Big Bertha's and other oddities

Longarms
#1

A few years back I went along to the Big Bore Rifle Club’s annual Woodliegh shoot to watch a mate compete with his 500 nitro.
after the comp I got to put a few shots through the 500 which was pretty cool and while I was doing my little happy dance one of the blokes said he had a real big gun if I wanted a go, these things had been set up at the end of the range but I didn’t really recognise what they were until we went down there. They turned out to be a pair of massive tripod mounted 8Ga Martini actioned industrial shotguns, Whinchester RingBlaster’s to be exact.
I got to fire a few rounds through one and got to keep a loaded round for the collection.

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What beasts / big bores have you had the chance to play with?

#2

I have 2 or 3 fired cases too. They were in use at Blue Circle Cement when I was working there on a contract about 15 years ago.

#3

Uh, now I can put a case to a gun… Neat!

#4

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Just came across this beauty in the Botanical gardens at Hamilton.

#5

Alexandra gardens Ararat and the Botanical gardens at Ballarat both have nice cannons.

#6

The Eureka stockade memorial guns are pretty good too, if you’re in Ballarat.

1 Like
#7

Imagine the current cost to fire it with black powder $95 a kg.

2 Likes
#8

@juststarting look at the first post ^^^

1 Like
#9

A .75 inch brass cannon on the end of a stick, which was supposedly a late 17th century replica. Speak to Nick Smith of Ballarat Arms & Militaria collectors club, he is the Cannon man.