Roman candle fights were the greatest! Until mom asked why my t-shirt was full of holes!!
From the past ~ firecrackers
- Thread starter Bob Wright
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Bob Wright
Hawkeye
We made "mortars" much as uou describe, ponly we used old "D" cell flashlight batteries as mortar rounds.
Bob Wright
ex13F
Single-Sixer
Fireworks were illegal in GA when I was a kid. We still managed to get them though. The only time we got a M-80 a teenager gave one to one of the guys. We took it to his backyard, placed it on a tree stump & promptly lit the fuse. While we were all standing back watching & waiting his families Pekingese walked over to sniff it. I remember thinking the dog is gone. He ran over & grabbed the dog, tucked it in like a football & did a shoulder roll coming up on his feet still running (Junior was a natural athlete). Just as he came back up on his feet it went off. It made a good sized hole in that tree stump.
Cherry bombs were the tool of choice for the ultimate vandal to flush down the commode. The copper tubes we made rockets out of them. The pipe caps with the air pockets had a nice bullet nose. If not hammered it yugo fold it over and hammer some more. Propellant Old sparkers and matchhead. Flew quite well in a guy window ...uh I think Ill go now.
contender
Ruger Guru
Many really good fireworks were & are illegal in NC. But,, just across the state line,, SC has/had what many people would travel to buy & enjoy.
That said,, I was never a vandal to people or places. But I sure enjoyed all sorts of individual experimentation with such stuff. Gee,, I miss the old cherry bombs & M-80's & the like,,,,,,!
That said,, I was never a vandal to people or places. But I sure enjoyed all sorts of individual experimentation with such stuff. Gee,, I miss the old cherry bombs & M-80's & the like,,,,,,!
Blackcats and bottle rockets were about all we ever fooled with. The bigger stuff was not affordable to kids on allowances, although some of my friends would occasionally get an M80 or two from an enabler parent.
One of the gun shops my dad frequented when I was a kid sold fireworks. Half their store was fireworks, but that half was closed except for June, early July, and open again in December for New Year's. They said that in those few months, they made more money than the gun store did the whole year.
Anyone out in Dever remember that place? It was called R&D Sports & Police Supply and the other half was R&D Fireworks. I think it was on or near Pecos Street in north Denver, probably around 72nd. I recall my dad bought a Police Service Six in .38 Special from there, and years later when I inherited it, I found it to be an extremely early example, a highback gun in the upper end of the 150 prefix range.
One of the gun shops my dad frequented when I was a kid sold fireworks. Half their store was fireworks, but that half was closed except for June, early July, and open again in December for New Year's. They said that in those few months, they made more money than the gun store did the whole year.
Anyone out in Dever remember that place? It was called R&D Sports & Police Supply and the other half was R&D Fireworks. I think it was on or near Pecos Street in north Denver, probably around 72nd. I recall my dad bought a Police Service Six in .38 Special from there, and years later when I inherited it, I found it to be an extremely early example, a highback gun in the upper end of the 150 prefix range.
Many years ago my buddy and I set off a one pound can of black powder ... behind our High School chem room window. It looked like a mini atomic bomb. A SERIOUS loud BOOM and a mushroom cloud. We sat around the corner as the police and fire department arrived. Fun times back then. If it did more than sparkle it was illegal in MD but that never seemed to stop us. You could get anything in PA and VA. Stock up for slim times was the way to go.
My dad made a cannon out of a piece of seamless steel tubing and used acetylene and oxygen for propellant. We used to shoot D cell batteries from it and they would go farther than we could see. We put it horizontally one day and fired it at a junk car. The dent in the door was impressive to say the least.
When I was kid, 1950s, my dad and my uncle were cutting some trees and hauling the logs from from a farm close to where we lived. The road going back into the woods was cut along a slope so that as you drove it the ground on the uphill side was almost even with the window. The farmer had big collie that would run along side of the truck and bark at my dad and uncle every time they drove by. My uncle had gone somewhere and brought back a bunch of firecrackers. They decided to surprise the dog on their next trip. My uncle took a 3" long firecracker, as big around as his finger, tied a string around it so they could light it and then toss it out the window and roll the window up so it would be hanging at dog height when it went off.
Well... when they got close to the farm they saw the dog waiting for them. My dad stopped the truck while my uncle got ready to light the fuse. As soon as it was lit, out the window and the window closed my dad started driving. As expected the dog came running out and chased them as they drove past the farm. No BOOM. My uncle figured that the winds must have blown the fuse out so he rolled the window down and pulled the string to bring the firecracker back in. Just as it came back in the cab of the truck, BOOM. Their ears rang for days.
