe this way they cut down on time being exposed?
My 6x? great grandfather was a grenadier with the regiment of saintonge, french army. Present at Yorktown 1781 , I bet he would ve liked to have one these when they took the redoubts. After that he joined his brothers in Louisiana ( who fought under General Galvez, becoming creole/cajun settlers of Opelousas, La. Mobile & Pensacola)
I think they skipped a critical step in the misfire doctrine, between the "throw away" and "use rope to retrieve" steps, there's likely a missing "shake out your shorts" operation.
You could load the grenade fuse down and the projection charge will ignite the fuse. You could also place the grenade into the barrel and then light the fuse for more time to aim and fire.
My buddy and I were discussing our mutual growing interest in black powder guns, and a decreased interest in contemporary tactical guns. Then we realized we're both entering middle age.
I’m probably half yalls age and feeling the same… just got my first cap and ball revolver and I have a giddy feeling it’s going to be more fun to shoot than my glock
@@richardlahan7068ha 😂 ... I bought a Charleville as my first musket when I was 22 because I got bored of regular shooting ... used that thing for everything, rabbit, geese, duck, deer ... accurate out to 200 yards... only thing I struggle with it is close, fast moving stuff ... it's the weight and length. But a brilliant all round gun. If I could only have one gun it'd be the Charley 👍 And buck & ball is a beast ... it'll drop anything !!! Great gun, enjoy it 👍
I wish I got into BP earlier but after doing it for 3 years now it's almost all I shoot anymore. It's so much fun and a great way to spend a day at that range. They really aren't that difficult to manage or clean. People who only know modern guns make a big deal out of it. Other than that, I find the loading ritual to be fun. Just be sure to use real BP whenever you can, especially if you're using a flintlock.
Russel: Hey Karl that's a very fitting costume for today's video! Karl: Oh, right. Yes. This was a costume. A costume that I definitely picked out specifically because of the topic of today's video.
Very interesting! I enjoyed your review of both historical grenade launching techniques as well as the really cool OG M-79. Of course, now I want one...
It was the art of artillery. Everyone chose their own shooting style. If the grenade body is strong enough and does not need a soft lining, it was fired not by double fire but by single fire. The fire of the shot was ignited by a wooden tubular fuse. For the reliability of ignition, a black match was inserted into the end of the tube and sprinkled with gunpowder dust
Stuff like this really makes you have an appreciation for modern day technology. I can only imagine how many soldiers got sent to an early death for accidentally not loading enough powder into their grenade launcher lol
Also keep in mind that mixing gunpowder was more of an art then a science at this point. No one really understood the chemistry and the ingredients had no purity guarantee meaning that what was the right amount of powder one load could be not enough the next. At that point Id rather be a pike-man then the guy handed one of these.
That damned thing seems dangerous, I don't know myself, but I think if that thing did not fire out of the gun (mortar) or what have you, and you were unable to throw it the last option would be to RUN!
I saw a 1750s era flintlock swivel gun that was made by a man who did historical arms and worked part time at the Fortress of Louisbourg in Nova Scotia. I was an intern there, lerning historic interpretation and I learned a lot but what sticks in my head is the engraving on the muzzle of that weapon- 'Happy is he who escapes me' The barrel was a bit longer than this, but still... OUCH!
Thank you! Please remember that we are entirely demonetized and wholly crowd funded. If it's possible, please consider supporting the channel: patreon.com/inrangetv
Let me get you a slight correction on Grenades: * During the Siege of Vienna in 1683, the Ottoman troops used grenades made from glass with a fuse on the outside. On the other hand, the Austrian defenders used cast iron grenades with a fuse leading in. The Ottoman glass grenade was mainly a shock weapon... the Austrian iron grenade maimed and killed with shrapnell.
@@ravenoferin500 The glass would likely turn to just powder from the explosion, it's too brittle to maintain large shards from that type of concussive blast.
The movie, The Siege of Vienna 1683 Shows some use of grenades. There is a scene in With Fire and Sword that shows it in more detail. Don't know which would be worse, getting hit with a grenade or getting hit by the 18' hollow lance of the Husaria that splintered inside the target.
@@cmendla The function of the hollow lances breaking didn't serve to make the wounding any more grievous, it just helped the lancer leave the melee easier to reform for another charge. It was suppose to break in the middle, not near the lance head.
Yup the same danger firing the canons in that time period one Scottish king got killed by a canon on his side it blown it's self up Even in re enactment the blank charges have caused injury to people seen it happen broken ram rod being fired out on that time flintlock but it's happened with canons too
Nah if it were as the founders envisioned the grenades would’ve been filled with gunpowder and we would’ve seen two explosions every time he fired the launcher. JS
Thank you for all the years of content @InRangeTV. You really got me interested in firearms and their history. One day I hope I'll financially be able to show the appreciation via patreon. But, until that day Karl, Thank you. Thank you for everything.
This was great Karl, love your history videos, both old weapons and stories of the past. Your first hand experience of using the weapons adds a lot. Thanks!
Thank you! Please remember that we are entirely demonetized and wholly crowd funded. If it's possible, please consider supporting the channel: patreon.com/inrangetv
Thank you! Please remember that we are entirely demonetized and wholly crowed funded. If it's possible, please consider supporting the channel: patreon.com/inrangetv
Thank you. I always wondered how the hell one of these would be used in actuality. That's the value of this channel. Please keep up the fantastic history lessons.
Thanks, will do! Please remember that we are entirely demonetized and wholly crowd funded. If it's possible, please consider supporting the channel: patreon.com/inrangetv
Petards were usually a door breaching charge. The master gunner made up a domed iron plate filled with a powder charge and sealed with wood. Then assistants were hired, either a someone drunk, crazy or greedy enough do do something stupid for money. Master gunners were rare and worth protecting, crazy people werent. The petardiers run up to a castle door, one man holds the charge in the right place, the other uses a hammer and nails to fit it in the right position. Then they light the charge and do their Jesse Owens impression before the boom. Considering the chance of being shot on the way, accidentally setting off the charge when hammering or knocking out loose powder near a slow match (hoist by youw own petard meaning blown into the air by your own weapon) or shot on the way out it was a near suicidal job.
