How much damage will an 18th century cannon do to our wooden targets? History Hit's Dan Snow tested out this replica naval cannon on a firing range and the results were shocking.

Trafalgar Day means only one thing. It’s time to fire a late-18th Century cannon.

In this video, historian Dan Snow travels to Wareham in Dorset, and steps into the shoes of a gunner in Nelson’s Navy below deck at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. There he is met by a team of weapons experts and a replica, late-18th Century cannon.

The History Hit team wanted to test the cannon’s accuracy and punch. Would it hit a target with round shot at 600 metres away, and what sort of damage would it do to a target as close as 60 metres? Watch this video and find out.