Nerf/Other small projectile launcher planning. *update 1*

Show us your pneumatic spud gun! Discuss pneumatic (compressed gas) powered potato guns and related accessories. Valve types, actuation, pipe, materials, fittings, compressors, safety, gas choices, and more.
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chinnerz
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Tue Apr 13, 2010 8:41 am

i will start making this once i confirm i can get the right sized barrel, but since i have no experience with nerf guns and making them i have decided to upload this picture as a guide for what i will be doing. it has been done before, just you classic barrel sealer design with a blow gun at the back. i am thinking 1/4'' for the 'T', but its not decided yet. i am currently in the process of deciding how to add a magazine of some description...

any way... to the question. is there any thing i need to add when making a nerf gun, or is there things i should not do because it will break the dart or something?? i am planning on shooting at a max of 100 when nerfing but i am building it out of brass and galvanized iron/steel (not sure what it is, but it looks galvanized)

thanks in advanced

*Updated design on page 2*
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Hubb
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Tue Apr 13, 2010 8:49 am

You will probably have to turn the pressure down significantly. What I try to do is aim for a shot that gets no more than 100 feet. I have yet to find any sort of rules and regulations for a Nerf war, but I figured it would have decent velocity, but not dangerous velocity, if I get a range of 100 feet.

As far as the barrel is concerned, that is going to depend on the type of dart you are shooting.
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Tue Apr 13, 2010 10:12 am

yup it depends on your darts, you should go with homemade darts for performance, also Lowes generally tends to have cpvc with larger OD than home depot's, also darts can deform to the barrel thickness over time so if you can get them in the barrel then you should be good
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Gaderelguitarist
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Tue Apr 13, 2010 12:19 pm

For the barrel use 1/2" CPVC. This works beautifully with homemade darts.

On the subject of homemade darts...

Nerf darts cost about $10 for 15 darts. The foam used to make homemade darts is about $5 for 10 feet.
At 2-3" a dart, you do the math.

Both lowes and home depot sell a "foam backer rod" coil that is used to fill space in caulking applications. For 1/2" CPVC, buy the 1/2" variety. For 1/2" PVC, buy 5/8" foam.
so many muchness
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jackssmirkingrevenge
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Tue Apr 13, 2010 12:37 pm

For a multishot nerf gun you're probably better off using the blowgun as a valve directly, more than enough power for non-lethal purposes and it will certainly be a lot more economical with air.
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
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Tue Apr 13, 2010 3:10 pm

last time I bought nerf darts I recall that they were much cheaper than that, but still homemade darts are cheaper and most of all I would use them for performance reasons, and so you can use them with a tight fitting long barrel
jackssmirkingrevenge wrote:For a multishot nerf gun you're probably better off using the blowgun as a valve directly, more than enough power for non-lethal purposes and it will certainly be a lot more economical with air.
if he wants to hit 100' I wouldn't recommend it, if his piston valve is good he should get more power for the air used, (however for optimum efficiency it would be much better to attach the air supply to the pilot),

the other annoying thing about a blowgun main valve in a Nerf gun is that performance can vary a lot based on how fast you squeeze the trigger, and when your using you nerf gun in a real game your trigger pull can vary quite a bit
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jackssmirkingrevenge
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Tue Apr 13, 2010 3:21 pm

iknowmy3tables wrote:if he wants to hit 100' I wouldn't recommend it
Surely 100 psi through a blowgun is enough to send a foam dart 30 metres with a reasonably sized barrel?
the other annoying thing about a blowgun main valve in a Nerf gun is that performance can vary a lot based on how fast you squeeze the trigger, and when your using you nerf gun in a real game your trigger pull can vary quite a bit.
Fair comment, but with foam darts with an extremely poor ballistic coefficient you're unlikely to be sniping. I would think that a high rate of fire and large magazine/air capacity would be a lot more valuable than consistency.
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
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Tue Apr 13, 2010 4:18 pm

I dunno man, I use tagger darts right now in my rifle and those things stay pretty dang flat at just 70 PSI out of a two foot barrel. It seems to be able to get well over 75'. I'll have to do a conclusive test today. All I know is that I have yet to find a range at which I must tilt the gun to hit something.

And with the newer high-capacity nerf guns, the price of darts has been dropping.
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clemsonguy1125
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Tue Apr 13, 2010 4:24 pm

Well at 50 psi Ive shot the head of the dart off, and that was with a ball valve so you will either need low pressure or homemade darts mentioned above
That is all.
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chinnerz
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Tue Apr 13, 2010 7:52 pm

Ok , more info on my situation.
I have yet to find any sort of rules and regulations for a Nerf war,
well my mates play with paintball masks and add thumb tacks to the darts, so i dont think my target feeling a bit of a sting is much compared to what we get up to.... :P
For the barrel use 1/2" CPVC. This works beautifully with homemade darts.
i havnt seen cpvc around here where i live, but ill be sure to be on the look out. another material which apparently works is PETG. and 16mm DWV. i didnt see any of those either :S, but i did end up seeing some polybutylene anf buying it. it was a tad bit too small so i decided to heat and expand it.... it melted instead of becoming soft and malleable.
Well at 50 psi Ive shot the head of the dart off, and that was with a ball valve so you will either need low pressure or homemade darts mentioned above
i will be using homemade darts, with hot glue tips.
For a multishot nerf gun you're probably better off using the blowgun as a valve directly, more than enough power for non-lethal purposes and it will certainly be a lot more economical with air.
because of the materials i will be using, i wanted to make a modular system, where i can interchange parts depending on what i wanted to do with it.

thanks for the advice so far guys, is there anything i need to add to the gun like a spring behind piston, or one of them rods which is in the middle of the barrel of stock nerf guns?
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clemsonguy1125
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Tue Apr 13, 2010 8:02 pm

you will need a spring behind the piston because your filling from the chamber
That is all.
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chinnerz
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Tue Apr 13, 2010 8:05 pm

ahh i see, so that's why you would put a spring there.
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clemsonguy1125
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Tue Apr 13, 2010 8:13 pm

Heres one similair to your design except its for airsoft.
http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/coaxial ... t20407.htm
That is all.
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chinnerz
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Tue Apr 13, 2010 8:47 pm

yep yep, like i said it has been before. i want to make something like that sept with interchangeable barrels and triggers chambers etc... but for its first task, it will be a nerf gun
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irisher
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Tue Apr 13, 2010 9:58 pm

well my mates play with paintball masks and add thumb tacks to the darts
I just don't see any point to that. Why would you want to get stabbed every time someone shot you?
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