Question for spud gun owners.

[coomarlin]

Built my first spud gun yesterday and I've been playing around with it. I beveled the barrel tip in order to cut my potatoes off cleanly but I'm having problems getting the potatoes to load tightly. Seems like there always seems to be a small air gap. MAybe it's my potatoes. Any tips or tricks to getting the best possible pack on my ammo?

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

Disclaimer: YOU SHOULD NEVER BUILD A POTATO GUN THEY ARE DANGEROUS AND PROBABLY ILLEGAL AND YOU WILL SHOOT YOUR OWN NADS OFF IF YOU USE ONE.

But if one were to build a potato gun (which he shouldn't), then he would have to make sure that diameter of potato > diameter of barrell. I (hypothetically) made the muzzle of my barrel pretty sharp so it would cut them cleanly (if I ever decided to use it, which I won't).

I also hypothetically built a hypothetically pneumatic potato launcher that hypothetically outperformed my hypothetical combustion propelled potato launcher by hypothetically 10-fold.

 

[DrPizza]

Try an apple once to see if it's just you. You don't want that potato in there TOO tightly... If that potato doesn't give, you have shrapnel. And PVC shrapnel is very sharp.

 

[DrPizza]

Disclaimer: YOU SHOULD NEVER BUILD A POTATO GUN THEY ARE DANGEROUS AND PROBABLY ILLEGAL AND YOU WILL SHOOT YOUR OWN NADS OFF IF YOU USE ONE.

But if one were to build a potato gun (which he shouldn't), then he would have to make sure that diameter of potato > diameter of barrell. I (hypothetically) made the muzzle of my barrel pretty sharp so it would cut them cleanly (if I ever decided to use it, which I won't).

I also hypothetically built a hypothetically pneumatic potato launcher that hypothetically outperformed my hypothetical combustion propelled potato launcher by hypothetically 10-fold.

I hypothetically watched a hypothetically built hybrid potato cannon. It didn't shoot potatoes though - those turned to mush. It hypothetically used a controlled ratio of acetylene/oxygen which it then hypothetically compressed. It had a hypothetical burst disk, and a hypothetical remote trigger. You hypothetically don't want to be anywhere near one of those should something hypothetically go wrong.

But a regular potato cannon? Can't see why that would be illegal except perhaps by local ordinance.

 

[God Mode]

I hypothetically watched a hypothetically built hybrid potato cannon. It didn't shoot potatoes though - those turned to mush. It hypothetically used a controlled ratio of acetylene/oxygen which it then hypothetically compressed. It had a hypothetical burst disk, and a hypothetical remote trigger. You hypothetically don't want to be anywhere near one of those should something hypothetically go wrong.

So it hypothetically shoots rocks?

 

[DrPizza]

Here's an example of what can hypothetically be built. No way in a million years I'd mess with something like that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfpfYp0ZowA

 

[alfa147x]

Built that baby with a friend back in freshman year of HS

Okay let me rephrase: Helped a friend I was too much into my new XTI to actually help

 

[coldmeat]

Sounds like the potatoes are too small or the barrel is too big.

I should fix mine. I built it back in high school and still have it in storage. The seal broke where the lighter went in so it kept leaking before I could shoot it.

 

[mundane]

..

 

[coomarlin]

thanks for the tips. Im using a 1.5 inch barrel and a 3 inch chamber. I think my spuds are large enough and I sharpened the top of my barrel on a grinder. been contemplating making an air powered model.

They are legal in my neck of the woods so no need for the hypothetical scenerios

 

[OUCaptain]

Sharpen the barrel so that it cuts and compresses the spud.

instead of this /| |\

Make it closer to this ^ ^

 

[ussfletcher]

Try angling the potato when you shove it down.. Instead of being like this | make it like this / and shove it in, it will give a tighter fit on some awkward potatoes.

 

[mugs]

Built that baby with a friend back in freshman year of HS

Okay let me rephrase: Helped a friend I was too much into my new XTI to actually help

A bike pump? No one had access to an air compressor?

 

[alfa147x]

A bike pump? No one had access to an air compressor?

air compressors are not very portable

 

[coomarlin]

Sharpen the barrel so that it cuts and compresses the spud.

instead of this /| |\

Make it closer to this ^ ^

You know that makes total sense. Funny thing is that when reading up on how to sharpen the end of the barrel I never once saw any articals mentioning anything about sharpening the inside part of the barrel. They all seemed to indicate that it should be sharpened like /| |\.

I will take a file or dremel and chamfer the inside edge of the barrel so that the intial cut is slightly larger than the actaul barrel itself. Can't believe I didnt' think of that myself.

THanks captain!

 

[coomarlin]

air compressors are not very portable

How many pumps on a bike pump does it take to air the cannon up. Seems like you be there all day between shots?

 

[coomarlin]

I also hypothetically built a hypothetically pneumatic potato launcher that hypothetically outperformed my hypothetical combustion propelled potato launcher by hypothetically 10-fold.

So your saying that a cumbustion guns shoots 250 yards your equally sized pneumatic gun will fire a shot 2500 yards lol

I've heard that a pneumatic gun will probably increase firing distance 10%-20%. Not exactly the 1000% you are claiming. I realize you are just exagerating to make a point that you think pneumatic is superior but really how much better did it perform and were they of equal size?

 

[Anubis]

How many pumps on a bike pump does it take to air the cannon up. Seems like you be there all day between shots?

we built an air powered one in college for physics class, took like 20 seconds to get it up to the required pressure

 

[Freshgeardude]

Lol I built a combustion one 2 years ago. Used flint and hairspray. It was beast. Especially for the fact I was 14 at the time.

Recently built a pneumatic one. Huge tank ( actually dual tanks) and stands on by itself. Takes 10 min for my air compressor to bring that beast to 100 psi. Rapes accordingly


I actually modded my combustion one recently for more wow factor. Uses a cheap ( $20) stun gun. So instead of 3, 2, 1.. Twist flint to spark goes, its 3, 2, 1 booom.

And helavu recoil if u shoulder launch it standing up, need to be on a knee or it has to be on the ground.