Small but not mini

taterjim · Sun Oct 30, 2005 9:35 pm

I threw together a small cannon from some parts I had lying around and it is really fun to shoot. The combustion chamber is about the size of a twelve oz. can of soda only it's PVC. I used a 2" female connector that had been cut off and still had enough sticking out of it to be fastened to a 2" cap . On the other end I just simply put in a threaded two inch cap , It already had a hole in it that was used for a tire valve so the bbq igniter is off center but so what ,it works and works good . I drilled a hole in the 2" cap and put in a rough 1" with a 1/2" threaded center I had replaced in my marble cannon to hold a barrel. I have a 1/2 barrel although drilled to 11/16 for a snug fit with some paintballs I have as well as tiny spuds. I also have a 3/4 " barrel ,it's just made from junk but it turned out well I think.

Shandora · Sun Oct 30, 2005 9:48 pm

nice what im used to making here in tampa im in pure city
i can only fire on railroad tracks

saladtossser · Sun Oct 30, 2005 11:11 pm

thats a mighty odd reducer, cool

Ballad_Black · Sun Oct 30, 2005 11:58 pm

Looks cool, and im sure you are well aware of what your doing, but i've never trusted a igniter on the end of a gun.

taterjim · Mon Oct 31, 2005 10:30 pm

I guess I have been lucky , I have never had a cleanout cap blow out on me yet . I don't put them in haphazardly though ,I always put them in snug/I keep them clean and put a little vaseline on so they work smoother. I liked shooting this little cannon so much that I built another one today with all new parts. less than ten dollars even with a flint igniter. The reducer is really just a threaded type fitting ,inside and out ,I just drilled a hole in the cap ,force threaded the fitting in and put some glue. 50 or so shots and it hasn't budged so I don't think it ever will. I made a much better little cannon today in my shop similar to the one in the above picture but I used a male 2" fitting instead of the 2" c ap with another fitting in it to adapt a barrel. One thing I like about this type cannon is that I can take a 2" male fitting with a short piece of pipe and a cap or cleanout and change the length of the combustion c hamber by just sc rewing it in the back of the c annon instead of the usual cap.

Ballad_Black · Mon Oct 31, 2005 11:53 pm

Awesome, if it works for you, thats all that matters. Just that one episode of blam and a scar on the wrist stuck to me. Sence then, a lot safer with the cannons then ever before. Its a drinking story if anything, the scar is a half square, exact to a 3 inch clean out top. Kinda funny really.

Shandora · Tue Nov 01, 2005 12:53 pm

hmmmmm........i have had 1 blow the cap off my first cannon.............i for got to glue it and it blow off...................but i really dont sugest the plug in the back of the cap very dangerous it causes a sructural split that you dont see with the naked eye

taterjim · Tue Nov 01, 2005 9:48 pm

It's just hard for me to believe that having the igniter in the cap is something to be afraid of since I have had 5 such cannons and never a problem. If you were careless and set the gun down on the red button after it was fueled it could be a prob but you could nudge the button anywhere you placed it . Some of the advantages of having the igniter in the cap are that you do not have to drill any holes in the combustion tank and can keep it air tight. the igniter can be used on more than one cannon saving time and money since y ou c an only shoot one at a time. In my experiments ,igniting from the back gave the strongest shots. My very first cannon was ignited from two screws in the center of the combustion tank via a bbq sparker. It seems I had to continually clean them to keep them working. The clean out cap is installed after spraying in the aerosol and the sparker in it stays clean and almost always works. Of course I have ordered me a stun gun and I'm curious to see just how good they are ,I will set it up on my largest cannon most likely ,it's a 4" by 17" combustion ,it really packs a whallop , especially when I block the barrel combustion end with a 3 1/2 oz. plasic disposable cup. I should do pictures of that sometimes and show the technique, At the barrel end of the combustion I have about 4" of 2" pipe then a fitting for changing or removing the barrel. the cup fits in this 4" area and is never in the way of the potato because it is just ahead of the barrel fitting . It makes a really big difference when shooting a 2" spud but doesn't make a big difference on a 1 1/2" unless it is done with one of my smaller cannons , probably because the bigger cannon was designed with ratcalc and is more efficient to begin with.

xtremesocr92 · Mon Jan 15, 2007 9:01 pm

i agree taterjim my cousin now in college had a sweet one that had the ignitor in the cap. just incinsistent