New Tater Cannon Project.

nctom

nctom

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Location
CONCORD NC
My nephew wanted some help to build a tater gun... We named it "Subtle Sadie".
It shoots a full can of Mountian Dew over 500 yards on 150 psi of Nitrogen. He has a friend that is going to airbrush it to look like a anti-aircraft gun. When he has some money, we are going to replace the wood with aluminum plate and tubing. Should look kinda' coolish.





potato_gun.jpg
 
All right, that's waay cool! Give up the specs and the valve, where to buy, you know I want one next to my skeet thrower. I been wanting to build a can shooter for awhile.
 
Are you using Nitrogen from a paintball tank or something bigger?? Cool though.
 
A drink can is 3&13/16" in the middle. We made a 2 foot long adapter to go from the potato barrel to the drink can size. It just screws onto the end like a silencer. The adapter tube is 4" I.D. so we wrap the can in a wet paper towel like a sabot to take up the remaining 3/16". It seals up really tight, you have to tap it in there. 2 feet long seemed like the right length to stabilize the flight. We were flipping them like a buzz saw blade when we tried seating it in the adapter.
We also made a water cannon out of it. Tilt the barrel back and put a quart of water down it, it looks cool under the flood lights.
Bannerp, The Nitrogen is from a big tank we use at the race track to run air tools and such. We are going to start sneaking up to 200 psi and use a remote firing button. You have to have a good Nitro regulator and gauge, the supply tank pressure is nothing to play with.
Scott, The valve is a irrigation sprinkler valve. It runs on low voltage (9 volt battery) and opens up a 3/4" valve in a split second. I did have to replace the o rings after 20-25 shots. It dosent like the cold nitrogen. I believe a better o ring and some chemplex grease will solve this. I bought a couple extra valves, if you want one, let me know. ( I probably owe you for a favor, anyway). I paced off over 500 yards for the 150 psi shots. It vaporizes the wet paper towel when it leaves the barrel!:D
 
Maybe you should wrap it in Gorilla tape if your going to pressure it to failure! It might keep the shrapnel from flying everywhere if it shatters.
 
You can wrap the charge pipe with masons nylon string and then coat with PVC glue and it will strengthen the pipe considerably. We did this on a propane tater gun we made.
 
I need to get stuff out of the way so I can start one, want to send them flying out towards the lake from my house, maybe "skeet shoot" the cans? Better check what that pipe is rated for when boosting pressure, might have a good confetti reaction, at least wrap it or throw a moving quilt over it.
 
On schedule 80 PVC... I am safe to 930 psi on the charging chamber and 1360 on the barrel. The most I am going to charge it... is maybe 250 psi. and that will be with a remote filling hose and firing switch. I like seeing and using my paws to build stuff, so you dont have to worry about me blowing up a tater cannon in my face. ('Cause then I would look like thiso_O) Considering the fact that Nitrogen is very cold and could degregate the strength of the pipe, I am not going to push it past the ocassional 250 shot.

Hot Dog...The masons string idea is a good one, If I blow it up testing, I will try it. I just dont see it being needed when I am @ 25% Minimum burst pressure. But I could be wrong.
Scott... I like the moving blanket flak jacket idea too. I can always count on good ideas pertaining to blowing :poop: up out of the Steelworks facility!

All comments concerning safety are welcome. If you would like to have a little friendly wager on who's will shoot the furthest... Well, thats what America is all about!:D


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I've never seen white sch 80 before, but there's always something new. Anyway, no way I'd be standing next to a piece of 6" pvc at 200+ psi...I've seen what happens when they do blow up. :flipoff2: I do love the sound of an air/sprinkler valve powered potato gun though. We used to make some foam wadding then put the pyramid shaped 1.5oz sinkers in front of it and destroy stuff. What else have you shot?
 
Yup. Its white 80 from the Charlotte pipe foundry. I had never seen it before either, its usually black.
Taters, apples, drink cans, water, Golf balls (with a plug behind them like you are talking about) will go through a sheet of 3/4 plywood. Scott got me to thinking about shooting skeet with one, I am thinking a cut open drink can filled with gravel to bust clay targets.
 
The projectiles could get expensive. Wondering if you could use, empty soda cans, filled with water, and wax poured to seal them up?? Or, fill the cans and freeze them?
 
Nice, makes my potato gun look like a knife..
 
My favorite is a little one called "Tater Tot". It is small, quick to reload and charge with air. It will shoot over 150 yards on 125psi. I can hit a running cat with it.:D I took the Irrigation valve and trigger button out for another project and put a 3/4 ball valve in it's place. I slicked it up with WD40 and you can pop it open pretty quick. You get alot of shots out of one tater with this one and it only takes a short time to fill with air.

Tater Tot 2.jpg
Tater tot1 .jpg
 
upnover said:
The projectiles could get expensive. Wondering if you could use, empty soda cans, filled with water, and wax poured to seal them up?? Or, fill the cans and freeze them?
Click to expand...
This thing will shoot anything you put in it. Frozen cans sound like a good idea cause the excess would push out the open top of the can and they wont swell much. Plus you could use them for keeping the full cans of drinks cold in the cooler!:D

Scott was talking about shooting the cans out of the tater gun and hitting them with a shotgun like skeet. I am thinking about trying to hit the skeet with the gun! Cut a drink can top off, fill it with gravel and use it like the wadding in a 12 gauge shell. Hmmm.... Idle minds are the devil's play house!
 
My daughter suggested this one and it works great... Fog the inside of the barrel with WD40 or silicone spray after you load it. It will shoot faster and further due to the reduced friction in the barrel.
 
500 yard cat shots! :sniper:
We do a good bit of long range ground hog hunting durring the summer up around Sparta. I have enough trouble using a 25 power scope and a benchrest quality rifle. LOL!
 
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