Potato Cannons??????

[bourbonbob]

Has anyone here built a potato cannon? I just built small air cannon that will shoot a AA batttery about 250 metres. Today I built a combustion model, 4" x 26" chamber,, 2" X 6' 6" barrel and peizo ignition, it will be fueled by LPG. I just love things that go bang.

[blanikdog]

We had spud cannons on the drop zone during my skydiving days. We fired oranges a hell of a distance with it. Thye're illegal in Victoria these days I believe.

Talking of skydiving, I wonder what happened to the noob who came in here months ago claiming to be a skydiver and rock climber and wasn't afraid of anything. S/he never ever did get back to me when I asked what rig they used.

blanik

[bourbonbob]

I plan to use frozen oranges as ammo with the new one, should get a 5-600 metre range........I think they are illegal in all aussie states, an air operated one would require an A license and a combustion requires H, that's in NSW.

[blanikdog]

Frozen oranges would be ummmm, 'interesting'.

blanik

[Ayay]

A mate of mine built one powered by a compressor... launches a plastic soft drink bottle filled with water about 200m last time I saw.

Firearms act in nannyland decrees anything using compressed gas is a firearm. A plastic toy can require a firearms license along with a Daisy BB gun. Fuckem, or use rubber bands instead.

[bourbonbob]

I seen a video on youtube where a guy shot the top of a pine tree from 50 yards, it had about 5" diameter where he hit it, his first shot missed because the recoil of the weapon sat him on his arse. It had a 4 inch barrel and the chamber was about 8" x 40".

[Hawke]

Have built a couple of spud guns. Great fun, too bad the guvmint is such a bunch of pissheads. Hairspray makes a good propellant on the smaller ones. Had a 6" for shooting mellons that I powered with propane. Would toss a cantalope about 600 yards.

[Adverse Effects]

at my last house i had a 2.5" x 6' used oxy/LPG mix took 2 people to use it and even then you had to have a tree or something to lean it against.
the first time we fired it i put my back out and dislocated my shoulder had a hard time convincing the Doc it was from a bike accident

we fired tennis balls and full drink cans. the longest shot we managed to find was just short of 700mt and the can had embedded its self in the ground all most a foot

after we saw that we stopped firing it because we realized the HUGE damage we could be doing to peoples houses / cars

[goinbroke2]

Back when I was a kid (and pop cans were stronger) we used to make cannons out of them and shoot tennis balls/potato's/anything that would fit and seal.

A couple years ago I'm in the field running a maintenance shop (I'm in the army) and we get talking about this stuff and one guy says "we have a filter cannon". Everybody got quiet, so I said well let's see it. Went out to the "pickle" (green maint tent 40X100ft) and the boys loaded a FL-1A oil filter and oxy/acc. KA%^&ING BOOM and in the lights we see the faint trace of a white filter across the compound. Not sure the length of the compound but we could park regiment of tanks (23) in two coloumns and do driver maint. After the second shot I had to excuse myself, being the one in charge and all, I would of swung.
Very cool and I gave the boys some tips on where to get a mortor base plate to mount it so it wouldn't bounce so bad when firing. (gonna do it, at least be safe right?)

[billy_bob_95]

How about a air cannon that shots 2x4's? Check it out at this link

http://www.spudtech.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[punkin]

http://www.punkinchunkin.com/records.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

When you get serious about spud guns...

http://www.punkinchunkin.com/images/gal ... 64_jpg.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

And slingshots...

http://www.punkinchunkin.com/images/gal ... 0W_jpg.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

And medievil war engines...

http://www.punkinchunkin.com/images/gal ... 00_jpg.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[SuperDavid]

My friends and I used use dry ice and water in 600ml plastic bottles and we used to shoot frozen lemons! In the right conditions we could shoot a frozen lemon almost 300 metres. The original design was pvc...but that was blown to pieces...it was all steel after that.