@@voiceofraisin3778 The petards that I'm aware of were just explosives on a board which attached at the bottom to a pole. The petard was simply leaned against the wall, explosive side to the wall. It was NOT a safe, cushy job.
We used to play around w/tennis ball mortars, taking three metal 3-ball containers, cutting the bottoms out of 2 and duct-taping them together to form the "barrel". Punch a fuse hole at the bottom, add fuse, half a 35 mm film tin of BP & a tennis ball. Bedded in sand on the beach at a 45° angle, it would lob the ball out 200-300 yds.into the river.the rattle-fit of ball in cans kept pressure low, but we used plenty of fuse, and distance for safety!! BUT.. cut a slit in the ball,add a cherry bomb/M-80 w/ the fuse sticking out, load w/fuse toward muzzle . flame fr/main charge washes around ball & lights firework on way out the barrel. Nice air burst approx. 150 yds out... finally blew the tube up with a tin and a half charge, split at seam... God looks out for kids, fools and drunks, we covered 2 out of 3! 😁
In the extended cut of Last of the Mohicans there's a wonderful sequence of the Siege of Fort Henry when the major led a sally against the french-natives; amongst the volleys one can see a grenadier armed with a hand mortar, firing with the muskets but at an angle. There the french also use a procedure that might apply to the hand mortar, that is, lighting the fuse with the bomb pointing up inside the barrel.
A WW2 American mortar was shown in a movie being fired off the thigh. A few soldiers who tried to do likewise with live mortars suffered a broken femur.
0:45 Actually, the oldest type of Greadiers I know of, stem from the Byzantine Empire! And there is still a debate going on, if they were the first. There are traces of Naphtaline/Bitumen projectiles that date back to the early days of mesopotamian cultures. But the beatuy of this handpiece speaks for itself, not to mention the sound! I love this vid!!!🦚💣
I do really appreciate that the pre-modern version of a hand grenade really did look like a cartoon bomb. 😂❤ There's just something about a nice, smooth shell with the classic fuse sticking out the topic. Really makes you wanna tie a damsel in distress to some train tracks and twirl your glorious mustache 🤣
@@AdamantLightLP also from what today would be called a mortar shell. early (pre industrial revolution) mortars fired "bombs" which were just a bigger grenade. same operation as this thing.
One thing Karl forgot to mention was the CQC drill for use when a grenade would be danger close. The operator would load the gun as demonstrated, but exchange the grenade payload for one of the giant brass balls the shooter had between his legs!
Growing up 45 minutes from Gettysburg Pa, I've always wondered why grenades, launchers and smaller caliber man portable mortars weren't used. How many battlefields, battles had a stonewall, "sunken road" or a flank that was "floating in air"? These features are what battles pivoted on. Indirect fire at the company/regimental level could have held the line or pushed the "Schwerpunkt". I geuss it would have taken far more training and discipline for this to work than most armies were willing to commit to. A grenade launcher with each platoon could have been game changing.
You should launch "grenade" smoke bombs with it so you can see where it lands. If you live in a dry area (as it appears you do) just make sure you do it after a rain so as to not catch the landscape on fire.
@@CAMSLAYER13 Not much so, as if these where filled with black powder, the shooter better take cover when they explode instead of being observing the impact. I mean the risk of getting hit form that distance is not that high, but there is no guarantee whatsoever the grenade won't split in half on explosion and the chunk of metal that size would easily cover the distance.
Very interesting and well presented video. The 200 yard range was impressive and so was the rate of fire. You appeared to fire at about a 15 degree angle. A projectile graph shows a 45 degree angle would give about twice the range as 15 degrees. I imagine these weapons could really mess up line infantry before they got into effective volley range.
Oooh boy! I have been recently researching these, and they came about only a few decades if that after pistols did with the wheellock. Speaking of, plenty surviving beautiful pieces around. Wheellock seems to be a more reliable system, by a bit. Some also have secondary match locks! Clever if you ask me, and practical. What I find interesting is that there seems to be two groups, roughly, which are shortbarreled ones of say 50-75mm bores like you have, and there are those that are roughly 35-40mm with somewhat longer barrels, say pistol to carbine length, also mentioned as hand mortars. Nothing wrong with smaller grenade I think, it would make recoil more managable, and guess what caliber today's grenade launchers are. People's capabilities such as capacity to withstand recoil does not change, only equipment does, hah! Now here's the thing, I have read that blunderbusses may have evolved from hand mortars. I reckon that some of those smaller bore handmortars could pull double duty with HEAVY charges of pistol bullets/buckshot, ey? Lastly, reckon you could make grenades under the federal limit of what was it, quarter ounce explosive, and just have it burst chalk powder, much like the training rounds for 40mm, or something similar? Would make for an interesting video! Cheers Karl!
I'm somewhat skeptical that a 35mm black powder grenade would be very effective in warfare; black powder is just too weak a bursting charge compared to TNT or other modern high explosives.
@@johnanthony6710 Very fair, nonetheless I have found about a dozen, through the centuries, which are ~38is milimetres on average, some very fancy, some very plain. It strikes me as odd that there would be this many on an already rare type of gun and had no use. I would have discarded the idea if there were just one or two. Still, albeit small, I would not like to be around grenade when it goes off, or they might have been for signalling, and double duty as a cluster of shot for direct combat. I suppose it would require testing, and at the end of the day it is just my theory, but I reckon there is some merit to it.:)
That's what few in today's history classes understand, the job of the Grenadier also encompassed the two man crew of the Handmortar. The Thumper/ Blooper was a old concept and weapon long before the M-79. In modern wars WW-1 onward the weapon evolved from a cup or spigot that attached to the end of the issue battle rifle to the M-79 then to the weapons like the M-203 and its later progeny.
Ok, based on this interesting demonstration, and the many hilarious and 'on point' comments from other viewers, I have subscribed to your channel! Thank you 💥👌
Before this 2.5" tennis ball flintlock hand mortar, I remember seeing internet photos (ten or so years back?) of a slimmer model designed to load and launch golf balls (diameter of 1.68" or 42.67 mm). No, not those AR15 Can Cannons, but a thick flintlock belted brass barrel burning bomb blooper. Anyone know of such things for sale?
