[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.
