My first potato cannon. lots of damage pictures!
Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2006 2:41 pm
this is my first potato gun. I am 14,and built ,designed, and funded this gun entirely on my own. the barrel is 15 feet long,and 2 inches in diameter. the air chambers are both 6 feet long and 4 inches in diameter. The piston valve is 4 inches in,and 2 inches out. the piston is a regular 3 inch schedule 40 endcap,with the injection molding marks sanded off. this fits perfectly into a piece of 4 inch sch40 pipe. it seals against a 2 inch rubber coupler on the end of he barrel inside the tee. IT WORKS GREAT! the foldable stand on the front is a set of folding banquet table legs. The wheels are solid steel and rubber,on an 1/2 inch threaded piece of barstock. I also have a 1 1/2 inch, 3,and 4 inch diameter barrels. they are also 15 feet long, exept the 4 inch. it is 10 feet long.I caculated the volume of the air chambers, elbows, tees, and all, and its bigger than the mega launcher! It was about $220($340 now with the new air chambers and longer barrel) of christmas and birthday money to build.
the GGDT was correct about the distances it shot at 80psi and below, so the estimation about 150psi should be right. It says 1.12 miles!and 550-850 fps! The pictures of the car hood are only a couple of the many holes I put in it. The shot was at 80psi, from 80 feet away. The metal slug I shot, weighing in at 3/4 to 1 pound,went through both layers of metal, then went through the 2x4 and piece of 3/4 inch plywood, no problem. other shots went right through the supportive stamped steel bracing on the car hood, too.anyway, the metal slug finally hit the ground 200 yards into the field next to my house, and bounced about another 100 yards before finally stoping.and it kicked,like,4 feet! in the picture showing the end of the barrel is 6 feet off the ground,you can see the far treeline in the background.I can clear that at 30 psi no problem. In the one picture,a friends average hairspray spud gun is laying on the ground, for comparison.it is ,like 3 to 3 1/2 feet long
the barrel tip is 6 feet off the ground. I was originally going to go a lot smaller for my first potato gun, but I figured,why not build it first, so I don't waste my money on 15 others and then build this one. I also could not afford a supah. this valve rivals, if not outperforms, the quickness and flow of a supah valve.
LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!
THIS IS HOW I BUILT MY VALVE
to see it better, copy it and then paste it on word or something and enlarge it
the GGDT was correct about the distances it shot at 80psi and below, so the estimation about 150psi should be right. It says 1.12 miles!and 550-850 fps! The pictures of the car hood are only a couple of the many holes I put in it. The shot was at 80psi, from 80 feet away. The metal slug I shot, weighing in at 3/4 to 1 pound,went through both layers of metal, then went through the 2x4 and piece of 3/4 inch plywood, no problem. other shots went right through the supportive stamped steel bracing on the car hood, too.anyway, the metal slug finally hit the ground 200 yards into the field next to my house, and bounced about another 100 yards before finally stoping.and it kicked,like,4 feet! in the picture showing the end of the barrel is 6 feet off the ground,you can see the far treeline in the background.I can clear that at 30 psi no problem. In the one picture,a friends average hairspray spud gun is laying on the ground, for comparison.it is ,like 3 to 3 1/2 feet long
the barrel tip is 6 feet off the ground. I was originally going to go a lot smaller for my first potato gun, but I figured,why not build it first, so I don't waste my money on 15 others and then build this one. I also could not afford a supah. this valve rivals, if not outperforms, the quickness and flow of a supah valve.
LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!
THIS IS HOW I BUILT MY VALVE
to see it better, copy it and then paste it on word or something and enlarge it