I know exactly which one you mean. Far as I know, that was Veteran Arms as well, first model, which made way for this larger bore one. Shame, as I prefered the looks of the first one myself.
Yeah,@@Erikreaver and it looked like something you could actually shoot at a target. The barrel reminded me of 14th century medieval handgonnes that were strapped to stocks that sort of resembled old boat tillers and the gun was ignited with a little cannon fuse, or a short length of burning rope (a slow match) held in a stick, or a hot wire jammed into powder-filled divot over the touch-hole. Maybe Veteran Arms was worried that goofballs would start shooting at their friends with golf balls which could be very lethal and that a hand mortar firing larger but softer tennis balls was the better move, and the bigger model resembled the actual flintlock grenade launchers of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Absolutely beautiful piece, I love black powder and your videos are awesome. In my country (Argentina) muzzleloaders are free to sale and own, like airguns, but they are scarce and very expensive. I only own an Uberti Colt 1860 and I'm in love with it, but reliability is an issue because of poor percussion caps. Greetings from the far South!
Same here in Sweden. Unfortunately some gun dealers are so brain washed by "gun control" propaganda, that they don't sell to people who don't have a license for a modern firearm already, but most of them do.
Wow!! That was not only interesting, but educational at the same time. I carried an M79, later the M203, so the title of the video caught my eye right away. The grenadiers of yesteryear had "grenades of steel", regardless of what their grenades were actually made of, lol. Whew, that was an interesting job, for sure.
Absolutely. But I hardly see the safe way for doing that. Too many things can go wrong with the metal container full of powder and the fuse lit. Black powder grenades are dangerous, probably that's the reason they are illegal.
Grenades are as old as gunpowder, so around late 1100's in China. And they where introduced to the European battlefields along with the first gunpowder based guns. Grenadier was and is still considered to have been histories most dangerous job. You would be considered a badass veteran if you survived 2 battles, people that survived 3 where straight up living legends, and if you somehow by some insane miracle survived 4 battles as a grenadier, you where considered to be specially protected by God himself and would be given the option to retire on a fat pension for the rest of your life. Only a handful of people throughout history actually managed to survive 4 battles and retired, almost every other grenadier died in their first or second battle. Grenadiers usually didn't lob grenades, they where the ones responsible for carrying a powder keg up to the enemy stronghold gates or wall weak point and blow it up, while under constant bombardment of every conceivable projectile you can imagine.
Now imagine a phalanx wall of these firing a cannonball in succession at charging infantry. Not certain they were ever used in that way, but mobile artillery would have been a problem.
They had mobile artillery. They had cannons and big mortars they could cart about. I don't doubt a volley of these would be effective but it would be very expensive to pull off.
ok but now i feel the urge to ask if Pedersoli would produce an hyperfancy version of this also because this is thecnically a single shot muzzleloader weapon and they are not much more than toys here in taly. in fact, there is no caliber limits for such weapons in the italian law, so if you have the money, and some cannon makers is willing, you can commission a muzzleloader cannon to him and there is notthing the law can complain about it. sadly casting cannons is expensive. sadly.
ho well sure, i even know a guy that makes handgonnes and small pieces like this in his workshops but... they are expensive. i was thinking about a 6 pounders at least, something you need a carriage for, THOSE are REALLY expensive. even if i know a lucky bastard that has one of those and never uses it because "it's hard to find a range where they would allow it"@@igornoga5362
Hi my friend do they not use them in celebration in Italy or am I getting confused I know and seen them get used in video on you tube to celebrate think it's Germany, Switzerland Austria canny remember
they do, but only loaded with blanks but you need a range to shoot them with real cannonballs, i know one that would allow that, the issue is forcing my firend to bring that thing there.@@viperscot1
Every time I see that thing it's always claimed to be either mortar/grenade launcher, OR not suitable for said role and being used solely as signal gun/fireworks launcher. I've heard so many from both sides that I just gave up on having opinion on either usage.
Well, apparently some of them were of one kind, others from another) Have seen tons of them in museums, would be ridiculous if it were for fsignal purposes only.
Could it be that Edward Teach (a.k.a Blackbeard) the pirate guy was Grenadier? It made sense that the lit fuses on his hat served a purpose, he might have used it to light grenades at his enemies.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
Karl holding a lit grenade with a nonplussed expression is straight up Looney Toons lol
If I am not wrong with a bit of update it can still be used....
This gun is in fortnite!!
Hello it's me, 🤓, and i want to tell you that the is the wrong way to use the word nonplussed. You do get a pass because that's how it is most commonly used tho
The terms use depends on if it is American English or not. And even then there are regional and educational differences.
@@thomusroye5667If you’re going to correct people at least build a proper sentence 😂
“That the is the”
According to my reading, it was rapidly discovered that lighting the fuse in advance of firing is superfluous. The blast of firing automatically lights the fuse . . . that became common practice at sea for fused rounds. Saves on the uncertainty of a two man slow match team.
Yup, Coehorn mortar.
I imagine it would also save you the uncertainty of having a time bomb inside the gun that may not shoot it far away in time.
How come? To begin with, the safety fuse depicted in the video is completely ahistorical, meaning it was invented in the early 19th century only, decades after hand mortars fell out of use. Earlier, there were basically two options for grenades: a form of slow match (just infused with larger amounts of saltpeter and thus burning much faster - I won't bother you with the details) and a tubular fuse that was filled with special powder mix and inserted into the grenade (somewhat resembling modern grenade fuses, just without the priming mechanism). The first wasn't particularly good for grenades (its burning rate isn't sufficiently stable), though it was still used in some special 17th century designs. The tubular powder-based fuse was the main form of fuse used in all types of powder grenades throughout most of their history. However, simply firing the grenade from a hand mortar with the fuse looking forward wasn't sufficient to light it with any degree of certainty, and the attempts to place the grenade with the fuse looking into the barrel ended in accidents, as elements of the burning fuse were pushed into the grenade by the pressure of the powder gases, resulting in an immediate explosion inside the barrel. That, alongside with the fact that the hand mortar itself could easily misfire, leaving you with a primed grenade inside the barrel, apparently was one of the factors that led to the hand mortars falling out of use in the mid 18th century (when hand grenades still retained some limited use in the navy). What reading you're referring to?
