Safety

Spudguns can be very dangerous if built or used improperly. However, if they are respected, they can be great fun.

Don't shoot living things

A typically-sized spudgun is capable of launching a potato weighing 50-150 grams a couple hundred yards with the muzzle energy of a powerfull handgun; even longer distances are easily acheived with rocks,PVC darts,golf balls, and other aerodynamic projectiles. This energy, carried by a projectile as fragile as the humble tuber is easily capable of killing someone, or at least breaking bones. As to property damage, a thrown potato is capable of destroying windows, smashing decorations, and the like; think of what it would do if it had 25 times the energy - most launchers can put a vegtable through a peice of 1/2" plywood, and many can put it through 3/4". The same applys to short/and or small-bore launchers too.

Despite their great potential to do harm, it is not looked appon well if you (attempt) to use your launcher as a hunting istrument. They are often hard to aim, leading to a low probability of a clean (humane) kill - plus, it may be less then legal for you to do so.

The bottom line is: don't aim a spudgun at anyone, at any time, even if you think it's not loaded. Also, make sure you are firing in a safe direction that is free of people, pets, livestock, and property.

Some people don't take the extreme danger of a projectile fired from a potato cannon seriously enough. There are frequent news articles about people injured by potato guns firing projectiles other than vegetables, or people being accidentally shot while handling the gun. Accidental discharges are the most likely cause of injury however some individuals lack the mental capacity to keep their guns pointed away from others at all times. When a potato gun is pointed at a human being the dangers are extreme. Do not under any circumstances let the barrel of a potato gun point towards another human, even if the gun is not loaded.

Firing a sock at a door can puncture the door from 10 feet away.

Firing a sock at a friend can (and will) puncture the friend.

Ammo Saftey

Some advise against shooting bolts, coke cans full of concrete, and other hard objects out of your gun; saying things along the lines of: "Anthing that is much harder than a spud can cause grevious bodily harm if shot at another person,or any animal for that matter." ...in acctuality, even a tater will cause "grevious bodily harm" if shot at another living being. There may be an increased chance of ricrochet when using sturdy ammo - use common scence, and don't fire non-shattering ammo at close targets.

Some caution should be taken with shooting loose sub-munitions, specificaly gravel or stones, with a sabot behind them - there is a significant probability of them jamming up, and the barrel being overstressed when the sabot tries to keep moving through the blockage, leading to a failure. Always wrap your lose projectiles in something - paper towls, old socks, and plastic bags are all acceptable.