Black Powder

Mike is experienced with black powder weapons, from shooting pistols and muskets to large artillery pieces.

He has made frequent television appearances discussing and demonstrating the history and development of black powder firearms, showing both the manufacture and properties of black powder itself as well as the evolution of different types of gun from, the earliest hand gonnes, to matchlocks, to flintlocks to percussion locks and early revolvers.

He has fired canon with round shot, canister shot, bar shot and chain shot. For a television programme about pirates, he once shot a canon loaded with knives and forks, which he found to be very effective.