so im thinking about making a spud gun

[Freshgeardude]

well I'm thinking in making a spud gun and I found different instructions and some say get a 4" chamber and 2 " barrel and some say get a 3" chamber and a 1.5" barrel. I want to shoot stuff not just potatoes so which is better in your opinion.

P.S. i think im gonna shave the end of the barrel so its sharp so when I put in a potato or w/e it will cut off peices to make it a snuggle fit. like what this guy did

problem is he didn't give a guide to what size things he used

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Check your local / state ordinances...

 

[orakle]

Originally posted by: BrunoPuntzJones
Check your local / state ordinances...

It's pretty much a given that this is totally illegal

And hilarious.

 

[MichaelD]

Any type of "gun" you create is illegal in any state (and I think that's bul|******).

Make the biggest damn one you can. Load it up with hairspray and blow shiit up!

Have fun! Just follow safe firearm procedure. Don't point it at any living thing you won't eat. Don't point the damn thing at any people, OK? You can seriously hurt someone w/a potato cannon...I got hit in arm with one (they were aimng for my head...fcikers) and I couldn't move it for 24 hours.

Have fun, but be safe!

 

[ZetaEpyon]

Speaking from experience, I suggest that you use something other than hairspray for propellant. Hairspray will gunk up the inside of the gun pretty good after a few shots.

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Originally posted by: freshgeardude
well I'm thinking in making a spud gun and I found different instructions and some say get a 4" chamber and 2 " barrel and some say get a 3" chamber and a 1.5" barrel. I want to shoot stuff not just potatoes so which is better in your opinion.

P.S. i think im gonna shave the end of the barrel so its sharp so when I put in a potato or w/e it will cut off peices to make it a snuggle fit. like what this guy did

problem is he didn't give a guide to what size things he used

That link's comments had people arguing about ABS and PVC plastic and how they react if they burst. I don't know ANYTHING about potato guns or how they work, but why not use a metal pipe?

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: orakle
It's pretty much a given that this is totally illegal And hilarious.

Actually, if you use compressed air it is legal everywhere except CA AFAIK. I used to have a 20' cannon that shot golf balls or bouncy balls using starter fluid. It was 10' of 3" tubing as the combustion chamber and 10' of barrel for accuracy. It sounded like a stick of dynamite going off, and would shoot a golf ball an insane distance (1000+ yards easy) Once I was aiming at a bucket I put on the top of my fence, but just as I hit the ignitor the gun fell off the stand and fired while in route to the ground. The golf ball went though my fence and both sides of my shed including the bug zapper that was hanging on the outside. At that point I decided that I had enough fun with it.

Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124
That link's comments had people arguing about ABS and PVC plastic and how they react if they burst. I don't know ANYTHING about potato guns or how they work, but why not use a metal pipe?

Plastic is smoother on the inside, and ligher to assemble and costs less. However it is difficult to see plastic on an xray when it bursts and lodges a piece in your leg. Metal can be seen on an xray, so it is easier to remove. Yes I am serious.

 

[Hyperlite]

Originally posted by: Evadman

Originally posted by: orakle

Originally posted by: BrunoPuntzJones
Check your local / state ordinances...

It's pretty much a given that this is totally illegal

And hilarious.

Actually, if you use compressed air it is legal everywhere except CA AFAIK. I used to have a 20' cannon that shot golf balls or bouncy balls using starter fluid. It was 10' of 3" tubing as the combustion chamber and 10' of barrel for accuracy. It sounded like a stick of dynamite going off, and would shoot a golf ball an insane distance (1000+ yards easy) Once I was aiming at a bucket I put on the top of my fence, but just as I hit the ignitor the gun fell off the stand and fired while in route to the ground. The golf ball went though my fence and both sides of my shed including the bug zapper that was hanging on the outside. At that point I decided that I had enough fun with it.

bwahaha...you should have clocked that thing, you were probably making like 700fps.

 

[MrBond]

They're not as illegal as you might think. About 10 years ago, I remember visiting the Spud-gun webring and one of the guys had written to the BATF and he posted his response. It pretty much boils down to "whatever your local PD says" I think.

Mine has a 2" OD barrel. We filed the end down to make it easy to load. I drove a nail through the ramrod (lol) so I can't push the potato all the way down the barrel into the combustion chamber.

I used hairspray for mine and it worked well. Make sure you let the glue dry before you fire it.

 

[mundane]

I found a formula, something to the effect of 3:2 chamber to barrel volume (or was it the other way around? ). Ether worked well as a fuel source, and we wired up a taser for electric ignition.

 

[MichaelD]

"Whatever the local PD says" = really bad idea. That translates to "Whatever they say when they show up at your house, dependent on the mood they're in."

Unfortunately, America doesn't have one rulebook for firearms (or anything else, except the UCMJ, for that matter.)

I.E. Any type of firearm/invention is legal in Montana, but will get you thrown in jail for 500 years in New York.

 

[moshquerade]

Did the OP get banned or is that his sig?

 

[mobobuff]

I built one last year, I don't remember the specifics, but here is a picture of my materials.

Click

The chamber was 4" inside diameter, 15" long I believe. The barrel was 2.5" inside diameter, almost 4' long. My original plans were to use a 2" barrel, but I couldn't find any reducers that would go from 4" to 2", and I didn't want to couple two reducers. This gun actually works pretty well. Launches (large) chunks of potato a good 200 yards.

Another look at the raw materials

Be sure you get a nice chamfer on the end of the barrel, makes loading much easier, and gives you a better seal.

Close-up of the chamfer

 

[mobobuff]

Originally posted by: moshquerade
Did the OP get banned or is that his sig?

It's his sig.

Also, OP, if you want to use something other than just potatos for projectiles, I would suggest going with the larger barel.

 

[Freshgeardude]

ya its my sig lol i think im gonna go w/ 4'' chamber and 2'' barrel

 

[mobobuff]

Upon further inspection of my pics, it looks like I did use a 2" barrel. So I must not've been able to find a 4" to 1.5".

 

[Excelsior]

I love spud guns. Friend of mine made a simple aerosol gun when we were much younger and had a blast with it. I've wanted to build something a bit more serious ever since.

 

[Canai]

Just make sure to screw the endcap on COMPLETELY..... A few years ago a couple of my friends and I were shooting glowsticks through lawn furniture when the back end of the gun blew off and took a quarter sized chunk out of my friends knee.

I'd also recommend wrapping the barrel / chamber in the nylon thread packing tape for increased strength.