Ammunition

Introduction

Ammunition can be describe as anything that can be fired out of a cannon or launcher. This broad definition leads to a list of possible projectiles that could stretch on nearly forever. This article will list the more common ammunitions used in the spudding world, as well as provide some useful information regarding their physical properties and performance characteristics.

Formatting

Ammo Type

The section directly under the name of the ammunition will provide you will all the general information on using and procuring the round. This is also where any points of interest are located, as well as tips, advice, and modifications.

Mass

Here the mass of the ammo will be listed. Please help out everybody overseas by providing masses in both ounces and grams whenever possible.

Diameter

This is the diameter of the round, again offered in both Imperial and Metric units. For ammunition cut by the barrel, this will be equivalent to the barrel's inside diameter. For other ammo (such as golf balls, marbles, etc.) it will be the average observed diameter, or the regulation diameter where applicable. (Such as in sports balls)

Cd

Coefficient of drag. The Cd of a particular ammo is usually dependent on the velocity of the ammo and whether or not it is spinning or tumbling.

Terminal Velocity

Defined as the point at which wind resistance is equal to the force from gravity observed by an object in free fall. This number will depend largely on the density of an object, and it's Cd. Terminal Velocity represents the highest speed an object can reach when dropped from adequate height.

Common Barrels

A list of barrel sizes commonly used with the specified ammunition. This is primarily useful for objects with a defined diameter, such as a regulation sports ball.

Common Ammunitions

Potatoes

The humble potato is the original ammunition of spud guns and still enjoys widespread use today, though it is quickly losing favor to other ammunition types, such as golf balls. When a spud is muzzle loaded the tip of the barrel (often times sharped into a muzzle knife) trims it to size, resulting in a nearly air tight fit.

Mass

The mass of a potato projectile will depend on the type of spud used, as well as the length the slug is cut to, and what diameter barrel it is made for. Many spudders have assigned the common potato a density of 1.1g/cm³, but this is only to be used as a rough estimate for calculating projectile mass.

Diameter

Potatoes are usually cut by the barrel of the launcher as they are loaded, and thus will have a diameter equal to that of the barrel's inside.

Common Barrels

While any barrel sized smaller than the spud can be used to launch a potato without a sabot, 1.5" and 2" Sch. 40 are the most commonly observed sizes on launchers designed primarily for shooting potatoes.

Upon Impact

Potatoes usually break into dozens of large chunks when they impact a medium hardness surface, and will 'vaporize' upon striking hard surfaces (such as wood or steel) at high velocities.