What makes a gun into a cannon? (what differentiates them)

[gorobei]

the wiki entry indicates in modern classification, a cannon fires a high speed flat trajectory round, where as guns are just high velocity and may have slower indirect arced trajectories.

And in military terms pistols, SMG, rifles are firearms. A support weapon or machine gun is called a automatic rifle.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: gorobei
the wiki entry indicates in modern classification, a cannon fires a high speed flat trajectory round, where as guns are just high velocity and may have slower indirect arced trajectories.

And in military terms pistols, SMG, rifles are firearms. A support weapon or machine gun is called a automatic rifle.

That definition definitely doesn't work either. Some cannons lob their rounds while some guns fire high speed flat trajectory rounds.


I think there is no logical, definable difference. A cannon is just a name that is often given to a big gun, while other times nearly identical weapons are called guns.

 

[gorobei]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: gorobei
the wiki entry indicates in modern classification, a cannon fires a high speed flat trajectory round, where as guns are just high velocity and may have slower indirect arced trajectories.

And in military terms pistols, SMG, rifles are firearms. A support weapon or machine gun is called a automatic rifle.

That definition definitely doesn't work either. Some cannons lob their rounds while some guns fire high speed flat trajectory rounds.


I think there is no logical, definable difference. A cannon is just a name that is often given to a big gun, while other times nearly identical weapons are called guns.

Read the definition on the wiki site. But I'll attempt a paraphrase of the military classification:

Guns are 'fixed' weapons firing high speed projectiles(anti tank 88s, howitzers, mortars, anti air or flak guns, rotary gatlings on aircraft, 16 or 18 inchers on battleships, 120mm smoothbores on tanks, etc). Cannons are a subset of guns which specifically fire in shallow, flat trajectory arcs. Autocannons, chainguns, rotary cannons, 120 smoothbores are cannons. They typically are fired line of sight.

Just because people have called things a gun or a cannon does not mean that it is their official name or classification. Like I said above, there are no machine guns in the US military but there are automatic rifles.

 

[Cogman]

I believe it comes from size. a cannon usually can't be carried (at least no for extended periods of time). Now tell me the difference between a turret/cannon/gun

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

Any large, smoothbore, muzzle-loading gun?used before the advent of breech-loading, rifled guns?may be referred to as a cannon, though the term specifically refers to a gun designed to fire a 42-pound (19 kg) shot, as opposed to a demi-cannon,?32 pounds (15 kg)?culverin,?18 pounds (8.2 kg)?or demi-culverin?9 pounds (4.1 kg). Gun specifically refers to a type of cannon that fires projectiles at high velocities, and usually in relatively flat angles; they have been used in warships extensively, and as field artillery, as well. The term cannon also applies to the autocannon, a modern gun with a caliber of 20 mm, or more, with a high rate of fire. Autocannon have been used extensively in fighter aircraft since World War II, and are sometimes used on land vehicles.

 

[Injury]

I'm curious as to how many of you actually know your answers are true, or think your answers are true because you play(ed) Counter-Strike.

 

[gorobei]

double post

 

[gorobei]

The Mechem NTW-20 can fire a 20mm 'cannon' round, but it is still classified as an Anti-Material RIFLE. So it isn't just caliber.

 

[E equals MC2]

Originally posted by: Cogman
I believe it comes from size. a cannon usually can't be carried (at least no for extended periods of time). Now tell me the difference between a turret/cannon/gun

Turret I think of being mounted and rotating, and doens't always have to use guns (like a missile turret)

 

[JTsyo]

Originally posted by: SagaLore
I thought the difference is that a gun uses bullets with have the explosive material attached to them, where as a cannon uses projectiles with the means of firing them managed by the cannon?

105mm artillery comes with a cartridge (propellant attached to the round). 155mm uses bag charges, that's placed behind them after loading them.

 

[AndrewR]

Originally posted by: destrekor

Originally posted by: Gibsons

Originally posted by: EarthwormJim

Originally posted by: uclaLabrat

Originally posted by: keird
capable of 'splodey bullets = cannon?