Cannon n ship...so thats 1700 n up
Perhaps this is the 1600 model?
It was the Dutch who learned to shoot bombs from mortars. A bomb was a hollow metal ball filled with powder and having a small hole in it for a fuse.
First they tried “single firing” which was putting the bomb into the mortar with the fuse down, in contact with the propelling charge. That didn’t work. Firing the mortar often drove the fuse right into the bomb and blew it up right in front of the gun.
Then they tried “double firing” with the bomb turned over, fuse up, and the gunner lighted the fuse by hand at the same time he lighted the touch-hole of the piece. this required a nice sense of timing It wasn’t until 1650 that someone discovered, probably by accident, that double firing was unnecessary. The heat of firing would light the fuse even though it was turned away from the exploding charge. More precisely, it was the flame of the propelling charge firing, washing around the bomb through the windage, that ignited the fuze. This method was standard up through the American Civil War. From forgottenweapons com
This looks like an absolute treat. Also that fuse burndown take at the start... Heh, even though we all knew what was up, it was still harrowing to watch
"this is now burning"
I almost had a heart attack
I was expecting a meme explosion to be inserted for giggles.
Thank you once again from my historical author wife for displaying another period weapon. This will doubtless appear in her future writings as she is chuckling gleefully and humming a martial folk song of the era.
I was at an 1812 re-enactment where there was a competition between one of these and an M-204 for distance. The smoke pole outshot the modern equivalent by about 60 feet. Impressive.
This is a handmortar, not the Shooting distance in flat fire is important. Important is ,Steilfeuer' ( don' t know english word) it is fired into Air in high Angle for a parabol ( ?) way of flight. The mortars, also howitzers , usually are Not intended for direct aimed fire. The high angle fire has the reason, that in case of a siege the fortress is surrounded by a trench system similar to wwl. The soldier, standing in an attack trench/ ditch dug next to high stone walls , or thick earth ramparts covered with palisades or earth filled large baskets ( Gabiones) can" throw a handgrenade over a high obstacle, when standing before the obstacle, there is the danger, that you throw grenade against upper part of wall, and it jumps back to you
Forgotten: The Handmortar is intended to throw the grenades over high obstacles on rather short distance, not only for throwing handgrenades over a long distance
Kids, if they were shooting for distance, neither one was fired straight. They were both shot at an angle up into the air.
...and if your target was not on the other side of a wall, you would indeed shoot it straight at your target, perhaps a window on a house or on a ship.
@@brittakriep2938 the english term you were looking for is "indirekt fire". (not as descriptive as Steilfeuer, but that's what they got)
As for the distance thing: it still is a "valid" comparisson, as modern day grenade launchers also can be used for Steilfeuer, and in general, the distance also gives you an impression about "how high" the obstacle can be or how heavy the load can be and still get over there.
@@nirfz : I am Brittas boyfriend, only using her Computer too. I personally think that those handmortars of muzzleloader era are a siege thing, perhaps naval battle thing, not so much a field battle thing, and small ones had been , according to Ian McCollum ( Forgotten Weapons channel) a civilian Fireworks thing. Why do i think so? In 17th century the grenadiers had been soldiers, operating alone or in small groups as light infantry men/ in german Plänkler, to throw grenades into Tercios or other tight ( ?)formations. After Thirty Years War these grenadiers became regular Units , seen as Elite troops. Being an Elite troops they got flintlock muskets before regular musketeers, who sometimes had arround 1700 still matchlock muskets. In contrast to musketeers, the grenadiers carried their flintlock muskets with a sling at their back. To not loosing their hat when taking the musket from Back, they got a Zipfelmütze ( don' t know Englisch word). But relative early in 18th century the throwing of grenades became rarer, you notice this in grenadiers cap with decoratve Metal or textile covered cartboard frontpiece, such a Cap would Fall down, when taking a musket with sling from Back. In Mid 18th century, as far as i know, unloaded handgrenades remained in Fortress inventorys for siege fights, and on warships ( Here in Pirates, privateers or merchant vessels context often only powderfilled bottles). So handmortars use in 18th century field Battles? Doubtfull. So i don' t realy believe, that distance/ reach was then important.
But in wwl this trenchwarfare had much similarity to siege warfare of especially 17th century. Starting in 1890s, Experiments with handgrenades and new variants of Military Explosives had a Comeback. Note: In 1890s Swiss engineer troops still had ,Petarden' in Stock. When trench warfare started in 1914, No european Army was really prepared, so i believe the Story, that british officers ordered the use of 17th century Coehorn mortars from Museums as First emergency weapons.
But in wwl rifle grenades appeared, in this Case as infantrymans light artillry, reach became a thing . In wwl may be Not so important, but in wwll reach became for mobile warfare reason really important, siege warfare with indirekt fire became lesser important.
Gotta love the blackpowder episodes! Going from high end modern guns for competitions to old guns that reload slower than par times on some stages
Thank you!
Please remember that we are entirely demonetized and wholly crowd funded. If it's possible, please consider supporting the channel: patreon.com/inrangetv
The tactical tether, is certainly one approach to failures to fire.
the grenades weren't the only metal balls that grenadiers had.
I think I like the technical term: "Tactical Tugger"
It converts from a grenade launcher into a blunderbuss.
Is there a _strategic_ tugger? Does it cost extra? 🤣😂🤣 @@Shamanscircle1
@@joedingo7022 not really
This was a whole lot of fun. I am reminded of lighting firecrackers with fast fuses and almost blowing my fingers off.
"Once you light the fuse, Mr. Grenade is no longer your friend."
*YEET*
Hot potato.
@@Tavsan123i remember song
I'm just shocked they didn't set up the grenade fuse to ignite upon firing....
@@patrickw9520 one way to deliver premade grenades ready to use to your enemy...
But i do wonder why they didnt just prep it, then throw in the grenade with its fuse to the front, then light it up before shooting. Maybe this way they cut down on time being exposed?
