BOWLING BALL CANON 1300 YARDS

[SEGARE]

We had a spud gun in college in the early 80's. Launching potatoes over the trees and into the apartment complex across the street probably wasn't smart, but it sure was fun (at the time).

 

[DeltaBravo]

This was pretty cool, but I think the "Punkin Chunkers" are more impressive. Record for air launch is 4700 feet for an 8-10 pound pumpkin. They get several thousand feet out of catapults, too!

 

[Herzo]

As kids, we had probably a quart of marbles, a 15" piece of black pipe with a cap in which we had drilled a small hole and several hundred "Black Cat" firecrackers. Some years from now someone will wonder how a field was seeded with marbles

 

[Brians356]

Interesting video... but these guys are going to end up hurting someone. They have no idea of the pressures involved. With the 2-lb powder charge there were flames emerging from the BREECH of the canon. People and vehicles were within "striking distance" if the pipe cannon had exploded.

"Blackpowder ... burns at an extremely rapid rate. It is especially sensitive to static electricity or spark and is the most hazardous of explosive materials in ordinary handling."

George E. Frost, Ammunition Making (1990)
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[littlebuddybr]

Did you and I live parallel lives? (Iron City Beer cans were the prefered item back when they were steel with a seam.) I recall watching the "owner" fire it from the ground like a morter. I had to try it (several times) as a bazooka.

I cringe now.

We also did this. We also used those very heavy yoo-hoo cans. Those tennis balls would travel...

 

[Twicepop]

We had a spud gun in college in the early 80's. Launching potatoes over the trees and into the apartment complex across the street probably wasn't smart, but it sure was fun (at the time).

Unlike my previous post, I wasn't involved with this as anything more than a spectator. At a place I used to work, one of the guys there had a spud gun and brought it in to the shop after the brass had left. His was made out of various pieces of PVC pipe and had a "large " propellant chamber with a screw on/off lid. It used starting fluid (ether) as the propellant. It also had a gas grill igniter for the ignition. At break he brought it out along with a can of ether and a small bag of potatoes. He was "launching" potatoes out across the parking lot showing us how far it would send them, some going very close to 100 yards or farther. Then for whatever reason he had at the time, he pointed it towards the road in front of the shop and touched off. The launched spud connected with a car passing by and broke the windshield. Break was over at that point and we all scattered and went back to our jobs. One of the guys driving tow motor on the docks said the police came and drove buy the business across the street a couple of times then left.

 

[Monte F]

Unlike my previous post, I wasn't involved with this as anything more than a spectator. At a place I used to work, one of the guys there had a spud gun and brought it in to the shop after the brass had left. His was made out of various pieces of PVC pipe and had a "large " propellant chamber with a screw on/off lid. It used starting fluid (ether) as the propellant. It also had a gas grill igniter for the ignition. At break he brought it out along with a can of ether and a small bag of potatoes. He was "launching" potatoes out across the parking lot showing us how far it would send them, some going very close to 100 yards or farther. Then for whatever reason he had at the time, he pointed it towards the road in front of the shop and touched off. The launched spud connected with a car passing by and broke the windshield. Break was over at that point and we all scattered and went back to our jobs. One of the guys driving tow motor on the docks said the police came and drove buy the business across the street a couple of times then left.

The owner of the motorcycle shop we hung out at built one very similar out of ABS pipe and fittings. He however fueled it with oxygen/acetylene. Could launch spuds out the back door, across a 5 lane road and bullseye the billboard down the street over 100 yds away. We used hearing protection when it lit off, then quickly retreated back indoors before anyone could figure out where the blast came from.

 

[Doug Casner]

What kind of sights does a spud gun have? 2 clicks up ,fire for effect. He had it figured out when he hit that moving vehicle. Doug

 

[22BRGUY]

Another one, Longer barrel