Potato cannon. Potato cannon with your own hands

Today, many people hear about potato guns. What is it and what are they intended for? Potato cannon - a weapon, and with a fairly long range. You can do it yourself. This article will tell you about what devices are needed for this and how the gun works.

Principle of operation

Potato cannon is very similar to firearms, only it has a lower working pressure. In it, the projectile is also driven by a mixture of gases under pressure. Guns can be distinguished by ways of pushing the projectile. We'll talk about weapons, in which the ignition of the fuel-air mixture.

The gun consists of a combustion chamber, an ignition system and a barrel. To make a shot, you need to push the ramrod, in our case, the potatoes, into the trunk. The combustion chamber injects fuel. It can be propane or some kind of aerosol. Now it is necessary to activate the ignition system. Usually, a piezoelectric element from a gas lighter is used for this. The mixture ignites and creates hot gases. They expand under the influence of heat and push the potatoes out of the trunk.

How to make a potato cannon, we will tell below, but first we need to find out whether such a weapon is legal. Learn the laws that apply in your residence. In some places, such weapons are prohibited, and for its manufacture and storage is threatened with punishment.

If you are convinced that the potato cannon in your area is considered legal, you can start making it.

Necessary accessories

Spare parts that we need to make a gun, you can buy in a construction shop. The cost of all the details will be approximately 800-1500 rubles. Thus, the potato cannon with its own hands will not be too expensive.

So, what do you need to buy? Going to the store, write on the leaflet the following list:

• Plastic pipe with a diameter of 10 cm, bent at right angles - 1 pc.
• Plastic pipe with a diameter of 5 cm (1.2 meters) - 1 pc.
• Adapter with 10 to 5 cm - 1 pc.
• Cap on the pipe with thread - 1 pc.
• Piezoelement - 1 pc.
• Sealant - 1-2 packages.
• A balloon of an aerosol with butane - 2-3 bottles.
• Potatoes - 1 bag.

We collect the combustion chamber

When you have purchased everything you need, you are worried about how to make a potato cannon. Well, let's start in order and produce a combustion chamber.

First of all, at the end of the curved pipe, screw the cap, previously missed the thread sealant.

Next, connect the adapter to the other end of the pipe. It is also treated with glue. An adapter is needed to connect a pipe 10 cm in diameter with a pipe 5 cm in diameter.

We insert a narrow tube into the adapter. It will play the role of the barrel of our gun. The structure should be straight and have a strong connection.

In the lateral part of the resulting "shoulder" should be drilled a small hole. So we assembled the combustion chamber. The main thing in this work is to choose the optimal size. If it is very short, then the potato will fly out quickly, and if it is long, the velocity of the projectile will slow down.

Insert the piezoelement

The piezoelement is a necessary thing, without it the potato cannon will not work. The instruction on how to insert it is given below.

We wrap the piezoelectric element with wire. Between its end and the spark generator there should be a small gap.

Now insert our "spark" into the hole that we drilled in the pipe. Seal the hole with a sealant so that there are no cracks and the air can not penetrate inside.

Into the chamber, screw the screw to a depth of 1.5 cm. To it we fasten the wire from the piezoelement outside the chamber. When working, use a blue tape to avoid electric shock.

Now click the button. If a small spark runs through the wire from the piezoelectric element to the self-tap, it means that everything is done correctly.

How to charge a gun and fire a shot

Our finished potato gun needs shells. To load it, take potatoes, put it in the barrel and push it with a ramrod. If not, you can use a narrow stick. Choose potatoes you need a size that between him and the trunk was a small gap.

Everything, the gun is ready for battle. If you decide to shoot a small gun, it is recommended to put a rag in the trunk. It will not give the projectile to fly prematurely, and the range of its flight will be great.

Now you need to select the target. You can direct the gun only to the target, near which there are no people and animals.

Are you ready for the shot? Then unscrew the cap and spray the aerosol into the chamber for 5 seconds. You have to do everything very quickly. We tighten the cap and press the ignition button. Potatoes flew.

Before the next shot, the gun must be cleaned and repeat the above actions.

Safety regulations

Shoot the potato cannon is quite fun, but do not forget about the safety rules:

• Never point the gun at people or animals. The most suitable place for shooting is an empty open field.
• The potato cannon is a weapon! It can cause serious injury. Use it with extreme caution.
• Read the applicable laws. If such a weapon is illegal, you are penalized for its use.
• Do not glue the cannon pipes together. Otherwise, with a powerful shot, it can explode.
• Do not charge the gun if you do not intend to shoot.
• At very high or low air temperatures, you can not shoot potatoes. The fact is that plastic pipes can become unstable, which threatens danger both for the shooter himself and for others.

How to Make a Mini Potato Cannon

To make a potato cannon of a small size, take a plastic bottle with a lid. Still need a small syringe, a button from a piezo lighter, a pistol grip made of wood, glue, wire and a stationery knife.

We make a hole in the pistol grip and cut a hole under the piezoelectric element. Install the button and contacts and fix everything with glue.

We make two holes in the bottle with a knife at a distance of 0.5 cm from each other. We insert in them a wire from the piezoelement. When you press the button, a spark must run through the contacts.

We glue the bottle to the wooden handle.

Now make the barrel from the syringe. Cut off its upper part and remove the piston.

In the bottle cap, make a hole in which we insert the syringe and fix the structure with glue. Mini potato cannon is ready.

Shoot from such a tool can be small pieces of potatoes or berries.

Tips for using a potato cannon

• If there is no spark, check the connection.
• Do not grasp the metal parts of the gun.
• You need to make a shot very quickly. The injection of the spray and pressing the button should go no more than 10 seconds.
• The projectile should be slightly smaller than the diameter of the trunk.
• Clean the camera after each shot.

So, we learned how the potato cannon is made by our own hands. This process requires great care and accuracy. To shoot from the finished cannon should be very careful and in no case should the gun be directed towards people or animals. You can shoot only on inanimate objects.