Jerky Guns and Cannon Shooters for Venison: Barrel Size and Lean-Mix Fit

Jerky gun vs jerky cannon on a venison processing line

A jerky gun and a jerky cannon both extrude seasoned ground meat through interchangeable nozzles, but they sit at different points on your wild-game workflow. You grind trimmed venison through a meat grinder (often with a fine grinding plate after cubing and pre-chilling), mix in jerky cure and seasoning, then load the barrel and squeeze the trigger so a piston pushes the paste onto a jerky drying rack, into a dehydrator tray, or—on round attachments—into snack-stick form or collagen casings like a mini sausage stuffer would.

The split buyers care about is barrel length, per-load capacity, and construction. LEM sells a compact Jerky Gun and a larger Jerky Cannon®; Weston sells the Original Jerky Gun and Jerky Gun Jr. None of these replace a grinder or vacuum sealer, but they do remove the tedium of hand-rolling ground venison jerky and keep strip width consistent for even drying next to your other meat-processing equipment.

Published barrel bore and capacity numbers

Manufacturer specs list both how much ground meat fits in one load and the inner diameter of the storage barrel. Those two numbers—not the overall tool length—drive how many pulls you take per batch after processing a deer, elk, or other big-game trim.

LEM Jerky Gun (SKU 555): plastic barrel about 9-1/8 inches long with about a 2-inch inner diameter; capacity 0.75 pound of ground meat; tool about 13 inches long overall.

LEM Jerky Cannon® (SKU 468): anodized aluminum barrel about 14-15/16 inches long with a 2-inch inner diameter; capacity 1.5 pounds; about 22 inches long overall; flared barrel ends for loading and piston insertion.

Weston Original Jerky Gun (37-0111-W): holds up to 1.5 pounds of ground meat; includes a stomper for loading.

Weston Jerky Gun Jr. (37-0211-W): plastic tube holds up to 1 pound per the Weston product page; the Jr. use-and-care manual centers on the plastic jerky tube, stomper, front ring nut, and plunger assembly.

Both LEM listings share the same roughly 2-inch bore on gun and cannon even though capacity doubles on the cannon—buyers processing multiple deer in a weekend usually favor the 1–1.5 lb class to cut reloads. A 3/4-lb gun still makes sense for trying a new Backwoods® jerky seasoning batch or a single roast’s trim without committing a full cooler of ground venison.

Nozzle choice: flat jerky strips vs round snack sticks

Barrel size does not change the nozzle orifice, but nozzle geometry decides what clogs first on lean venison.

LEM includes a flat jerky nozzle (Jerky Gun: 1-3/16” by 3/16”; Cannon: 1-11/32” by 3/16”) and a round snack-stick nozzle with 1/2-inch interior diameter. Weston Original ships stainless attachments described as a double jerky strip (1/8” x 3/4”) and double snack stick (1/2” diameter); the Jr. manual covers a double jerky strip attachment and separate snack-stick paths, plus a sausage funnel for loose hand-stuffed links.

Flat nozzles produce thin jerky ribbons that dry fast in a dehydrator or low oven; the narrow 3/16” (or Weston’s 1/8” strip height) slot is the first place ultra-lean paste binds if the grind is coarse or dry. Round 1/2-inch openings extrude thicker snack sticks—closer to a vertical sausage stuffer workload—and tolerate slightly coarser texture, but still need a cohesive mix. All attach with a retaining ring (half-turn on LEM; finger-tight front ring nut on Weston). Verify nozzle specs on the current manual before mixing casings, because flat and round attachments are not interchangeable across brands even when bore diameter matches.

Lean venison mixes and grind texture before loading

LEM’s Jerky Gun product copy targets lean ground meat; Weston’s Jerky Gun Jr. manual tells you to thoroughly mix ground meat with seasoning, form balls with wet hands, and stomp the load to squeeze out trapped air—steps that matter more with wild game than with store beef.

Venison from elk, moose, or deer is naturally low-fat. Trim silver skin and heavy sinew at the grinder; fat left in wild-game jerky often tastes gamy and can soften strips during drying. Completely fat-free paste, though, extrudes poorly: the piston skids, the nozzle plugs, or strips tear mid-pull. Most home processors add a measured portion of pork or beef trim at the grinder (or follow a cure kit that includes non-fat binders) until the batch feels tacky and holds a ball shape—without turning the mix into sausage-fat levels.

Grind texture is the other gate. Run venison once through a fine plate on your #12 or #22 throat grinder after cubing and pre-chilling; a medium or coarse plate leaves particles that lodge in a 3/16” flat opening. Re-grind freezer-stiff trim rather than forcing warm, smeared meat into the barrel. If clogging persists with a correct lean mix, suspect incomplete emulsification or insufficient moisture from cure and water rather than barrel diameter.

Loading workflow, stompers, and spare barrels

Capacity specs assume you pack the barrel the way each brand describes, not loosely spooned meat.

