Item Description
Original Item: Only One Available. This is a fantastic totally original late 18th century bronze cannon tube that measures 38 1/2 inches when including the cascabel. The bore is 2.7-inches which designates this as a three pounder (3-pounder).
According to the Tower of London this size cannon is considered a FALCON and later referred to it as a Grasshopper but to us today this is exactly what we all picture as a traditional "Pirate Cannon".
3-pounder gun, 3-pounder, 3-pdr or QF 3-pdr is an abbreviation typically referring to a gun which fired a projectile weighing approximately 3 pounds. It sometimes refers to The Grasshopper cannon of the 18th century.
Grasshopper was the nickname for a cannon used by the British in the late 18th century as a light battalion gun to support infantry. It was designed for service in rough terrain such as the frontiers of British North America, in India and the Himalayas.
Its barrel was made of bronze instead of iron. Bronze is less brittle than cast iron, and so the barrel could be made thinner and lighter than that of an iron gun. Further, if a bronze gun developed a defect it would rupture; an iron gun with a flaw would shatter, at great cost to its own crew. It fired a three-pound ball (or 3 pounds of canister shot).
Using the conventional bracket or split trail, the gun could be moved by its own crew using drag ropes and wooden shafts much like a handcart. Two straight shafts were placed on each side of the cheek pieces facing forward, and two angled ones at the trail. The appearance of the shafts when fixed in place led to the nickname of Grasshopper.
This example features a tube (or barrel) that is bronze, totally original and heavy; it has a vacant oval escutcheon on the upper side that may have once displayed Military/Naval unit markings or even a national motif. This cannon tube has not been polished nor cleaned and retains most of the patina and stains from its 200-250 years of existence.
Originating from the British garrison in Kathmandu, Nepal where it laid for at least the last 150 years (see photos of the piles of bronze cannons we recovered ), no markings remain, most likely those of the British East India Company, if any were ever present.
In style this cannon appears to be entirely English and dates from as early as 1750 up until as late as 1840. Under the cascabel on the rear there is a mount for an elevating wheel assembly so this barrel could be used on both naval carriages as shown, or full field carriages with large wheels as used by infantry regiments of the period.
The all oak naval carriage on which this barrel is displayed was custom manufactured to our precise specifications. It is a near exact copy of a British Naval Man-o-War wood carriage from the last half of the 18th century. The carriage measures 25-inches long and 20-inches at it's widest point. It is expertly constructed of 2-inch wide Oak with hand-forged iron cap squares and mounts, just how they were made 250 years ago. It is even sturdy enough to be fired from. The carriage is correctly fitted with the early style shoe elevation system using an angled ramp pushed in from the rear to gain the correct firing elevation when in use.
IMA commissioned the construction of this carriage especially for this barrel making a most attractive original bronze cannon tube into a stunning historically accurate display piece for home or office. In fact, we will include a small booklet of photographs showing the carriage under construction supporting the fact that this has been tailor made using the construction methods of 250 years ago, as well as our book Treasure is Where You Find It with photos of hundreds of cannon tube’s found within our discovery in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Curbside delivery within the continental US is included with purchase. Overseas customers must contact us for a shipping quote.
- This product is available for international shipping.
- IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to posses, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms).
Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world. These antique guns are not sold in live condition. They are sold as collector’s items or as wall hangers. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.
Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe.
- Not eligible for payment with Paypal or Amazon
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