The flow of this man's speech is equally enjoyable as the subject at hand. Nice to watch!
The part with the grenade fuse looks very meme-able.
that bit was absolutely done to be made into those cut explosions, still love em
It's a compliment to Ian's "There is no time delayed to this" on the RPG
Made it just now XD
@@WingMaster562 Agreed!
Once the fuse is lit, Mr. Grenade is no longer your friend.
My 6x? great grandfather was a grenadier with the regiment of saintonge, french army. Present at Yorktown
1781 , I bet he would ve liked to have one these when they took the redoubts.
After that he joined his brothers in Louisiana ( who fought under General Galvez, becoming creole/cajun settlers of Opelousas, La.
Mobile & Pensacola)
I think they skipped a critical step in the misfire doctrine, between the "throw away" and "use rope to retrieve" steps, there's likely a missing "shake out your shorts" operation.
Not in the manual for Scottish troops...
frankly they all had dysentery back then, so not much left to shake out, I'm afraid
:D :D
Don't ask, don't tell!
@@phileas007 Its such a horrible thought that a lot of those guys were marching all day in wool pants and just squirtin all over the place. The horror
As a combat medic you cannot believe the tidal wave of anxiety that swept over me as that fuse burnt down.
That means your training stuck with you
Just a little note, "as a combat medic" should be after "swept over me".
Otherwise the statement presumes the reader is a combat medic :)
@@azgarogly was a 91B10!
@@thecamocampaindude5167 I've seen explosive amputation twice. Both men lived.
@@azgarogly English was never my best subject but you seem like a cunning linguist 🤣
I love those old era weapons, they look so sketchy that it makes them instantly awesome.
Красиво это да остальное 😂
Black powder is fun!
You could load the grenade fuse down and the projection charge will ignite the fuse. You could also place the grenade into the barrel and then light the fuse for more time to aim and fire.
My buddy and I were discussing our mutual growing interest in black powder guns, and a decreased interest in contemporary tactical guns. Then we realized we're both entering middle age.
I’m probably half yalls age and feeling the same… just got my first cap and ball revolver and I have a giddy feeling it’s going to be more fun to shoot than my glock
Just got my 1766 Charleville and I can't wait to get it to the range! Guess this is something that middle-aged "gun guys" experience.
@@richardlahan7068ha 😂 ... I bought a Charleville as my first musket when I was 22 because I got bored of regular shooting ... used that thing for everything, rabbit, geese, duck, deer ... accurate out to 200 yards... only thing I struggle with it is close, fast moving stuff ... it's the weight and length. But a brilliant all round gun.
If I could only have one gun it'd be the Charley 👍
And buck & ball is a beast ... it'll drop anything !!!
Great gun, enjoy it 👍
Bold to assume I'm not whipping out the Blunderbuss for defense
I wish I got into BP earlier but after doing it for 3 years now it's almost all I shoot anymore. It's so much fun and a great way to spend a day at that range. They really aren't that difficult to manage or clean. People who only know modern guns make a big deal out of it. Other than that, I find the loading ritual to be fun.
Just be sure to use real BP whenever you can, especially if you're using a flintlock.
I watch RUclips all day, lots of gun stuff and history stuff, this has to be one of the coolest videos in recent memory!
Russel: Hey Karl that's a very fitting costume for today's video!
Karl: Oh, right. Yes. This was a costume. A costume that I definitely picked out specifically because of the topic of today's video.
Yes. Lol
Shhhh... Those were his pajamas.
Karl's a big fan of Steven Van Zandt lol
Kuzco's poison...
The only more fitting costume would've been of Coyote or Bugs Bunny
Very interesting! I enjoyed your review of both historical grenade launching techniques as well as the really cool OG M-79.
Of course, now I want one...
It was the art of artillery. Everyone chose their own shooting style. If the grenade body is strong enough and does not need a soft lining, it was fired not by double fire but by single fire. The fire of the shot was ignited by a wooden tubular fuse. For the reliability of ignition, a black match was inserted into the end of the tube and sprinkled with gunpowder dust
Read about these. Never though I'd see one explained in depth and shot. Amazing.
That's awesome. I'm so glad you are doing more black powder stuff, it's honestly been coolest part of your channel.
Thank you! Please consider supporting the channel: patreon.com/inrangetv
Yup love all the black powder stuff 😁😁😁😁
Like the old
West
He tells the truth
Not like my 20 years of reading
Sweet video! Certainly a dearth of information on this weapon - your contribution is much appreciated!
Stuff like this really makes you have an appreciation for modern day technology. I can only imagine how many soldiers got sent to an early death for accidentally not loading enough powder into their grenade launcher lol
Yup many did I imagine
now we have safer ways of killing other people lol
They died full of Joy.
Also keep in mind that mixing gunpowder was more of an art then a science at this point. No one really understood the chemistry and the ingredients had no purity guarantee meaning that what was the right amount of powder one load could be not enough the next. At that point Id rather be a pike-man then the guy handed one of these.
That damned thing seems dangerous, I don't know myself, but I think if that thing did not fire out of the gun (mortar) or what have you, and you were unable to throw it the last option would be to RUN!
I saw a 1750s era flintlock swivel gun that was made by a man who did historical arms and worked part time at the Fortress of Louisbourg in Nova Scotia. I was an intern there, lerning historic interpretation and I learned a lot but what sticks in my head is the engraving on the muzzle of that weapon- 'Happy is he who escapes me'
The barrel was a bit longer than this, but still... OUCH!
Thank you Karl for sharing this. I never heard of that weapon and early grenades. History is so amazing to me.
Thank you!
Please remember that we are entirely demonetized and wholly crowd funded. If it's possible, please consider supporting the channel: patreon.com/inrangetv
Love this kind of content. Thank you Carl for sharing the historical stuff with us
Let me get you a slight correction on Grenades:
* During the Siege of Vienna in 1683, the Ottoman troops used grenades made from glass with a fuse on the outside. On the other hand, the Austrian defenders used cast iron grenades with a fuse leading in. The Ottoman glass grenade was mainly a shock weapon... the Austrian iron grenade maimed and killed with shrapnell.
Glass shards and powder would be nightmare for the eyes. That's an extreme flashbang.
