Chain shot for self defense?

The US Air Force still had the 90 MM Recoilless Rifle in service in 1985 - 87. We carried flechette rounds and had armor piecing rounds available to us. I am not sure when it was phased out.

While in South America, I watched a demonstration of the Bolo shot. (12 gauge shotgun shells loaded with three lead balls, joined with piano wire between them.) It was pretty good at clearing a path through very thick foliage, but let people know we were coming.

Some of the troops we worked with carried the flechette round in 12 gauge. It was supposed to be effective against personnel in thick foliage, but I think I read a report years later that it was very un-effective.
 
I guess the idea is that the jury would think you are nuts. My area! :D

I propose the double barreled version of the Judge - called the Pirate and the polymer version snub - the Jolly Rodger. Pulling one trigger would turn and release the hammer on both cylinders. I suppose the chains hanging in front might be a problem to design and it might blow up. However, it would be a great two watermelons gun.

Sorry, bad day - all the work computers and power went kaput and just came back up.
 
It'd be a pretty sweet self-defense load for the 36-pounder carronade I carry in a Milt Sparks Versa-Max II.
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If you hunt zombies. :D I have no cannon. :( And no zombies.

Is there a Godwin's Law for zombie references?
 
They not only tried it more than once, but double cannon was the standard for more than a few years in several campaigns. ... It did work, but not very often,
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Do you have a source for this? I can't see how it could work at all with the technology of the time, certainly not anywhere near often enough to actually be used in conflict.

At any rate, I would like to read more on the topic.
 
The Bolo Ammo found here is "chain shot":

http://www.americanspecialtyammo.com/12_Gauge.html

All reports are that it doesn't work. Imagine someone shooting you with this while you are wearing a leather (or maybe even denim) jacket. Both shots hit you at the same time a couple inches apart. On their own that is two big holes 50-100% of the way through you. However, the wire holding them together likely doesn't have the power needed to get through your jacket, or barely has enough power. Either way, the wire holds back the penetration capability of the round considerably, and likely you only get a 1 or 2" deep gouge, more so than deep and serious wounds.

Chain shot worked on sailors because the balls were big and the chain was longer than a mans torso was wide. Even if one ball hit something solid the second would just whip it back into action because they were further apart than anything they were likely to hit, and heavy enough as well. It was still way less effective than grape shot though. It was primarily used to clear decks only when their was no grape shot available or when it was loaded already but the ships had closed too much to take rigging shots.
 
While on the nautical topic...

During the Napoleonic Wars, when chain shot probably saw its maximum use, the British and French navies were operating under entirely different strategies.

The Royal Navy had more and bigger ships, and sought to destroy the French navy whenever and wherever possible. British strategy was to seek, close, and destroy. British gunners focused on doing damage to the French hulls, which was the best way to sink or disable them and kill the crew.

The French, on the other hand, used their ships for supplies and communications, and wanted to minimize loss of ships. They would run, and would focus more on British sails and rigging, with the intent of disabling and eluding pursuit. As a result, the French were more likely to open fire at longer ranges, with shot and chainshot dropping from a higher trajectory, and ideally slowing the British ships by destroying sails and rigging.

The French were more likely to mount more long guns, and the British were more likely to have a bigger percentage of carronades, short barreled guns that shot very heavy solid shot at relatively close range.
 
Now at the times we are discussing batteries were almost exclusively smoothbore, but if you fired a ball attached to a ball in another tube with a chain, would it pull the other ball out or would the other ball hold it and anchor it? I am just imagining side by side cannons and a tetherball like scenario where everyone loses their head. I also find it hard to believe this was tried much at all. I have been to a fair number of military museums and never seen a cannon like this. I would love sources.
 
Just a couple of thoughts.

A friend loaded buck and ball in a 12 ga back in 1973. Never heard of it being used in self defense situation but it appeared to be effective in back yard test.

An Instructor at Indian Head loaded Flechette rounds for squirrel hunting. They were very effective on the bushy rats out to a hundred yds.

He made one mistake. He shot the loads through his custom shotgun and ruined the barrells. He suggested a H&R single shot from the pawn shop if you chose to use the flechette rounds.
 
The modern day version for the 12 gauge is 2-54 caliber round balls with 1 foot of chain it wire attached to each. This is a highly devastating round and fairly accurate under 30 yards. Commonly known as the bolo rounds.


The ball and chain rounds were used through out history on both troops and rigging. imagine storming an enemy fort, breaking through the main gate only to have 2-6 pound cannons with 10-20 foot of chain attached to each ball. This would be both affective and devastating.

> moderator johnksa check out the athens double cannon, should come up in a google search <
 
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The double barrel cannon in Athens, Georgia is sitting at the Athens City Hall as a memorial to the War. From what I remember from the stories about the cannon: It was made in Athens and was only fired twice. The first time only one side went off and the fired ball and chain whipped around and killed the firing crew. They tried again but could not get the fuses to fire at the same time. The South needed weapons badly so there was no more trials.
 
Thanks for the tip!

http://ngeorgia.com/ang/Athen's_Double_Barrel_Cannon

"According to reports one ball left the muzzle before the other and the two balls pursued an erratic circular course plowing up an acre of ground, destroying a corn field and mowing down some saplings before the chain broke.

The balls then adopted separate courses, one killing a cow and the other demolishing the chimney on a log cabin. The observers scattered in fear of their lives.

Some reports claimed two or three spectators were killed by the firing.

...

The Cannon was then sent, at Gilleland's insistence, to the Augusta Arsenal for further tests. Colonel Rains, arsenal commandant, tested the gun and reported it a failure for the purpose intended. Colonel Rains had tested a similar weapon at Governor's Island in 1855 with the same results."​

That sounds like what I would expect. And that's from a design with a common touchhole which at least had a small chance of getting near simultaneous ignition.
 
I may try to rig some sort of ball and chain and shoot it out of my cannon, try to see what kind of affect it would have against infantry. May be an interesting weekend project.
 
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