CO2 cartridge rifle

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stuffbuilder
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Mon May 28, 2012 9:38 pm

Here's my latest project. Its an air rifle with a 4 foot long 3/4 inch barrel made to shoot spent 12 gram CO2 cartridges. I carved the stock and grip by hand from a single piece of teak. All the metal plates also started out as raw sheet metal that I cut and filed down by hand. I decided to go with a manual valve for simplicity and the fact that the solenoid would have been in the way.
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Here it is. End to end its just shy of 5 feet
Here it is. End to end its just shy of 5 feet
A close-up of the trigger. Just an ordinary converted sprinkler valve
A close-up of the trigger. Just an ordinary converted sprinkler valve
I just glued a thin piece of foam to the end of the stock to act as a bit of padding
I just glued a thin piece of foam to the end of the stock to act as a bit of padding
A closer look at the back of the gun
A closer look at the back of the gun
0528121950.jpg
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jackssmirkingrevenge
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Mon May 28, 2012 11:09 pm

Nice fusion of traditional and modern materials, it has a quirky yet pleasant look :) damage pics/videos!
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
Bowman
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Tue May 29, 2012 12:14 am

Why even have the wood pistol grip behind the blowgun? To me, it looks like it would get in the way...Anyway, overall nice build. And like jack said, GET DAMAGE PICS/VIDEOS!!!!!
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stuffbuilder
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Tue May 29, 2012 5:15 pm

Ran into a little bit of trouble testing the gun today. Apparently a glob of fiberglass resin doesn't seal up the old pilot valve port on the sprinkler valve. Would a glob of easy-mix epoxy (the stuff that comes as a cut-and-knead stick) made to patch plastic tanks work any better? If not, what would?
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jackssmirkingrevenge
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Tue May 29, 2012 11:30 pm

If you want epoxy to stick to plastic you have to roughen it first, a file is a good idea, dremel is even better ;)
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
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stuffbuilder
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Sat Jun 16, 2012 6:36 pm

After three failed attempts to seal the valve with epoxy, I managed to plug the leak with some superglue and test fire the gun. All the shots were taken from about 15 feet at 80 psi. Not pictured is a piece of 2x4 that I couldn't break (it was pretty small and kept getting blasted away)
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First shot: a thin piece of paneling. It's only about 1/8 inch thick and broke pretty easily
First shot: a thin piece of paneling. It's only about 1/8 inch thick and broke pretty easily
Second shot: a chunk of a pine plank about 3/4 inch thick from the scrap wood bin. You can see the dent left by the cartridge
Second shot: a chunk of a pine plank about 3/4 inch thick from the scrap wood bin. You can see the dent left by the cartridge
Third shot: a brick I found in my yard. This one actually deformed the co2 cartridge
Third shot: a brick I found in my yard. This one actually deformed the co2 cartridge
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pneumaticcannons
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Sat Jun 16, 2012 7:03 pm

Superglue will eventually fail. Have you tried taking the valve apart and sealing it from the inside?
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stuffbuilder
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Sat Jun 16, 2012 9:29 pm

I filled the hole where the solenoid was with epoxy, but air still slowly seeped out from around the plug. I just used a little superglue on the inside of the valve to fill in the corners where the epoxy couldn't get.
beastmode986
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Sat Jun 16, 2012 10:07 pm

very nice! what did you use for the barrel? it looks like 3/4 schedule 40
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mattyzip77
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Sat Jun 16, 2012 10:21 pm

Cool gun you got there. you gotta use the two part liquid type epoxy not the knead stuff. j b weld is the best use that cuz the super glue wont last forever. also did you let the epoxy set long enough, like over night?? I bet you didnt. Well nice cannon man...
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stuffbuilder
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Sat Jun 16, 2012 11:07 pm

I used Bondo fiberglass resin. The mixture is mostly resin with only a few drops of catalyst mixed in to get it to harden. I scratched up the inside of the hole pretty well, but no matter what I did it wouldn't completely seal. I let the thing sit nearly a week before I put any pressure behind it.
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mattyzip77
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Sat Jun 16, 2012 11:18 pm

Ya last time I ckecked bondo isnt made for pressure, epoxy however is,,,,
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jackssmirkingrevenge
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Sun Jun 17, 2012 1:03 am

Try cutting the cartridges in half and weighting them with a bit of lead melted into the nose, they will fly straight.
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
jsefcik
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Sun Jun 17, 2012 8:05 am

jb weld dude, clean the area , fill the hole with epox :D y , let it dry 24 hrs then have fun!!!!
beastmode986
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Sun Jun 17, 2012 11:59 am

whats kinda range you getting from it?
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