This. Cannon shells blow up, normal bullets don't. Major difference between machine guns and cannon on aircraft, anyway.

Not all canon shells blow up.

And then there are mortars.

which could almost be described as backpack-able artillery, ultimately a type of cannon.

+

Could you post a video of anyone, anywhere carrying a 120mm mortar in a backpack, including the baseplate?

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: gorobei

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: gorobei
the wiki entry indicates in modern classification, a cannon fires a high speed flat trajectory round, where as guns are just high velocity and may have slower indirect arced trajectories.

And in military terms pistols, SMG, rifles are firearms. A support weapon or machine gun is called a automatic rifle.

That definition definitely doesn't work either. Some cannons lob their rounds while some guns fire high speed flat trajectory rounds.


I think there is no logical, definable difference. A cannon is just a name that is often given to a big gun, while other times nearly identical weapons are called guns.

Read the definition on the wiki site. But I'll attempt a paraphrase of the military classification:

Guns are 'fixed' weapons firing high speed projectiles(anti tank 88s, howitzers, mortars, anti air or flak guns, rotary gatlings on aircraft, 16 or 18 inchers on battleships, 120mm smoothbores on tanks, etc). Cannons are a subset of guns which specifically fire in shallow, flat trajectory arcs. Autocannons, chainguns, rotary cannons, 120 smoothbores are cannons. They typically are fired line of sight.

Just because people have called things a gun or a cannon does not mean that it is their official name or classification. Like I said above, there are no machine guns in the US military but there are automatic rifles.

That Wikipedia article is merely the attempt of individuals to define something after the fact. It is not an authority of any type.

 

[Sureshot324]

I think the definition has changed over the years. In the past any large gun that isn't hand held was called a cannon. In modern times, I believe the only thing actually referred to as a canon by the military is large chainguns on aircraft.

 

[Wheezer]

gun= bang!

cannon= BOOM!

 

[glenn1]

A cannon is smoothbore, whereas a gun is rifled. Also, typically the term cannon is reserved for large caliber weapons, whereas gun can refer to either large caliber crew-served (think ships' guns on a battleship) or man-portable (slang for sidearms of all types).

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: AndrewR

Originally posted by: destrekor

Originally posted by: Gibsons

Originally posted by: EarthwormJim

Originally posted by: uclaLabrat

Originally posted by: keird
capable of 'splodey bullets = cannon?

This. Cannon shells blow up, normal bullets don't. Major difference between machine guns and cannon on aircraft, anyway.

Not all canon shells blow up.

And then there are mortars.

which could almost be described as backpack-able artillery, ultimately a type of cannon.

+

Could you post a video of anyone, anywhere carrying a 120mm mortar in a backpack, including the baseplate?

:laugh: I want to see video too. Magic pack.
Not really sure what I was thinking. Not the 120mm for sure. Maybe more lightweight ones.

+

 

[Vonkhan]

then what's the f*** is a howitzer?

 

[AndrewR]

Originally posted by: destrekor

Originally posted by: AndrewR

Originally posted by: destrekor

Originally posted by: Gibsons

Originally posted by: EarthwormJim

Originally posted by: uclaLabrat

Originally posted by: keird
capable of 'splodey bullets = cannon?

This. Cannon shells blow up, normal bullets don't. Major difference between machine guns and cannon on aircraft, anyway.

Not all canon shells blow up.

And then there are mortars.

which could almost be described as backpack-able artillery, ultimately a type of cannon.

+

Could you post a video of anyone, anywhere carrying a 120mm mortar in a backpack, including the baseplate?

:laugh: I want to see video too. Magic pack.
Not really sure what I was thinking. Not the 120mm for sure. Maybe more lightweight ones.

+

60mm or less, yes. Anything larger, no. 81mm mortar breaks down into 3 parts weighing about 30 lbs each and that doesn't include ammunition nor the other gear a soldier has to carry (US crew for that is 5).