[MUSIC PLAYING]
RICK: So I got a call from a guy with an antique cannon
that he doesn't know a lot about.
So Corey and I are meeting him out here at a local shooting
range, and since this is in Alex's wheelhouse,
he's going to meet us out here and check it out.
So that's the cannon?
Yes, sir.
RICK: It's a little bigger than I imagined.
NOLAN: Right.
So this is what you brought me out here to see?
RICK: Um, yeah, it's a mountain cannon,
which means that it's designed to be put on a bunch of mules.
COREY: So, basically, it's a cannon you can disassemble.
RICK: Uh, yeah, so you could literally like take it
to the top of that mountain up there
and just rain down terror and hell and damnation,
you know what I mean?
[LAUGHTER]
NOLAN: I called the guys from the pawn shop
down to see if they're interested in buying
my British cannon.
I don't really know too much other
than it's old and expensive.
Condition-wise, it's great.
It stays in the storage unit, and it's been oiled.
So it should be good to go.
I'm trying to sell the cannon for $50,000.
RICK: Look at that thing.
So where'd you get this thing?
NOLAN: So back in the '70s, my dad
picked it up from a private dealer,
and he ended up willing it to me.
So I've just been hanging onto it.
RICK: OK, you know, it's obviously
British because it has all this Latin on it and the crown.
We have 1902 on the carriage.
Do you have any paperwork with it?
I have the ATF paperwork that came with it,
but that's about it.
Can I open up the breach?
Yeah, go for it.
Uh, I should--
maybe I'm doing it wrong.
COREY: You know, we have a guy coming down
here to do all this stuff, dad. - You know what?
Son, you know, I'm having a good time here, right?
NOLAN: [LAUGHTER]
COREY: Well, here's a few things.
We're going to have to know if it works.
If it fires and it works, that's one thing.
If it doesn't, then it's just redneck lawn art to me.
- Did you say redneck lawn art? - Yeah.
[LAUGHTER]
That's the only person that puts
a cannon in their front yard, man, I'm sorry.
NOLAN: I keep it in a storage unit, so we're good.
[LAUGHTER]
RICK: OK, how much you looking to get out of it?
So I kind of did some homework,
and they're kind of expensive.
So maybe about $50,000.
How much?
NOLAN: $50,000
5-0?
NOLAN: 5-0.
OK.
To tell you the truth, I have no idea.
If we just hang out for a little bit,
I got my buddy coming down.
He'll look at it, and if there's a deal to be made,
there's a deal to be made.
Cool.
Well, I'm going to go sit in a truck and wait for Alex.
Because it's cold. - [LAUGHTER]
[DING]
ALEX: Wow!
That is good looking.
So the nickname for these are called screw guns
because this big collar here, this part comes off,
and the whole thing unscrews so the muzzle and the breech
become two pieces.
So you could put them on mule trains
and get them up into the mountains
and set up the gun in under 10 minutes and be firing.
Now these are really rare.
Fewer than 200 of these were made.
They had a very short window, about 1901, 1902,
and then they were obsolete because this whole system back
here is friction prime, which was
an archaic way of making this gun
fire that developed in 1863.
But, I mean, this is a beautiful, beautifully
maintained cannon.
Here is the original data plate.
So, yeah, that is dated 1902.
So the way the law is in the United States,
if it's made after 1898, typically,
a cannon would be considered an explosive device
and would be regulated.
This is not because of that friction prime system.
Because it's such an archaic system,
this is still considered an antique,
and so you can certainly buy it if you like it.
There's nothing legally stopping you from doing that.
Do you mind if I open up the breach door--
- No. - --and take a look?
Go for it.
Yeah.
Oh.
Oh, look at that.
I mean, the bore is really nice.
It's maintained well.
There is pitting, but you can still see all the lands
and grooves quite crisply.
I don't see any reason why we couldn't
fire it if you're up for it.
NOLAN: Let's do it.
I'm down.
RICK: I'd love to shoot it.
Yeah, I think it'd be really fun,
and if you want to sell this, you
need to show collectors that it can fire because these things
are really fun to shoot.
Let's do it.
ALEX: All right, I'll go back to my shop
and start getting ready.
You grab some stuff for it.
We'll go have lunch, meet you back here in two hours?
ALEX: Sounds good to me.
RICK: All right.
NOLAN: I'm hoping it's going to fire.
It's maintained well, so we'll see how it goes.
[DING]
COREY: So are we going to fire this thing?
NOLAN: We are going to fire it.
I got supplies for it, and I even
found this old antique shell, which has an original copper
ring on it, and the copper ring is softer
than the rifling inside the barrel,
and it will spin it better so it's more accurate.
To that end, I set up an old wine barrel,
and I put some special stuff inside, so if I hit it,
you'll get to see what's in there.
RICK: OK, so load the thing up.
I can't wait.
All right.
So the targets today are wooden wine barrels,
and I have rigged them with explosives,
and I haven't really told the guys that.
So if we hit it, if I'm accurate with this thing,
it's going to go boom.
So I put the projectile in.
Now, I made some powder packs.
This is filled with black powder.
I'm going to close the breach.
This is a friction primer.
This is exactly what they would have used in 1902,
and they would have done this exact process with a lanyard.
All right, it's loaded.
RICK: OK, so at this point, it will shoot or blow up, right?
Exactly.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Fire in the hole!
[EXPLOSIONS]
Yeah!
[LAUGHTER]
NOLAN: Oh, my god!
What?
[LAUGHTER]
That was so--
[CLAPPING]
Whoa!
Awesome!
NOLAN: That went at least 20 feet.
Oh, my gosh.
[LAUGHTER]
Oh, man.
That was awesome.
RICK: What do we got?
Like, 15, 20, yeah.
ALEX: We had at least 20 feet, Rick.
That was safe.
RICK: Well, it works.
[LAUGHTER]
That is called shrapnel.
I got to admit it, mega cool.
Mega cool.
So tell me, what is this thing worth.
I think in this condition, doing what it can do
and how beautifully restored it is, anywhere $35,00, $40,000.
RICK: OK.
So will you take $20,000 for it?
Oh.
Can you-- can you do $25,000?
Yes, absolutely, we could do $25,000.
[LAUGHTER]
He let us blow something up with his cannon.
Give the guy the $25,000, man.
OK, $25,000.
All right, man.
Can we blow up one more thing?
As long as I get to pull the trigger.
Well, you guys don't know if we have another barrel.
I know you, and I know we do.
We absolutely do.
[LAUGHTER]
Yes!
NOLAN: I'm totally happy with the $25,000.
It was just in the storage unit collecting dust,
so if these guys can take it and start shooting it, you know,
that's totally OK.
[EXPLOSION]
[LAUGHTER]
I am a warrior.
Thanks so much for selling me this thing, man.
No worries, buddy. Thank you.
OK. ALEX: That was great.
Thanks, Alex. This is great.
You're welcome.
NOLAN: I'm going to take the money from the sale
and just put it into savings and hang onto it.