SpudFiles

my cannon has an 18 inch ling chamber, a 24 inch barrle and one set if sparkers.
my question is, how do i shoot multiple paint balls or airsft b.b.s all in one go without having any melt, fall out prematurly or pop inside the gun.

i want quite a large spread...enough to light up a 10X10 foot peice of wood from 50 feet

ive tried wrapping thm in a bag, putting leaves on both ends anda otatoe behind the buck stot , but they either pop or dont exit correctly (doesnt come out of the bag)
please help

What's the bore of your cannon? you need to supply more information.

Create something similar to a shotgun cartridge (sabot?)

Create a wad of newspaper in the back of a paper tube that fits snug in your barrel. Then load in your shots and place a wad in the front.

I can't tell you how to create an accurate spread as I'm not that experienced. Though you'll know soon enough if Ragnarok comes knocking (I don't mean the battle between Valhalla and Jotunheim)

A proper wadding will give your ammo protection from the heat, as well as a stronger propulsion as there will be less blow-by in the barrel.

if you're using 1-1/2 in.barrel.get yourself a few one gallon, screw on milk bottle caps .you only have to shave off a little to get them to fit .shove one in ,drop in a hand full of paint balls & then another cap. the farther back you are from your target the more spread you'll get

There is not much to do to change the spread other than adjusting the length of the barrel which dose not have a huge effect on the spread anyway. As previously mentioned, a sabot made of paper is the best way to protect the balls. I have used toilet roll tubes with one end taped up, then packed with tissue paper. The tube can then be filled with balls and packed with a little more paper. Also helps to have some slits cut down the tube to help it tear open and release the balls once it gets out in the air flow.

SubsonicSpud

That's a pretty large spread. 10 feet diameter spread at 50 feet range - What do you need that for?

I don't expect that you'll get that naturally. I suspect you'll probably get about half that spread naturally depending on your exact loading method, loading quantity, bore size and velocity.

It is possible to widen shot patterns with what are known as shot spreaders - one variant of which looks like this:

Basically, this X piece helps push apart the shot spread as it leaves the muzzle, and widens the grouping by some degree.

The solution to your loading problems is some kind of wad behind it - although some of these have been suggested already... newspaper, a plastic bag (behind the ammo, not with the ammo in it), milk jug caps, old rags...
Anything like that will work - and you'll probably want something in the front of your load to hold it in place and stop it falling out. Cotton wool works well.

As a side note, try and keep your wads reasonably lightweight but also air tight for best velocity.

Gaderelguitarist wrote:Though you'll know soon enough if Ragnarok comes knocking (I don't mean the battle between Valhalla and Jotunheim)

Hmm, mythological humour.