Spud Gun

Hi! Does anyone want to share their designs for a spud gun? I was going to try to put togeather one, and was wondering what design worked best for accuracy and for range. Right now I'm going with a shoulder mounted version about 6 feet long. That seems to be the best design for range and accuracy that I've noticed in my experiences.

The design must take into account the type of ammo'.
Do you plan on using depleted urainium spuds?
S.

[Edited on 10-4-2004 by sanctum]

Actually, no. I plan on using incendiary spuds, with a napalm coating. The incendiary trigger will be a sodium/magneesium compound that will ignite upon hitting moisture from a body or pile of dirt. It's not a desert weapon

Originally posted by junglejake
Actually, no. I plan on using incendiary spuds, with a napalm coating. The incendiary trigger will be a sodium/magneesium compound that will ignite upon hitting moisture from a body or pile of dirt. It's not a desert weapon

jj, you can't do that! That's my Grandma's recipe.
S.

Forget barbecue grill igniters for a firing mechanism and buy a 100,000+ volt stun gun. I got one for $15 at a pawn shop, disassembled it, and attached large insulated copper wires that lead to the contacts in the combustion chamber. Now instead of the tiny 1/2 second spark 1/2 an inch long the the BBQ igniter provided, it throws a 3 inch arc as long as you hold the trigger. That will effectively end any ignition problem you might encounter.

With a little experimenting I was able to design a Fin-stabilized Discarding Sabot Potato round for it using a gutter spike, but an effective explosive round is problematic. Good luck!

www.gotspud.com...


Great info and many designs of spud guns.

Originally posted by Spectre
Forget barbecue grill igniters for a firing mechanism and buy a 100,000+ volt stun gun. I got one for $15 at a pawn shop, disassembled it, and attached large insulated copper wires that lead to the contacts in the combustion chamber. Now instead of the tiny 1/2 second spark 1/2 an inch long the the BBQ igniter provided, it throws a 3 inch arc as long as you hold the trigger. That will effectively end any ignition problem you might encounter.

WOW! That's a great idea I had never even thought of! That must give the explosion a bit of an advantage over the BBQ igniters I've seen. Any ideas for a fuel source? Hairspray residue gets everything really sticky and requires constant cleaning.

With a little experimenting I was able to design a Fin-stabilized Discarding Sabot Potato round for it using a gutter spike, but an effective explosive round is problematic. Good luck!

You're going to have to share that fin-stabilized discarding sabot potato round.

Spectre, can i get an invite to your next bbq?
S.

Originally posted by Milk
www.gotspud.com...


Great info and many designs of spud guns.

That site is awesome! Thanks for the link, it's got enough info to make a spud gun a very lethal instrument! (firing rocket engines?! AWESOME! )

...and people think growing up on a farm sounds boring, NOT!

The best fuel I have found is, believe it or not, Right Guard deoderant spray. It smells good when it burns and does not leave much residue. Glade air freshener used to be good but they must have changed the formula. I can't take credit for that discovery. Searching the web I found a page that some chemist had worked up showing the combustion properties of various over-the-counter products.

At this point I feel compelled to point out that nobody should try this because it is dangerous and violates the narrow window in BATF regulations that allow spud guns to exist legally. **by launching anything other than fruits and vegetables from your gun it becomes a BATF regulated "Destructive Device"** I got that straight from the horse's mouth, a friend who works for the BATF.

The FSDS round started with a gutter spike (basically a 10 inch long galvanized nail) to which I attached three thin fins to create some drag and impart a spin. I pre-cut two potatoes to the bore diameter and skewered them on the rod as close to centerline as possible. After sliding the potato sections off I cut them in 1/2 along the centerline and carved a cup shape into the forward edges so they would start to peel off as soon as they left the bore. Then I reassembled and loaded it into the bore. I did two test firings and both were successful. The first penetrated a 1/2 inch section of marine plywood I was using as a target at 75 feet. The second pierced the board completely and nearly all the way through the hay bale the target was leaning against. Scary stuff.

When I get back into town I will take some photos of the gun and projectiles. Be safe!

If you want to see the most outrageous spudguns ever check out www.spudtech.com They also have good info for those getting into spudgunning, as well as parts and supplies.

Most people start out with combustion-type guns, but when you want real power the move to air powered is necessary. I've heard of pneumatic guns that can break the sound barrier (750 Mph I believe) jusing just air power. As for accuracy its kind of hard with an odd-shaped item like a spud, but rigging up someting round like a golf ball would probaly improve accuracy because it wont tumle through the air. Also another though is to find a way to rifle the barrel and make the gun breach-loading, which would give a spin to the spud and hopefully make it fly a bit more straight than usual.

Originally posted by sanctum
Spectre, can i get an invite to your next bbq?
S.

I'll bring my "Zap the chef" apron!

Shattered OUT...

I have an Uncle that made one pretty much like this one here.


The Larger end where the cumbustion takes place was a little bigger though I think. That thing packed a hell of a wallup though. Just a little squirt of starter fluid in that thing, and a twist of the lighter on the side and BOOM!! Potato rocket that looked as if it would break bones should you ever be unlucky enough to be the target. It had a nice deep Boom when it fires too.

here is a pic of mine.
1 1/2x32" removable barrel
3"x19"chamber
grill igniter (i want to try the stun-gun)
57 1/2" total

can launch taters over 200 yards. i love the air power ones on those sites. i'm not sure what my next one will be yet.

forget flammable ignition... check this:

take one 2500 pound air compressor
take one ball valve rated to 5000 psi
take eight feet of pvc piping
add potatos

you get the idea...

Originally posted by cmdrkeenkid
forget flammable ignition... check this:

take one 2500 pound air compressor
take one ball valve rated to 5000 psi
take eight feet of pvc piping
add potatos

you get the idea...

That would be fun, but it's not very mobile. It would hard for us to get that thing out on the pontoon for the battle:

www.belowtopsecret.com...

Might work on the beach, though. My uncle made a nice, accurate alluminum double barreled spud gun called The Bloody Show that just looks beautiful. It was painted red with a really cool reflective paint, which is how it got it's name.

wow 2500!!!my compressor only goes to about 160 or so. how about an oxygen cylinder like for welding??

I built a 150psi pneumatic gun using two 1/2 inch sprinkler valves that would shoot over 300 yards, but it made a less than satisfying "Phooont!" sound when fired. I much prefer the "Thooop-krak!" my combustion cannon makes! We tried to shoot a potato through a chronograph a few times and only got 375fps which seemed inaccurate to me.
I have done some digging around and I think my wife has thrown my sabot rounds away. Another trip the the hardware store is in order.

the 2,500 psi figure must have a misplaced decimal. I had a couple of what I refer to as "dramatic failures" using pressure rated schedule 40 PVC pipe at 250psi. Dig around on the web and you will find figures to back this statement. Backing off to 180 max seemed safer and still didn't provide much in the way of decreased performance. To go over that pressure I respectfully suggest metal tubing, like 1/8 inch walled service entry pipe. Actually, I would not suggest going over 150psi at all; that goes beyond fun and well into dangerous.

remember to scoop out the tip of the potato some and fill it with something that'll splode on impact.

Those little "Snap It" things work real fine.

Spiderj

Forgot to mention that of course fitting to suit a little boiled yam can make for some fine ammo.

Not too gushy thought or trouble.

Spiderj