My first cannon
Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 1:25 am
This is my first attempt at building any type of cannon. I decided that I wanted one after seeing what they could do at a paintball Scenario game. So one of my paintball teammates and I built two mechanically identical pneumatic cannons. Mine has seen three different iterations, but the final result has the following specs:
stacked barrel/chamber
100 psi operation
78 cubic inch compression chamber
electronically actuated 3/4" sprinkler valve
27" bolt action, breech loading barrel
Electric safety and 125 psi pop-off valve
Delta 68 (paintball pistol) custom drilled grip
Kohler bottle-mounted air tool regulator
shoots 2" foam JCS F-69 rockets (easily reaches 300 ft with relative accuracy)
~180 fps muzzle velocity
We went with the 3/4" valve and electric solenoid because we didn't want the valve opening too fast. We found that if the valve opens too fast, the rocket's flight is unstable because it's accelerated too quickly. We had better results with slower acceleration down a longer barrel. The rocket would fly straighter with less wobble, and as a result was more accurate and achieved much greater distances at the same pressure. After seeing what it can do and the feeling I get every time I shoot it, I named mine the Lovemaker. At the Godfather of Paintball scenario game in North Florida, we were out shooting the $425 JCS MKX with ease.
This is the twins right after we finished constructing them. The second picture shows the breech loading barrel. This version involved the use of an on-gun regulation system that hooked directly to a standard paintball bottle/remote. The reg system included a mini paintball spec regulator that is CO2 compatible, plus a standard air compressor regulator.
This is the second iteration. It retains the integrated regulators, but moves some things around, and includes camouflage paint and the Delta 68 grip. Also, there is a size comparison between the launcher and my Tippmann A-5 paintball gun, which is roughly the size of an MP-5. These pictures were taken after an unfortunate encounter with incoming fire, a paint-slicked concrete floor, and basement staircase. If I hadn't broken it, I don't think I would have needed a third version.
And this is the current version. During the staircase encounter, I broke both the barrel and the compression chamber. During the reconstruction, I discovered that the fittings I had used were drain fittings rather than pressure fittings. The new chamber features pressure fittings, as well as eliminating the on-gun regulation in favor of the remote Kohler reg. I also realized that camouflage is useless because it's impossible to shoot through trees. So since it's always got to be out in the open when it's in use, I scrapped the camo paint for something cooler.
Anyway, thanks for lookin. All comments and suggestions are welcome.
stacked barrel/chamber
100 psi operation
78 cubic inch compression chamber
electronically actuated 3/4" sprinkler valve
27" bolt action, breech loading barrel
Electric safety and 125 psi pop-off valve
Delta 68 (paintball pistol) custom drilled grip
Kohler bottle-mounted air tool regulator
shoots 2" foam JCS F-69 rockets (easily reaches 300 ft with relative accuracy)
~180 fps muzzle velocity
We went with the 3/4" valve and electric solenoid because we didn't want the valve opening too fast. We found that if the valve opens too fast, the rocket's flight is unstable because it's accelerated too quickly. We had better results with slower acceleration down a longer barrel. The rocket would fly straighter with less wobble, and as a result was more accurate and achieved much greater distances at the same pressure. After seeing what it can do and the feeling I get every time I shoot it, I named mine the Lovemaker. At the Godfather of Paintball scenario game in North Florida, we were out shooting the $425 JCS MKX with ease.
This is the twins right after we finished constructing them. The second picture shows the breech loading barrel. This version involved the use of an on-gun regulation system that hooked directly to a standard paintball bottle/remote. The reg system included a mini paintball spec regulator that is CO2 compatible, plus a standard air compressor regulator.
This is the second iteration. It retains the integrated regulators, but moves some things around, and includes camouflage paint and the Delta 68 grip. Also, there is a size comparison between the launcher and my Tippmann A-5 paintball gun, which is roughly the size of an MP-5. These pictures were taken after an unfortunate encounter with incoming fire, a paint-slicked concrete floor, and basement staircase. If I hadn't broken it, I don't think I would have needed a third version.
And this is the current version. During the staircase encounter, I broke both the barrel and the compression chamber. During the reconstruction, I discovered that the fittings I had used were drain fittings rather than pressure fittings. The new chamber features pressure fittings, as well as eliminating the on-gun regulation in favor of the remote Kohler reg. I also realized that camouflage is useless because it's impossible to shoot through trees. So since it's always got to be out in the open when it's in use, I scrapped the camo paint for something cooler.
Anyway, thanks for lookin. All comments and suggestions are welcome.
