It might cause some damage to the pinsetter

14 October 2012 — dan

Modern industrial society has provided us with numerous nicely standardised massive objects. Batteries. Golf balls. Beer cans (consume beverage, re-fill with concrete).

And bowling balls.

They're really just asking for it, aren't they?

These bowling-ball and beer-can mortars are being demonstrated during either a very determined celebration of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, or the Battle of Stalingrad.

I find it hard to believe that the person who designed this one's ignition system was sober at the time. (Questions may also be asked about anybody who stands calmly in front of the muzzle.)

At lest they didn't shoot it straight up, though.

(I suppose if that's good enough for the anvil shooters...)

The alarming noises at 1:35 of this video may just be the bowling ball's finger-holes whistling as it spins. Or perhaps the whole thing shattered into a shrieking cloud of polyester shrapnel.

A bit long-winded, but some physics calculations at the end.

The 2011 MythBusters bowling-ball cannon would probably have had similar explanations...

...had this not happened.

Fellow Discovery Channel program American Guns did it in a somewhat less highbrow manner.

And now for something almost completely different:

Posted in Hacks, Strange Tales, Toys. 1 Comment »

One Response to “It might cause some damage to the pinsetter”

  1. Mohonri Says:
    15 October 2012 at 2:09 pm

    <crocodiledundee>That's not a celebration of the Second Amendment. THIS is a knife celebration of the 2nd Amendment. <crocodiledundee> (and yes, I *did* have to go watch that clip on youtube. classic.)

    That video, BTW, is a "related video" at the end of one of the above cannon clips. It seems a bit repetitive after a couple minutes, what with everyone shooting various flavors of .50 cal machine guns. But then they increase the caliber. And then increase it some more. Then some more. Then they pull out the tannerite. Then it gets dark and they pull out the flares, indendiary rounds, glow-in-the-dark drones, and fireworks. Considering .50 BMG cartridges are about $2 a pop, I can only imagine how much money was blown that day.

    The whistling bowling ball reminded me of Nebelwerfer, the german WWII multi-barrel rocket launcher known for the distinc howling sound its rockets made.


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