@@ravenoferin500 The glass would likely turn to just powder from the explosion, it's too brittle to maintain large shards from that type of concussive blast.
And which part exactly did you now correct?
The movie, The Siege of Vienna 1683 Shows some use of grenades. There is a scene in With Fire and Sword that shows it in more detail.
Don't know which would be worse, getting hit with a grenade or getting hit by the 18' hollow lance of the Husaria that splintered inside the target.
@@cmendla The function of the hollow lances breaking didn't serve to make the wounding any more grievous, it just helped the lancer leave the melee easier to reform for another charge. It was suppose to break in the middle, not near the lance head.
Everything is a gangster until this guy bring his 1700s hand mortar.
As the founding father intended./s
On a more serious note, This is a very fearsome weapon for both the team operators and besieged occupants.
Yup the same danger firing the canons in that time period one Scottish king got killed by a canon on his side it blown it's self up
Even in re enactment the blank charges have caused injury to people seen it happen broken ram rod being fired out on that time flintlock but it's happened with canons too
Nah if it were as the founders envisioned the grenades would’ve been filled with gunpowder and we would’ve seen two explosions every time he fired the launcher. JS
Thanks to NYSRPA v. Bruen we now must study the text history and tradition of these hand cannons 🎉
@@viperscot1
Yes, miniature sculptor Michael Perry lost his right hand in 1996 due to an accident loading a reproduction cannon.
@@notchagrandpa8875actually black powder isn't an explosive. No it would still be lawful. Legal on the other hand... it's a toss up
I don't know about anyone else but I like these historical videos the most.
Dammit Karl, I got the blunderbuss because of you and now i gotta get this, my kids will never get into college. Lol
Once again, InRange puts out stellar content. Thank you Karl.
Thank you for all the years of content @InRangeTV. You really got me interested in firearms and their history. One day I hope I'll financially be able to show the appreciation via patreon. But, until that day Karl, Thank you. Thank you for everything.
SICK! Always wanted to see how these work, they're so bizarre looking. Cheers man.
This was great Karl, love your history videos, both old weapons and stories of the past. Your first hand experience of using the weapons adds a lot. Thanks!
Thank you!
Please remember that we are entirely demonetized and wholly crowd funded.
If it's possible, please consider supporting the channel: patreon.com/inrangetv
@@InrangeTv Been a patron supporter since the pandemic and happy to see you and the channel still going strong!
That thumbnail worked man! Great Video!👍
Amazing as ever karl I adore your historical stuff and this was a treat.
Thank you!
Please remember that we are entirely demonetized and wholly crowed funded. If it's possible, please consider supporting the channel: patreon.com/inrangetv
Thank you. I always wondered how the hell one of these would be used in actuality. That's the value of this channel. Please keep up the fantastic history lessons.
Thanks, will do!
Please remember that we are entirely demonetized and wholly crowd funded. If it's possible, please consider supporting the channel: patreon.com/inrangetv
Thats a really cool piece of kit man! Thanks so much for showing it off :D
I was always enchanted by these hand mortarts in the Artillery museum in Saint-Petersburg. They are definitely impressive, and elegant
Early grenades were called petards, and were used from the late 1300s on. This is where the expression "hoist on your own petard" , comes from.
Petards where more like breeching charges, set up against doors.
Petards were usually a door breaching charge.
The master gunner made up a domed iron plate filled with a powder charge and sealed with wood.
Then assistants were hired, either a someone drunk, crazy or greedy enough do do something stupid for money. Master gunners were rare and worth protecting, crazy people werent.
The petardiers run up to a castle door, one man holds the charge in the right place, the other uses a hammer and nails to fit it in the right position.
Then they light the charge and do their Jesse Owens impression before the boom.
Considering the chance of being shot on the way, accidentally setting off the charge when hammering or knocking out loose powder near a slow match (hoist by youw own petard meaning blown into the air by your own weapon) or shot on the way out it was a near suicidal job.
@@voiceofraisin3778
The petards that I'm aware of were just explosives on a board which attached at the bottom to a pole. The petard was simply leaned against the wall, explosive side to the wall. It was NOT a safe, cushy job.
Pétard in modern french = firecracker. It literally means "farter" XD
They have petards in Chivalry 2 which are used as gate breachers or for demolishing buildings
I, if I could, I wish; would purchase this amazing firearm in a heartbeat.
We used to play around w/tennis ball mortars, taking three metal 3-ball containers, cutting the bottoms out of 2 and duct-taping them together to form the "barrel". Punch a fuse hole at the bottom, add fuse, half a 35 mm film tin of BP & a tennis ball. Bedded in sand on the beach at a 45° angle, it would lob the ball out 200-300 yds.into the river.the rattle-fit of ball in cans kept pressure low, but we used plenty of fuse, and distance for safety!! BUT.. cut a slit in the ball,add a cherry bomb/M-80 w/ the fuse sticking out, load w/fuse toward muzzle . flame fr/main charge washes around ball & lights firework on way out the barrel. Nice air burst approx. 150 yds out... finally blew the tube up with a tin and a half charge, split at seam... God looks out for kids, fools and drunks, we covered 2 out of 3! 😁
Spud guns. Or a really big one for Pumpkin Chuckin' 😲 l can just see Kentucky Ballistics with that one.
In the extended cut of Last of the Mohicans there's a wonderful sequence of the Siege of Fort Henry when the major led a sally against the french-natives; amongst the volleys one can see a grenadier armed with a hand mortar, firing with the muskets but at an angle.
There the french also use a procedure that might apply to the hand mortar, that is, lighting the fuse with the bomb pointing up inside the barrel.
Even if I knew I was holding a fake grenade with a lit fuse it would still make me feel uneasy
As Paladin once said "Don't worry, it's loaded.Its the unloaded ones you have to be careful about."
A WW2 American mortar was shown in a movie being fired off the thigh. A few soldiers who tried to do likewise with live mortars suffered a broken femur.
