Potato Guns Uber Alles

Seahawk · 07-29-2007, 12:21 PM

Hosted ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) Night last Friday. There was an amazing array of WWII weapons and newer stuff. We shot rifles and pistols and then moved on to skeet. It was very humbling for the adults as the kids (14 and under) out shot us in skeet, especially in .410

Then, as we BQ'd and had a smoke and a toddy, one of the Marines brought out his potato gun. I forgot how much fun kids have launching spud. Simple pleasures on a summer afternoon.

URY914 · URY914's Garage

Have you ever seen the video of the bowling ball cannon? Now that looks like fun.

on2wheels52 · on2wheels52's Garage

Or spudzookas as they're sometimes known. What type ignitor do you favor?
Jim

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

Oh, potato guns are the best! We used to shoot them in the backyard after we came home from the bars - and we lived in Crystal City! Such fun.

Drdogface · Drdogface's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by URY914

Have you ever seen the video of the bowling ball cannon? Now that looks like fun.

I actually have a bowing ball mortar. It will launch a 16# Brunswick over 700 yards and outta sight vertically with a few hundred gr. of BP. Also just made a tennis ball mortar but have to fill the balls with water or they just blow apart. The BB mortar (below) does much better with the wheels off but it's heavy as he!! so I usually just leave them on unless there's a few guys to help or we take it to a cannon match.

It is for sale if anyone is interested.

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

You're all a bunch of budding terrorists. Why else would anyone play with guns. Don't you know guns are evil under the new American Law? You've all been placed on the no-fly list and are banned hereby from purchasing vegetables henceforth.

Seriously, that looks like a blast, but I wonder if the day is coming when people will seriously be arrested for such stuff. Enjoy it while you can! I remember launching potatoes about a football field away as a kid. . .

deathpunk dan · 07-30-2007, 05:23 AM

I built my first spud gun at the tender age of 18 back in december 96. I was home on christmas break and my father showed me a Dave Barry column about the joy of potato guns.

I built 'First Spud II' a few yrs later, and it's a keeper. It utilizes ~5 ft of 1.75" pvc tubing for a barrel, with adapters out to a 6" Y + 2 cleanout caps. One cap has a coleman lantern sparker (the end cap) and the angled cap is used to 'sight' the muzzle loaded spud (use a broom handle of similar for the rod). Propellant is white rain hairspray, glade room freshener, or similar.

This one is devastating and a perpetual favorite at family get togethers, bbqs, reunions, weddings, wakes, drunken stupors, major holidays, and average weekends alike.

m21sniper · 05:30 AM

You hosted ATF night?

I hope you took a bath afterwards...

PS: I'm curious, did the party-goers also pound down some Alcohol while chain smoking cigarettes?

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

The one we had was built by my MacGyver-like roommate who was a patent examiner for the USPT office. The igniter was from a gas grill and attached to two wood screws about .5" apart inside the pvc chamber. We found that AquaNet hair spray worked best. Anyone ever try carb cleaner?

Mo_Gearhead · 07-30-2007, 05:37 AM

I need to borrow that Bowling Ball mortar! I am planning a siege on the local Dept. of Revenue License Dept. and my friggin trebuchet is down for maintenence!

deathpunk dan · 07-30-2007, 05:48 AM

Rick-
I'm leery of anything much stronger than hairspray. I don't want to have it blow up in it my hands and have pvc shrapnel flying around...

I say this bc we had a neighbor who wanted me to help him build a propane-powered one. No way.

Jess · Jess's Garage

I used ether in mine for years with no ill effects.

Tobra · Tobra's Garage

depending on where you are, many of the home brew artillery is highly illegal

Drdogface · Drdogface's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tobra

depending on where you are, many of the home brew artillery is highly illegal

That's true of the spud guns in Ca. anyway. The mortars are not really illegal since they don't use fixed ammo (i.e. cartridge) or have explosive projectile. There are organized cannon shoots in this state frequently.

Having said that, however, there was a case in the Marysville area where a man and his son were experimenting with their BB Mortar on a wild life reserve's gun range. They had not even fired it yet and got busted by some fish cops, got a bad lawyer, and ended up copping a plea when what they were doing was NOT illegal at all. Since I'm in the same county I don't play with mine locally at all.

Seahawk · 07-30-2007, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m21sniper

You hosted ATF night?

I hope you took a bath afterwards...

PS: I'm curious, did the party-goers also pound down some Alcohol while chain smoking cigarettes?

Its a joke, Son

We never drink until all weapons are cased and those that drink are welcome to camp.

Oh, and mostly cigars...

The propellant of choice is hairspray.

BlueSideUp · 07-30-2007, 05:35 PM

We used ether as propellant in college and never lost any appendages.

Hawktel · 07-30-2007, 07:52 PM

Never built a spud gun. I did use some flour and some black cats to massacre some mailboxes long ago, in a area far away. And once a abandoned shed.

I think a punkin chucker would be quite fabulous to have though.

Racerbvd · Racerbvd's Garage

You call that a tader gun, LOL, here is the one my buddy Tracy built