Its very basic, just hand held. The lid for filling the gas also works as a safety valve and will fly off at too high pressure
Always used hairspray, a short spray and then blow a bit of air in before closing the lid. Normally got 200m. Used to aim at a small buoy about 100 m from the shore at our summerhouse.
Lars
Posts: 63 | Location: Stockholm, Sweden | Registered: 13 January 2004
Spud guns can be great fun, but rembere that if you overload any "gun" you are asking for trouble. Hairspray is the propelent to use when pvc is the barrel and chamber. I made one out of steel, and with the right sombo of fuels, could lanch a spud over 1/4 mile and hit 12x12 inch targets at 100yds with it. If you are really board, make some pvc spud guns and have someone throw a frisby and shoot like skeet or trap. We call it hillbilly trap and it can be a hoot when out on a summer day.
Posts: 134 | Location: North Dakota | Registered: 21 December 2003
You can have hours & hours of fun with spud chuckers. It is important however to be aware of the strength limits of the tubing you use for construction of your spud chucker.
If you do not have hairspray for the propellant as many of the previous replies have recommended, insect repellant will also work.
A word of advice though do not use methylated spirits from an atomiser spray bottle as the propellant. It could (did in my case) shatter the gun into many bite sized pieces. Not to mention the fact I couldn`t hear properly for about 3 days afterward & looked like a cat had attacked me.
Surf the net, there are many sites with expert views on what & how to use these wonderful contraptions. Bear in mind though they will more than likely kill someone if hit in the head or chest area.
A mate of mine was holidaying with another mate in far North Queensland. They were sitting out the back in the dark of the night watching the light show from the electrical storm & discussing what they should do to the cat burglar of recent reports.
In the darkness they spied movement to the back of the yard. The house owner had his spud gun handy & loaded with hair spray & a mango. They fired, hit the offender in the side of the ribs. Dropping him like a proverbial bag of shit.
Upon interogating the intruder they found he was indeed the local prowler/burglar but his desire to steal was not as strong as it was when he had first arrived. He had 2 broken ribs & was concerned he would recieve some more if he didn`t leave very quickly.
Confucious say, mangoes down with mangoe. Not neccesarily hairspray salesman.
Cheers Morton
Posts: 124 | Location: Newcastle Australia | Registered: 23 September 2004
In junior high, we used to play with these things all the time. The best design had a gas grill ignitor in it and burned oxy-acytlene. Hated it when the sheriff took that one away.
We were working on one that would of used gasoline (pumped through an injector installed in the chamber), when the shop teacher came over and quietly explained to us that gas would blow up the PVC and probably us. Never did try it.
I've always used ether in my spud guns.I find it the best for reliable ignition. A can of aerostart lasts a long time as you dont even spray for a 1/2 second.
Posts: 168 | Location: Kalgoorlie, Australia | Registered: 03 August 2004
The ignition system that always worked good for me was a piezo electric type lighter, like the ones that go "click". Take one of those apart and solder on a couple of wires drill two small holes in your "chamber" and arrange them in such a way that they are far enough away to make the largest spark possible and I always used starting fluid (ether) for the fuel. Those are my tricks hope they work for you.
We always wrapped ours with duct tape. Probably wouldn't stop rupturing, but it should help contain the pieces hopefully saving some flesh. We used everything for propellant, the one thing we never tried was a mixture of oxy acetylene. I think that would have ruptured it for sure. It sure is a lot of fun though playing around with them. I always wondered if it would be possible to make a net to fire at a flock of birds...that has possibilities. Or firing a fishing net into a lake...pretty good idea without a boat.
a mate of mine built a stainless steel spud gun with interchangeable barrels all re- inforcedof course a 5 point ignition system with is activated by a 9v battery and push button it runs on oxy-acet. i cant honestly say we measured a shot, its louder than a .223 at a guess id say would push the .5km mark
Posts: 64 | Location: australia | Registered: 29 June 2005
i have also played with a beach bazooka used for launching baits and sinkers out to sea just a cylinder with a 1/4 turn gate valve on the top and a tyre tube valve on the side barrel screws onto valve 100 odd psi hit the lever and bye bye spud shoots much further than arosol propelled versions. (doesnt get close to the oxy gun though )
Posts: 64 | Location: australia | Registered: 29 June 2005
A guy here in the town I live in built a pumpkin launcher that looks like a huge spud gun. Of course it is steel. It operates on compressed air in about the same way as the spud gun sambar1 mentioned. It will shoot a pumpkin completely through a car. Large hole through both quarter panels. Very impressive!!!