Well... when they got close to the farm they saw the dog waiting for them. My dad stopped the truck while my uncle got ready to light the fuse. As soon as it was lit, out the window and the window closed my dad started driving. As expected the dog came running out and chased them as they drove past the farm. No BOOM. My uncle figured that the winds must have blown the fuse out so he rolled the window down and pulled the string to bring the firecracker back in. Just as it came back in the cab of the truck, BOOM. Their ears rang for days.
epags
Single-Sixer
Since 'safe and sane' fireworks save lifes....I question just how did so many (of us) manage to survive.
Bob Wright
Hawkeye
Because most of us had never heard the advice "safe and sane fireworks save lives" so we had to rely on common sense.
And a Guardian Angel.
Bob Wright
Lots of big stuff mentioned, but does anyone remembered Lady Fingers? About a i" long fire cracker. Dad used to get them in china town in L.A. during the late 40's. Think I've done just about everything mentioned. Plus we used to toss those u-40's off the stern of the boat on the way to Catalina. Miniature depth charges.... Another was taking an empty soup can and filling it with a little water, taking another smaller can with a hole punched in the bottom..stuff a fire cracker in the hole and place it in the larger can. Light the fuse. It was amazing how high that smaller can would fly.. My first attempt at reloading.
epags
Single-Sixer
Memories! One is riding on my bike from Glendale to Los Angeles Chinatown (back in the 50's). Sit around and a guy would slide up and ask if you wanted any firecrackers. Negotiate a deal and he would disappear for 15 to 30 minutes....hand you a newspaper wrapped package....you ride away without checking....ride past the local police jail (quickly) and get home. No disappointment...stuff as agreed.
The good old days!!
Oh yes...my memory says an M80 was a tube with the green fuse sticking out of the middle of the tube Correct me if my memory is wrong.
The good old days!!
Oh yes...my memory says an M80 was a tube with the green fuse sticking out of the middle of the tube Correct me if my memory is wrong.
A word of caution - I found some old firecrackers in my father's old toolbox, probably 40 years old. Decided to light one off. There was almost zero delay in the fuse, luckily I wasn't holding it. Be careful with any old ones you find.
One of the most pivotal moments in my life was when I realized how lucky I was with one of the stupid things I did when a teenager. This was back in the late 80's I was bragging to a high school friend of my wife's about the pipe bombs I made... the 'best one was a 12" long piece of 2" pipe with end caps and loaded with black powder. This friend of my wife's named Allen was a major in the Marine Corps and at that time was working for Navy Intelligence. After I got through bragging about this pipe bomb, he just gave me a look and asked if I had waxed the threads on the pipe? That was one more serious learning lesson, just that simple question.
I think everyone here is like me... lucky and also too old to get into much mischief .... what I find funny with the current political climate of the gun debate and the powers that be (who ever that is) no one realizes you can get get up to 50lbs of black powder delivered UPS to your home. Now that is nuts.... in my opinion it out weighs any semi-auto rifle, high capacity magazine or ghost gun.
I think everyone here is like me... lucky and also too old to get into much mischief .... what I find funny with the current political climate of the gun debate and the powers that be (who ever that is) no one realizes you can get get up to 50lbs of black powder delivered UPS to your home. Now that is nuts.... in my opinion it out weighs any semi-auto rifle, high capacity magazine or ghost gun.
RugerForMe
Blackhawk
Should have titled this post "BLAST From the Past"
We messed around with Lady Fingers, M-80s, M-100's, 1/4 Sticks and Black Cats. OH, and Thousands of Bottle Rockets.
We all walked away with all of our fingers and one BIG hole in my dad's floating dock. I told him the 1/4 stick would do that he didn't believe me, His response was its 3/4 Marine Plywood. Well, he tested it and I'm glad it was his doing, because it was funny when he did it, I'm sure it wouldn't have been if I had done it. LOL
We messed around with Lady Fingers, M-80s, M-100's, 1/4 Sticks and Black Cats. OH, and Thousands of Bottle Rockets.
We all walked away with all of our fingers and one BIG hole in my dad's floating dock. I told him the 1/4 stick would do that he didn't believe me, His response was its 3/4 Marine Plywood. Well, he tested it and I'm glad it was his doing, because it was funny when he did it, I'm sure it wouldn't have been if I had done it. LOL
Xrayist
Single-Sixer
We would soak a roll of toilet paper in a sink full of water. Then graft a longer fuse on a cherry bomb. Wrap the entire roll of toilet paper around said cherry bomb. Put it in the center of some one's bed room, light fuse and leave. Result was a room covered in "spit balls". You have no idea how hard those dried pieces of TP were to remove from everthing....
Great memories, but one error. M-80s looked similar to ash cans, but were around 3-4 times more powerful.
