Depose Cannon

K

Kitsap

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Depose Cannon Question ??

With all of the firearms knowledge of members of this forum, I hope someone can tell me what this item is. It is about the size of a Winchester signal cannon yet it is set up for a trip wire. It looks like a 10 gauge black powder signal shell would fit.

Any ideas out there ??

DougF
 

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It's a signal cannon, black powder blanks only, typically used to signal a fair start for sailboat racing.
 
If, as it appears from the images...

the item is made of cast iron, it is almost certainly an 'alarm gun', intended to be used with a tripwire as an unmistakeable signal of an unauthorized entry, and with blanks only. It is not a boat gun, nor is it intended as a lethal boobytrap. They were very common at one time, but most were chambered for pistol-sized blanks.
mhb - Mike
 
With the lack of adjustments for windage and elevation, and the lack of meeting stock guidelines, I would say it is a "crude unlimited gun".
 
That is a 10 Ga. table gun used in card houses in cow towns in the old west.

Very effective.

Concho Bill
 
Auction sale at Bonhams 6/29/2005 $259

Search of Antique Arms for Depose Signal Cannon came up with the following:

Sale 13103 - Antique Arms & Armor, 29 Jun 2005
220 San Bruno Ave., San Francisco

Lot No: 2207

A Depose alarm cannon

With 4 inch 10 gauge barrel. Spring-mounted hammer with trip cord
release.
Condition: Very good.


Sold for $259 inclusive of Buyer's Premium

The photo shown there is identical to yours, but with a lanyard attached

There is also an article contained in a December 1938 "The Model Craftsman, The Home Mechanic's Magazine" that specifically references within the contents page "A Salute Cannon by L. Depose"

View at: http://www.tias.com/14145/PictPage/3923751674.html

Hope this helps
 
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Guys,

Thanks for the input. You never know what you might learn when you ask !

DougF
 
All interesting, but Mr Wynne and I agree. Too much truth and too many facts ruin a perfectly good story. ;) :D
 
alinwa said:
That was never a table gun :mad: that's a WA mole trap.
Click to expand...

Al,

The moles down in your neck of the woods must be a lot larger and meaner then they are up my way ! A 10 ga seems like a little "over gunned" to me.

DougF
 
In general an alarm gun would have a foot plate that allowed it to be bolted to a door frame or window frame. These would be blank only.

A trapgun would be very similar in construction, but intended to fire a shot load or round ball into the body of an animal that sprang a trap. Large active animals could often damage a trap or escape by chewing the damaged limb off. Even if they failed to escape struggling in the jaws of the trap could do worse damage to the pelt than a light load of shot. If a dangerous animal escaped a trap it would be even more dangerous if injured and driven wild by the struggle.

Trap guns were once common, but due to several incidents, including two forest rangers killed by a trapgun set in a cabin that had been trashed by a bear earlier, the trapgun became outlawed.

The Germans used a few trapguns around labor camps. These fired a soft lead .32 bullet through a cross shaped blade to produce short range projectiles that caused serious surface wounds. Some are full auto, firing a full clip when triggered.

The gun in the photos looks more like an alarm gun than a signal gun, but could be they marketed them as signal guns to obscure the true purpose.
 
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