Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This howitzer was recently featured on an episode of History Channel’s Pawn Stars. It successfully fired a bowling bowl using 1 pound of black powder. You can watch the video above.
This incredible bronze mortar is designed in the European style with multiple concentric rings and fillets an ogees. The bronze is of high quality with few inclusions. It measures 44 inches in overall length. At the widest point it is 20″ wide. It weighs approximate 800 lbs. The bore measures nearly 11 inches. Inside one can clearly see the “powder compartment” in the bottom of the bore which leads into the Mortar ball compartment directly in front. The touch hole has been spiked.
It appears this European howitzer (not a mortar as the trunions are in the middle) has had various markings and dates removed which was common practice when captured weapons were shipped to Nepal by International arms dealers in order to disguise a weapon’s origin in the hope of repeat orders going back to the initial supplier.
Mounted on a basic wood mount which was recently constructed. Also included are 4 iron cannon ball. These were designed to be hollow in order to allow additional black powder to be loaded inside to explode the projectile.
A fine and rare howitzer with wonderful classic European details dating from some point in the 18th century.