Pocket Cannon Review

I mentioned the other day that I recently got the opportunity to play around with a mini cannon from the good people over at PocketCannons.com

I've got to tell you... this thing is great. Yes, its just a novelty item. Its silly... its pointless... there is no real need to own one of these... but man, it is so much fun!  Testing this pocket cannon was one of the most fun trips to the range that I have had in a really long time.

The pocket cannon shoots .177 caliber BBs (and probably pellets too, but I didn't try that) via black powder and standard fireworks fuses. Its barrel is fabricated from solid brass, the carriage is made from aluminum, and it comes with a solid brass ramrod. It is adjustable for elevation via two knobs on the carriage, and it is adjustable for windage by... well... just turning the darn thing a little.

Here is a video of it in action:

One of the best things about the pocket cannon is that it is not a firearm. There is no serial number and it is not regulated in anyway so there is no need for an FFL or a transfer of any kind. Its basically just a machined piece of metal. Just plunk down your $39 and they will send one out to you in the mail just like anything else.

At the range, this thing is a total hoot. I didn't tell any of my shooting buddies that I had one of these in my possession until I pulled it out of my pocket at the range. When I did it lit up everybody's face. One guy asked if we were "seriously going to shoot that thing", but once he wrapped his brain around the idea he was stoked. We went on to fire this thing I don't know how many times and we had a total blast (pun intended).

I used standard off the shelf Hodgdon Triple 7. I constructed a paper funnel to get it down to the small bore size, and filled the cannon approx one-third full with powder. I also just used simple torn pieces of paper towel to act as wadding. The cannon stood up to the charge that I was using just fine.... I did not have a powder measure so I cant give you an exact measurement, but I would think that it would still be safe just north of what I was putting in it.

We punched holes in paper targets from about seven yards and it handled that task easily. I didn't make any attempts to chronograph the cannon, measure effective range, or take accuracy measurements because... well... that's not really what these are all about. On future trips, I think it would be fun trying to blowing some stuff up like in the video above - I always like blowing things up!

When firing the cannon, its almost cartoon-like watching and waiting for the fuse to burn down... and then when it goes off it makes everyone giggle like a little kid. "Shoot it again! Shoot it again!" was pretty much the mantra for the day. I'm telling you... anytime that you can take something to the range with you that will make a bunch of gun nuts put down their ARs, Sigs, Glocks, and everything else that was on the shooting table, you know its really fun. We loved it!

The Pocket Cannon is so much fun that I really cant effectively convey it here in words. I dont know, maybe I am just an eight year old kid that never grew up, but its really just something that you need to play around with for yourself to understand. They are a ton of fun. I have always had a thing for cannons, but this was actually the first time I had ever had a chance to fire one. I've often said that if I had some land with considerable acreage, I would have to own an honest to goodness big-boy cannon. This is no substitution for that, but its a lot of fun none the less.

Their website has some great info on the "how to's" of firing as well as cleaning the cannon.... here. You can also place your order straight from their site. These cannons are very well made and they would make a great gift for just about anyone who loves things that go boom. They are also a great conversation piece for on a desk or a bookshelf. For just $39 + free shipping its pretty hard to beat.

There are many more pics of the cannon that you can view...... here.