Posts: 3 | Location: Bloomington, IN | Registered: 01 March 2006
Wow, how much pressure does he have to generate? Have you seen it being done? I'd think that would take an extreme velocity...it would be lotsa fun though.
Some years ago I saw a "Gun' made from the T-2 shaft from a jet engine - hollow steel, about 8' long and 2.5-3" ID. This one had a spark plug for ignition, used propane and made one hell of a blast when they touched it off. I was not able to get a good look at the beast but I sure would like to make one. Anyone ever seen anything like this or have any ideas???? I have been told such a device was once available to scare birds out of orchards but so far no data. And I apologize in advance for hijacking the thread.
Lord, give me patience 'cuz if you give me strength I'll need bail money!! 'TrapperP'
Posts: 3742 | Location: Moving on - Again! | Registered: 25 December 2003
I forgot about duck cannons. Used to be all over the place when I was growing up. The idea is that they scare the ducks off the crops. We used to fill the bores with dirt and watch it fly.
My boys and I built an air gun out of PVC at 100 psi with compressed air and a ball valve to shoot candy at our homecoming parade. The 4" bore held a tee shirt "wad" and 1/4 lb of hard candy. We were also able to shoot donuts to the local Sherrif who was directing traffic. He was pissed!! All in all, we shot 20 lbs of candy and were in the local paper in a not so good picture of the "candy cannon"....great fun!!!!
The year of the .30-06!! 100 years of mostly flawless performance on demand.....Celebrate...buy a new one!!
Just be aware that some of the PVC pipe sold in stores today is not pressure rated, to be used for drain/waste/vent applications. Look for the pressure rating stamped on the side, usually in the 230 PSIG range, but varies somewhat with pipe diameter.
Posts: 291 | Location: Gettysburg, PA | Registered: 03 August 2005
a properly sized barrell with a 'tater wad will launch a well shaken can of beer a long way and almost guarantee a messy explosion. Occasionally in mid-air. Be mindful of your backstop though, little more dangerous than taters. The duct tape does a good job of taming ruptures.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool. Than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
Posts: 75 | Location: Mountains of North Carolina | Registered: 02 December 2005
In high school I turned a wooden cannon for a pattern for a couple older buddies.
They had one cast up that shot 1 1/2" steel ball bearings. At the far end of a lake over a mile long. The middle filled with ducks we couldn't get to fly.
They dumped some black powder down it and dropped the ball figuring the ball would land out among the ducks and they'd fly. Turned out it landed in the dirt parking lot in front of our favorite sporting goods store. Didn't hurt anything, but sure would have killed someone, or torn up the building if it hit them.
No idea what became of the cannon.
George
"Gun Control is NOT about Guns' "It's about Control!!" Join the NRA today!"
LM: NRA, DAV,
George L. Dwight
Posts: 5944 | Location: Pueblo, CO | Registered: 31 January 2006
I had a great spudzooka my friends and I made. It was a 6" dia. chamber 18" long. It narrowed down to a 1.5" barrel. It fired of propane and put shot the potato so far it disappeared from sight. We stopped using it when we shot it at night and the whole chamber glowed when it fired. We made a 3" chamber model that shot a potato through a glass window and left only a circular hole.
My Gawd! I built a spud gun a few years ago for my boys. Used 2" Sched 80 plastic for the barrel, 3" for a combustion chamber. I thought it was pretty cool, but I can see that I'm a real piker compared to others here.
Posts: 2827 | Location: Seattle, in the other Washington | Registered: 26 April 2006
we used a piece of chromoly pipe and poured bronz around it for the bbl and it would launch a tomato paste can full of concrete through a 18" pine tree at 100 yds useing 1.25 cups of 2fg but that was a real cannon.
best spud guns use golfballs for ammo and astroturf for wad dont shoot it at solids too close they come back kinda fast.