I carried one in Vietnam in 1970 - 1971! Amazing! 😉
0:45 Actually, the oldest type of Greadiers I know of, stem from the Byzantine Empire! And there is still a debate going on, if they were the first. There are traces of Naphtaline/Bitumen projectiles that date back to the early days of mesopotamian cultures. But the beatuy of this handpiece speaks for itself, not to mention the sound! I love this vid!!!🦚💣
That is such an awesome thing, that boost is beautiful
Dad: "son, go play catch."
Son: "ok. Where is your glove?"
*dad pulls out hand mortar
"No son. You're playing catch. I am the thrower."
I do really appreciate that the pre-modern version of a hand grenade really did look like a cartoon bomb. 😂❤ There's just something about a nice, smooth shell with the classic fuse sticking out the topic. Really makes you wanna tie a damsel in distress to some train tracks and twirl your glorious mustache 🤣
That's where the classic depiction of bombs in cartoons came from.
@@AdamantLightLP also from what today would be called a mortar shell. early (pre industrial revolution) mortars fired "bombs" which were just a bigger grenade. same operation as this thing.
where do you think cartoonists got the idea from?
That is so cool. Nice way to get rid of a Bud light. Thanks. 👍
Scary and cool as heck at the same time
That's weapons in a nutshell
Oh that is beautiful. Whoever made it did a great job. Good vid!
One thing Karl forgot to mention was the CQC drill for use when a grenade would be danger close. The operator would load the gun as demonstrated, but exchange the grenade payload for one of the giant brass balls the shooter had between his legs!
🤣🤣🤣🤣 yup they did
Great video, was really cool to get an in-depth look at Ye Olde Twoscore Michael-Michael.
So funky! It looks like what a Dr. Suss character or Willy Wonka would be armed with.
lol, and who would Willy Wonka be shooting with that?
@@skjaldulfr You have to keep those Oompa Loompa's in line somehow.
What a beauty of a piece of history!
Growing up 45 minutes from Gettysburg Pa, I've always wondered why grenades, launchers and smaller caliber man portable mortars weren't used. How many battlefields, battles had a stonewall, "sunken road" or a flank that was "floating in air"? These features are what battles pivoted on. Indirect fire at the company/regimental level could have held the line or pushed the "Schwerpunkt".
I geuss it would have taken far more training and discipline for this to work than most armies were willing to commit to. A grenade launcher with each platoon could have been game changing.
That was cool. I have never heard of one of those. Id love to have one. The history on it was also very interesting. Thanks for this video!!
You should launch "grenade" smoke bombs with it so you can see where it lands. If you live in a dry area (as it appears you do) just make sure you do it after a rain so as to not catch the landscape on fire.
If you filled these steel balls with smoke powder you should be able to get a pretty accurate visual representation
@@CAMSLAYER13 Not much so, as if these where filled with black powder, the shooter better take cover when they explode instead of being observing the impact.
I mean the risk of getting hit form that distance is not that high, but there is no guarantee whatsoever the grenade won't split in half on explosion and the chunk of metal that size would easily cover the distance.
@@azgarogly no, the shit they put in smoke bombs
Very interesting and well presented video. The 200 yard range was impressive and so was the rate of fire. You appeared to fire at about a 15 degree angle. A projectile graph shows a 45 degree angle would give about twice the range as 15 degrees. I imagine these weapons could really mess up line infantry before they got into effective volley range.
Oooh boy! I have been recently researching these, and they came about only a few decades if that after pistols did with the wheellock. Speaking of, plenty surviving beautiful pieces around. Wheellock seems to be a more reliable system, by a bit. Some also have secondary match locks! Clever if you ask me, and practical.
What I find interesting is that there seems to be two groups, roughly, which are shortbarreled ones of say 50-75mm bores like you have, and there are those that are roughly 35-40mm with somewhat longer barrels, say pistol to carbine length, also mentioned as hand mortars. Nothing wrong with smaller grenade I think, it would make recoil more managable, and guess what caliber today's grenade launchers are. People's capabilities such as capacity to withstand recoil does not change, only equipment does, hah!
Now here's the thing, I have read that blunderbusses may have evolved from hand mortars. I reckon that some of those smaller bore handmortars could pull double duty with HEAVY charges of pistol bullets/buckshot, ey?
Lastly, reckon you could make grenades under the federal limit of what was it, quarter ounce explosive, and just have it burst chalk powder, much like the training rounds for 40mm, or something similar? Would make for an interesting video! Cheers Karl!
I'm somewhat skeptical that a 35mm black powder grenade would be very effective in warfare; black powder is just too weak a bursting charge compared to TNT or other modern high explosives.
@@johnanthony6710 Very fair, nonetheless I have found about a dozen, through the centuries, which are ~38is milimetres on average, some very fancy, some very plain. It strikes me as odd that there would be this many on an already rare type of gun and had no use. I would have discarded the idea if there were just one or two. Still, albeit small, I would not like to be around grenade when it goes off, or they might have been for signalling, and double duty as a cluster of shot for direct combat. I suppose it would require testing, and at the end of the day it is just my theory, but I reckon there is some merit to it.:)
Aaaand this is once again why I’m a Patreon supporter. Great video!
very cool! Hope this a stage gun at Pirate Brutality
😂
This is first time I watch someone really fire the ancient gernad launcher , nice video 😊🎉❤
That's what few in today's history classes understand, the job of the Grenadier also encompassed the two man crew of the Handmortar. The Thumper/ Blooper was a old concept and weapon long before the M-79. In modern wars WW-1 onward the weapon evolved from a cup or spigot that attached to the end of the issue battle rifle to the M-79 then to the weapons like the M-203 and its later progeny.
Ok, based on this interesting demonstration, and the many hilarious and 'on point' comments from other viewers, I have subscribed to your channel! Thank you 💥👌
Welcome aboard!
Before this 2.5" tennis ball flintlock hand mortar, I remember seeing internet photos (ten or so years back?) of a slimmer model designed to load and launch golf balls (diameter of 1.68" or 42.67 mm). No, not those AR15 Can Cannons, but a thick flintlock belted brass barrel burning bomb blooper. Anyone know of such things for sale?
I know exactly which one you mean. Far as I know, that was Veteran Arms as well, first model, which made way for this larger bore one. Shame, as I prefered the looks of the first one myself.
