A novice asking: Tell my about your most powerful guns

[Johnny Blast]

I'm new to this forum and to the potato gun also. I've made 2 already and I like what I have. Mine are conventional. Tell me about your more sophisticated versions and information regarding possible speed and distance. Thank you. I have no desire now to make a super performer, but I'd like to know what's possible. Thanks again.

[carlbelcher]

Well pretty much you have 3 main types of cannons.

1. Combustion
2. Pneumatic
3. Hybrid

Pneumatics are normally more powerful than combustions and hybrids are by far the most powerful but somewhat risky to build if you don't know what you're doing. If you want more power you might try a pneumatic with a sprinkler valve it's still easy to build but it will give you more power than a combustion.

As far as how powerful potato cannons can be there have been cannons to break the sound barrier.

[spudmonkey]

i dont kno but i fired my over-under with oxygen-mapp gass and i didnt even see the tater and the gun shot 5' off the shed (3' tall) that i was holding it down to

[carlbelcher]

oxygen and mapp gas?! please tell me its made from steel!

[rna_duelers]

Umm well i got shot in the arm with a grape from a modded sprinkler pneumatic which was like $20 to make and it blew the skin off my arm at 20 meters.

[spudmonkey]

na it was sch80 and it scorched the 90degree fittings that were sch40 it was stupid but fun

[huse_spud]

i put a HUGE dent in a steel barrel with a softball, then the damn thing bounced and nearly took my window out.

i accidentally fired one of my first cannons off in my basement, i was soooooo lucky i didn't break anything. but then i had to clean up the potato pulp before my parents found out .

[trae08]

i had 4 got 3 now i broke one of them but all mine are Pneumatic i had a combustion but u didnt like it it was well i just didnt like it but yea ill ppst pics of them l8er on when i get home in a few days but there pretty sweet i was pretty impressed now im working on a co2 powered gun which im still desinging havnt starting building but so far it looks like itll work

[Shrimphead]

How about you use the shift key, put some periods and commas in, and try to spell correctly? Honestly, it's much easier to read.

[mark.f]

My best combustion right now has a 4x12" chamber, 1.5x96" barrel, chamber fan, metered propane injection, breech loading, and dual ignition. Of all these things, the long barrel, (8' long), gets it the most distance. Distances are unrecorded so far, but they are <B>VERY</B> far, believe me.

Pneumatics can be the answer if you want raw power. Just gotta be careful not to take them up too high. I took my first pneumatic up to 180 psi quite frequently before I scrapped it and turned it into a combustion... don't do that.

Hybrids will get you the best power/distance, but since you are new to the spudgun, (you admitted it), I'd stay away from those. Make one of those suckers wrong and you'll take something off...

[carlbelcher]

Is there an echo in this thread?

180psi isn't safe for most, if not all pneumatics.

[-1]

I don't see why not, the pressure ratings on those pipes are like 300+ so i would think 180 psi is safe enough.

Does it get more dangerous as the chambers get larger?

[trae08]

Sorry Shrimphead, My bad. Ill try to be more punctual from now on.

[Benny]

-1, its rated to 300 psi for water, the force of compressed air is much greater that water.

[CS]

Benny, how so? Not saying your right or wrong, but youve been going around making alot of these one liners that are only speculations on your part.