[junkyard dawg]

I like my pneumatic 2". I like to put a paper towel down it for wadding and put in a couple handfuls of deer corn. You can erase a wasp nest from the eaves with it. Adding gravel makes for a whole new kind of fun... Used to have some hens that layed eggs that would slide perfectly down the barrel. Eggs fly a long long way...

[pintoshine]

I power my spud cannon with hair spray. Final Net brand. It is mostly dimethyl ether. I made the top edge of the 2" pvc barrel sharp enough to trim the spuds on entering the barrel. I use a piece of 3/4" as a ram. The combustion chamber is 4" x 12". Proved to be an optimal size for distance. The piezo grill igniter is mounted in the threaded cleanout plug with epoxy. It is a very fun afternoon shooting spuds off the hill side.

[Ayay]

http://www.punkinchunkin.com/records.htm
When you get serious about spud guns...

Adult Air..Young Glory III.. 4483.51 Yards I presume? Holy S**t that's over 2½ miles!

[Adverse Effects]

http://www.punkinchunkin.com/records.htm
When you get serious about spud guns...

Adult Air..Young Glory III.. 4483.51 Yards I presume? Holy S**t that's over 2½ miles!

yes i agree with the holy s@#t comment BUT some of thes people spend years on building things that cost more than there house and run at pressures higher than a aircraft launcher caterpult

[bourbonbob]

http://www.punkinchunkin.com/records.htm
When you get serious about spud guns...

Adult Air..Young Glory III.. 4483.51 Yards I presume? Holy S**t that's over 2½ miles!

yes i agree with the holy s@#t comment BUT some of thes people spend years on building things that cost more than there house and run at pressures higher than a aircraft launcher caterpult

But aint it fun

[junkyard dawg]

Those people are Motivated! The photos are awesome. I wonder what the budget for a contender is?

[bourbonbob]

Have built a couple of spud guns. Great fun, too bad the guvmint is such a bunch of pissheads. Hairspray makes a good propellant on the smaller ones. Had a 6" for shooting mellons that I powered with propane. Would toss a cantalope about 600 yards.

Hair spray ignites well but it leaves a gunk in the chamber, you only get a few shots and you have to clean the igniter. There are many other flamable sprays that do a better job.

[Hawke]

Never had a problem with mine. Used an old fashioned flint igniter for all of mine.
twist the wheel and BOOM!

[bourbonbob]

Have you ever tried ethanol? (96%) I reckon if is was sprayed in with a fine mist it should go ok.

[goinbroke2]

That would be considered alcohol abuse! LOL!!

[bourbonbob]

This is my little cannon, cost about $35 to make. I have been using some cheap air freshener as the propellant and it's very explosive, will shoot a golf ball 500 metres plus.

[Ayay]

Have you ever tried ethanol? (96%) I reckon if is was sprayed in with a fine mist it should go ok.

My old BSA 500 went just fine running on 95%...Boom boom boom, then I would switch to the power kero (parrafin)!

[pigroaster]

Mine is the same design as Pintoshines. I used hair spray for accurate shots. I landed (crashed when the battery to controls went dead) a model plane in a tree top at our model airfield so I used a potatoe tied to a plastic bailer twine to shoot over top branch and then pulled up a real rope over limb and shook tree. Plane came down into my arms and only one small hole where it landed in branch at top of tree.The tree was over 80 feet high. Best caper with it that saved money! I use three seconds of propane for serious distances! This baby has been around since the 90's. I also used a compressing cutter on end of barrel. It sure works!

[bourbonbob]

This is my rabbit gun, set up for combustion but I will add a modified sprinkler valve to it so can also be pneumatically powered as well. I use marbles for ammo and I will make some projectiles from clay and straw.

[farmerdfw]

found out the hard way not to use staiting fluid if using shop rags as wading. had one that was 2"&4" ran out of hair spray and potato found out rags trun in to fireballs (to much beer and time)