Tiny bronze hand gonne Barrel?
 

This 'mystery object' was the recent topic of conversation at a local fair. All the weapons collectors and dealers agreed it 'appears' to be like a small cannon barrel. The bore is 8mm across. Seems too roughly cast to be of modern decorative or reproduction quality.
'touch hole' is open.
I'm competely at a loss. 6.5cm overall length. weight 146g

Any thoughts?

Come on you lot, no ideas?
End of something, part of something?

Just a guess - maybe for fireworks or signalling ?

Could be mate. Hopefully someone will have seen something similar.

Hi Gene,

As it is equiped with trunnions I would agree it is a miniature cannon barrel, with the carriage missing.
The decoration in my opinion points towards the Far East (China?), the traces of crude hammering at the muzzle look spurious - like somebody has tried to make it look older, damaged and 'aged'.

Best,
Michael

Don't the trunions look like a fantasy and not the real thing ?
And what is that hole doing there ?
Doesn't crude hammering on the muzzle looke like just damaging (for whatever purpose) but not to pretend anything?
Its tiny dimensions ... maybe just a decoration minature ?
Very nice and appealing, though :cool:

Hi Gene,
Looks to me like a reusable 'firecracker', Japanese/Chinese, the lugs with the holes could be for attaching to a hand stock. Hammer marks on the muzzle could be missed attempts at pinning/nailing through the lugs to aforementioned stock.
Just some thoughts.
My Regards,
Norman.

Hi Michael,

Thanks for coming in on this one.
It came from a dealer who didn't have any clue what it might be, for the cost of a bottle of Bavarian Lager, so I don't think there was any intenional deception going on or it would have come with a story and higher price ;)

I also thought that the form looked possibly Chinese, but a chap I know who'se got a vast collection of Asian weapons said he thought it wasn't and that it looked European, possibly Italian to him.
Which is why I thought I'd post it here knowing that you should be able to discount that possibility.
He thought the snake decoration reminded him of European pieces :shrug:

Thanks
Gene

Hi Nando
They definately aren't trunions in the conventional form. And yes they have holes for pins or thread?
I do like these puzzle objects.
You've not seen anything like it in your research of handgonnes then?
It's certainly new on me.
ATB
Gene

I've never heard of them Norman. Sounds very interesting though!
I'm not too worried even if the use is a mundane one, I just want to know for sure.
Hate not being able to identify things.
Probobly why I have to buy mystery items.

Must be some form of OCD!

ATB
Gene

Of course you're right, 'Nando,

The piercings of those 'trunnions' don't make any sense at all.
Norman's suggestions seem all the more correct now.

Best,
Michl

Just having a cuppa with Spiral and he was digging around in this with a bamboo skewer. When I picked it back up off of it's little 'stand' I noticed some dust residue had fallen out onto the wooden stand. Without thinking, I then banged it on the stand and more fell out.
Anwering two questions at once.
There is definately powdery residue inside it that may indeed be from 'firing' and the marks on the muzzle would be consistent with someone banging it on a hard surface to clean it out between firings rather like I did.

I now believe more than ever that this was made to go BANG!