Yeah,@@Erikreaver and it looked like something you could actually shoot at a target. The barrel reminded me of 14th century medieval handgonnes that were strapped to stocks that sort of resembled old boat tillers and the gun was ignited with a little cannon fuse, or a short length of burning rope (a slow match) held in a stick, or a hot wire jammed into powder-filled divot over the touch-hole.
Maybe Veteran Arms was worried that goofballs would start shooting at their friends with golf balls which could be very lethal and that a hand mortar firing larger but softer tennis balls was the better move, and the bigger model resembled the actual flintlock grenade launchers of the 17th and 18th centuries.
At 1:55, I was expecting a *JUMP SCARE* like Scott does. LOL Thanks for the history lesson, Karl!
Absolutely beautiful piece, I love black powder and your videos are awesome. In my country (Argentina) muzzleloaders are free to sale and own, like airguns, but they are scarce and very expensive. I only own an Uberti Colt 1860 and I'm in love with it, but reliability is an issue because of poor percussion caps. Greetings from the far South!
Thank you!
Please consider supporting the channel:
patreon.com/inrangetv
Same here in Sweden. Unfortunately some gun dealers are so brain washed by "gun control" propaganda, that they don't sell to people who don't have a license for a modern firearm already, but most of them do.
Wow!! That was not only interesting, but educational at the same time. I carried an M79, later the M203, so the title of the video caught my eye right away. The grenadiers of yesteryear had "grenades of steel", regardless of what their grenades were actually made of, lol. Whew, that was an interesting job, for sure.
I’d love to see you do a collaboration with someone who has the licensing, so you could fire a functional reproduction of a period grenade.
Absolutely.
But I hardly see the safe way for doing that.
Too many things can go wrong with the metal container full of powder and the fuse lit.
Black powder grenades are dangerous, probably that's the reason they are illegal.
Oh yeah, black powder can-cannon. Real deal.
Got me with the grenade fuse there for a second :)
Neat, I always thought these took a much larger powder charge.
Grenades are as old as gunpowder, so around late 1100's in China. And they where introduced to the European battlefields along with the first gunpowder based guns. Grenadier was and is still considered to have been histories most dangerous job. You would be considered a badass veteran if you survived 2 battles, people that survived 3 where straight up living legends, and if you somehow by some insane miracle survived 4 battles as a grenadier, you where considered to be specially protected by God himself and would be given the option to retire on a fat pension for the rest of your life. Only a handful of people throughout history actually managed to survive 4 battles and retired, almost every other grenadier died in their first or second battle. Grenadiers usually didn't lob grenades, they where the ones responsible for carrying a powder keg up to the enemy stronghold gates or wall weak point and blow it up, while under constant bombardment of every conceivable projectile you can imagine.
Crew-served weapons of the 1600's
"Yonder enemy of the King is close my man."
"Parry this, you filthy casual!"
It looks like these cartoons where the shooter becomes the projectile backwards and the huge bullet fall softly on the ground right there
Now imagine a phalanx wall of these firing a cannonball in succession at charging infantry. Not certain they were ever used in that way, but mobile artillery would have been a problem.
They had mobile artillery. They had cannons and big mortars they could cart about. I don't doubt a volley of these would be effective but it would be very expensive to pull off.
I think the power level of the propellant charge is more like "it throws it further than just your arm" instead of firing it like a cannon ball.
Love the shape of this thing, absolutely gorgeous
If you held onto the gun and the grenade, how likely was it to blow the barrel apart vs. just holding it facing down range?
I think the recoil would catapult the gun in your face/chest
thisis the most detailed video of fused munitions that i've ever seen. top notch.
ok but now i feel the urge to ask if Pedersoli would produce an hyperfancy version of this
also because this is thecnically a single shot muzzleloader weapon and they are not much more than toys here in taly. in fact, there is no caliber limits for such weapons in the italian law, so if you have the money, and some cannon makers is willing, you can commission a muzzleloader cannon to him and there is notthing the law can complain about it. sadly casting cannons is expensive. sadly.
Stuff a tennis ball in there and whoever gets hit takes a time out
Maybe machine the barrel instead of casting it? It seems small enough to be done on a regular lathe
ho well sure, i even know a guy that makes handgonnes and small pieces like this in his workshops but... they are expensive. i was thinking about a 6 pounders at least, something you need a carriage for, THOSE are REALLY expensive. even if i know a lucky bastard that has one of those and never uses it because "it's hard to find a range where they would allow it"@@igornoga5362
Hi my friend do they not use them in celebration in Italy or am I getting confused
I know and seen them get used in video on you tube to celebrate think it's Germany, Switzerland Austria canny remember
they do, but only loaded with blanks
but you need a range to shoot them with real cannonballs, i know one that would allow that, the issue is forcing my firend to bring that thing there.@@viperscot1
I love the looney tunes moment. The suspense watching that fuse burn down into the grenade was nostalgic.
Every time I see that thing it's always claimed to be either mortar/grenade launcher, OR not suitable for said role and being used solely as signal gun/fireworks launcher. I've heard so many from both sides that I just gave up on having opinion on either usage.
Well, apparently some of them were of one kind, others from another) Have seen tons of them in museums, would be ridiculous if it were for fsignal purposes only.
Your right flares were used too from similar flintlock or both flare's and nade from same
I feel like a scottish black man with one eye in red clothes using this calling it "loose cannon"
This gun has same name and work in free fire😅
I never knew that existed, thanks. Obviously that could have a canister round as well.
Imagine putting this thing under the barrel of a musket. Hell yeah
Usually, with that kind of launcher, the flash of the propellant would light a (short) fuse.
2:58 imagine someone breaking into a house and seeing this pointed at them.
1700's gunsmith: "What caliber do you want this to be?"
"2 pounder should do..."
Gunsmith: 🤯
Could it be that Edward Teach (a.k.a Blackbeard) the pirate guy was Grenadier? It made sense that the lit fuses on his hat served a purpose, he might have used it to light grenades at his enemies.
Such a cool piece.. Thanks for showing it to us
“Sir? What do i do if it falters?”
“Yeet it has hard as you fucking can.”
is it just me that the sound of the hand mortar being shot is quite clean and smooth?