Mortar Shotgun Round Experiment

 

I wanted to see if I could make my black powder mortar that I got from Backpowder Cannons work as a shotgun.

The first thing I did was take my soda cans and open up the top.  The idea was to use the soda can as a sabot to hold the “buckshot” together and then discard after the projectile left the barrel.

I have a buckshot mold, but it takes so long to get rounds that I used gravel for my test.

As you can see in the video, it worked.  Additionally, it might not be apparent is that gravel is too light for a mortar shotgun.

I should have used my cast lead buckshot.  The weight of the lead would have made a difference.  At some point I want to redo this experiment as I think a mortar shotgun is a cool thing to have.  Nothing says get off my lawn like a few hundred rounds of 000 buckshot raining down from the mountaintop.

Actually, I would never use this offensively, but I really want to see what it would do to a target.

I really enjoy my black powder mortar, and you really should think about getting one.