Forget tennis balls. Lacrosse balls rule!

[xpitxbullx]

I was running around everywhere trying to find a brand that fit perfectly down a 2.5" barrel. After trying many brands, I found the ones that fits beautifully...

...Champion Brand Lacrosse Balls. They say NFHS approved. You can get them at Sports Authority. I found other ones that said NFHS approved but they were different brands and they didn't fit. Champion is the only one I know of so far that is great.

I'll be measuring the distance with my GPS later this week. Should blow the doors off the distance that a tennis ball can go.

For you damage fiends, I'll be taking a computer out with me and seeing what the lacrosse ball can do.

Jeff

UPDATE: I found that some of the Brine Brand lacrosse balls work, also. I only found the white ones to fit. For some weird reason, the colored ones were too big. Sports Authority sells them in a big bucket you can pick and choose from. Take a 'small' piece of 2.5" PVC in with you and see which ones fit. It should scoot down the barrel with the force of one finger pushing it.

[starman]

Cool-a-mundo!! I haven't even thought about using a lacrosse ball. Those suckers are fairly hard. I just looked up the mass on one and it's about 5 oz...about 3 times that of a golfball. You should be able to get some serious energy as well as velocity out of one of those...although flight characteristics won't be as ideal as a golfball with the dimples.

Lacrosse has become much more popular these days so I'm sure Champion balls will be available at most decent sporting goods stores. Cost will be a bigger thing though...can't buy em cheap by the bucket of "water balls" like you can golfballs.

Also I'll be curious if they remain intact upon a full velocity impact on a hard target.

[THUNDERLORD]

Sounds interesting.
Watch out for riccochets though.
Reminds me of racquet balls on a court sort of only heavier. 8)

[starman]

Sounds interesting.
Watch out for riccochets though.
Reminds me of racquet balls on a court sort of only heavier. 8)

Oh yeah they are a good bit harder than racquet balls and a little bigger too.

[jr]

nice find 8)
keep us informed

[potatoflinger]

I tried some lacrosse balls that I had laying around with my tennis ball barrel, but they didn't fit (I guess they weren't champions). I don't think you need to worry about a lacrosse ball breaking when it hits something hard, when I played lacrosse I used to practice by throwing one at a brick wall, and I never had one break, but I wasn't throwing them as fast as a spud gun could either.

[frankrede]

I tried some lacrosse balls that I had laying around with my tennis ball barrel, but they didn't fit (I guess they weren't champions). I don't think you need to worry about a lacrosse ball breaking when it hits something hard, when I played lacrosse I used to practice by throwing one at a brick wall, and I never had one break, but I wasn't throwing them as fast as a spud gun could either.

I'm sure you never threw a tennis ball at a wall and had it break either.
Which is what happens when you shoot tennis balls out of some cannons:)

[potatoflinger]

I tried some lacrosse balls that I had laying around with my tennis ball barrel, but they didn't fit (I guess they weren't champions). I don't think you need to worry about a lacrosse ball breaking when it hits something hard, when I played lacrosse I used to practice by throwing one at a brick wall, and I never had one break, but I wasn't throwing them as fast as a spud gun could either.

I'm sure you never threw a tennis ball at a wall and had it break either.
Which is what happens when you shoot tennis balls out of some cannons:)

But there's a big difference between a tennis ball and a lacrosse ball.

[Pilgrimman]

Well i don't have access to anything over 2", but croquet balls fit beautifully in 3" if anyone wants to build a 3" gun! Nice find, btw!

[brogdenlaxmiddie]

Hey! You finnaly figured out what I posted about 2-3 months ago! Congrats

Ok, off the crap. So, don't you love that amount of power added from using a lax ball?

[xpitxbullx]

I didn't feel like running after them so I did some straight up shots with the lacrosse balls vs tennis balls and softballs. The lacrosse ball was obviously going higher than both. The tennis ball lost to both.

If my softball can shoot 885ft then, IMHO, that lacrosse ball will go well over 1000ft.

COOL!

I didn't have time for video or damage tests today. You have to wait. Sorry.

Jeff

UPDATE: Fired at about a 40 degree angle, the lacrosse ball traveled 1013ft (measured by GPS). I only fired one ball, I didn't want to make that walk more than once today.