VERITAS ODIUM PARIT
Posts: 1624 | Location: TEXAS | Registered: 04 June 2005
This is no b.s.--there I was. It was 1970 in the Republic of VN in Phu Bai. The place was the "Spud Club" -- really. It was the O Club of the 131st Airplane Company (Mohawks), that flew surveillance (visual, IR, and SLAR) off the coast of North VN and along the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos.
At any rate, as a Newbie (or FNG) I was quickly educated in the appropriate engineering specs for a Spud gun. Take 5 or 6 beer cans and cut both ends completely out (this was before pop-tops). Take one more and cut the bottom out, and punch two more holes in the other ends with church key-so you have 4 holes 90 deg apart. Starting with this can, use Army 100 mph tape (green duct tape) and tape the cans into your "barrel". The loading regimen went something like this--first take the gun to the window AC unit and chill the chamber area thoroughly (don't ask me why). Then take your propellant (lighter fluid (naptha), insect repellent, or whatever (we didn't have hairspray) and put a shot into the breech/chamber. Then chill the chamber area some more while turning the gun to spread the propellant. Load one tennis ball and tilt barrel up so ball drops to the stop--forgot, the first can ahead of the chamber had its sides squeezed a bit to stop the ball from entering the chamber. Firing technique was simple--just lay it over your shoulder like a bazooka, aim, and your assistant gunner would touch off the round at your fire command using his cigarette lighter. Since our opposition was usually across the room behind their upended tables, we often used richochet shots off ceiling or walls to defeat their table cover.
Amazing I can remember that--36 years ago, and it seems like yesterday (or maybe the day before yesterday).
An old pilot, not a bold pilot, aka "the pig murdering fool"
Potato guns are great fun! I have built probably 20 or so, and my last was the absolute best. It is currently in my cousin's hands, since we built it for him. It was a switch barrel, breach loading, propane powered spud launcher with a stun gun ignition.
Posts: 86 | Location: Wyoming | Registered: 17 January 2006
I once took a handful of short screws as ammo infront of a piece of rolled up newspaper, killed a squirrel at 20 yards with it, fuel was a spray of ether...
I had a neighbor that had one and put a hole through the tin siding on his moms shed. He got in loads of trouble. Gun never seen again. I can't remember how it was made. got any good design specs for me?
Posts: 75 | Location: vancouver wa. | Registered: 17 December 2006
Originally posted by dustoffer: This is no b.s.--there I was. It was 1970 in the Republic of VN in Phu Bai. The place was the "Spud Club" -- really. It was the O Club of the 131st Airplane Company (Mohawks), that flew surveillance (visual, IR, and SLAR) off the coast of North VN and along the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos.
At any rate, as a Newbie (or FNG) I was quickly educated in the appropriate engineering specs for a Spud gun. Take 5 or 6 beer cans and cut both ends completely out (this was before pop-tops). Take one more and cut the bottom out, and punch two more holes in the other ends with church key-so you have 4 holes 90 deg apart. Starting with this can, use Army 100 mph tape (green duct tape) and tape the cans into your "barrel". The loading regimen went something like this--first take the gun to the window AC unit and chill the chamber area thoroughly (don't ask me why). Then take your propellant (lighter fluid (naptha), insect repellent, or whatever (we didn't have hairspray) and put a shot into the breech/chamber. Then chill the chamber area some more while turning the gun to spread the propellant. Load one tennis ball and tilt barrel up so ball drops to the stop--forgot, the first can ahead of the chamber had its sides squeezed a bit to stop the ball from entering the chamber. Firing technique was simple--just lay it over your shoulder like a bazooka, aim, and your assistant gunner would touch off the round at your fire command using his cigarette lighter. Since our opposition was usually across the room behind their upended tables, we often used richochet shots off ceiling or walls to defeat their table cover.
Amazing I can remember that--36 years ago, and it seems like yesterday (or maybe the day before yesterday).
My buddies and I built the same guns on an army base in Germany (i was in the 4th grade). We launched tennis balls from them.
)