Weston’s manual: retract the plunger, attach the tube, load seasoned ground meat with the stomper until the tube is full to about 1 inch from the top for immediate extrusion (1/2 inch for pre-filled tubes wrapped in plastic film). LEM’s cannon flares both barrel ends so the piston seats cleanly; both brands use trigger-driven plungers with a release button to withdraw for the next load.

LEM sells a Jerky Cannon® and Jerky Gun Barrel Stomper and disposable cannon bags sized to those barrels; Weston’s manual notes extra jerky tubes sold separately for pre-filling in the refrigerator—handy when one grinder batch outruns a single 0.75-lb gun. After extruding, lay strips on a jerky hanger or rack with roughly 1/2 inch between ribbons so dehydrator or oven airflow matches what you would plan for sliced whole-muscle jerky, then follow USDA ground-meat jerky guidance (Weston’s manual cites heating to 160°F before or during drying).

Downstream, a vacuum sealer still belongs in the cluster: sealed bags protect dried venison jerky after processing, same as for sausage portions or freezer trim.

Cleaning, disassembly, and what wears out

Wild-game sessions leave protein film in the bore; dried cure in the flat nozzle slot is the usual reason the next deer season’s first pull feels tight.

LEM specifies hand-wash only for both Jerky Gun (plastic barrel and plastic nozzles) and Jerky Cannon® (anodized aluminum barrel, stainless-steel nozzles, nylon cleaning brush in the box). Weston’s Jerky Gun Jr. manual: dishwasher-safe food-contact parts, but the handle assembly must stay out of water—hand-wash the trigger housing. Disassembly starts at the front ring nut/retaining ring; pull the plunger with the release button before scrubbing the tube interior and attachment orifices with warm soapy water; LEM also lists a dedicated barrel brush for cannon-sized bores.

Plastic pistons and trigger mechanisms tolerate seasoning salt but not dishwasher heat or careless storage with a loaded nozzle. Aluminum cannon barrels resist denting better than plastic Jerky Gun tubes if the tool lives in a camp kit beside grinder plates and stuffing tubes. Stainless nozzles on the cannon outlast molded plastic tips on the entry LEM gun—one reason hunters pair a 3/4-lb plastic-barrel gun for trial batches with a cannon for repeated elk weekends. When extrusion pressure spikes on a clean, correct lean mix, inspect for cured meat stuck in the 3/16” flat slot before blaming barrel diameter.

Shop LEM Jerky Gun for Jerky Guns and Cannon Shooters for Venison: Barrel Size and Lean-Mix Fit

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Shop Weston Original Jerky Gun for Jerky Guns and Cannon Shooters for Venison: Barrel Size and Lean-Mix Fit

Shop Weston Jerky Gun Jr for Jerky Guns and Cannon Shooters for Venison: Barrel Size and Lean-Mix Fit

Shop Backwoods jerky seasoning for Jerky Guns and Cannon Shooters for Venison: Barrel Size and Lean-Mix Fit

Related guides

• #12 vs #22 Grinder Plates for Elk and Large Game: Throat Size and Grind Texture
• Best Meat Grinder for Elk, Moose and Bear: Is a 1 to 1.5 HP Commercial-Grade Model Worth It?
• Best Meat Grinders for Wild Game: Entry, Mid-Tier and Commercial Picks from $50 to $800
• Meat Grinder Meat Cubing and Pre-Chilling: How to Keep Venison Cold to Prevent Smearing
• Meat Grinder Sausage Casings and Fat Ratios: How Much Fat to Add to Lean Venison Before Grinding
• Replacement Grinding Plates and Blades: What to Buy and When to Replace Them

FAQ

Does a larger barrel diameter stop lean venison from clogging the jerky gun?

LEM publishes about a 2-inch inner diameter on both the Jerky Gun and Jerky Cannon; Weston centers on tube capacity (3/4 lb to 1.5 lb), not a wider bore. Clogs usually trace to lean, dry mix, coarse grind, or dried cure in the flat nozzle—not a missing larger diameter. Fix the grind and moisture before upgrading capacity.

How much ground venison should I load per pull for flat jerky strips?

Match load size to published capacity: 0.75 lb on the LEM Jerky Gun, 1.5 lb on the LEM Jerky Cannon and Weston Original, about 1 lb on the Weston Jr. Pack with a stomper and leave headroom per the manual (about 1 inch below the top on Weston) so the plunger does not hydraulically lock on air pockets.

Can I use the same jerky gun for venison snack sticks and flat jerky?

Yes. LEM and Weston both ship flat strip and约 1/2-inch round snack-stick attachments that swap at the retaining ring. Round extrusion can feed collagen casings per Weston’s manual; flat attachments demand a finer grinder plate and a binder-friendly lean mix so the 3/16-inch-class slot stays open through the batch.