How to Make a Spud Gun

Have you heard of the term spud gun? Well it is s a bazooka shaped tool that is used to shoot potatoes hundreds of feet away. Also known as potato guns, they can be easily prepared with some basic tools. The most basic spud gun consists of three main components: a combustion chamber, a barrel, and an igniter. Though a fun weapon for small children, all precaution must be taken during its construction to ensure you build safe spud gun. Moreover, it should not be used for shooting people, animals or property. Here are some instructions that will guide you to make a spud gun. How to Make a Spud Gun How to Make a Spud Gun

Instructions

Material Required

2 feet of 3 inch. PVC or ABS pressure rated pipe
4 feet of 1 1/2 inch PVC or ABS pressure rated pipe
3 inch plastic pipe end cap that unscrews
3 to 2 inch reducer fitting
Barbeque igniter
Hair spray
Gauge wires
Spuds and screws

Construction

Firstly, cut the pipes to correct length’s using a hacksaw or buy the desired length pipes from the market.
Using pipe glue, attach the end cap first onto one end of the 3 inch pipe and then attach the reducer on the other end. Allow them to dry.
Also connect and glue the 1 1/2 inch pipe to the reducer fitting.
Now carefully drill two screws of about 3 inches from the end cap into the back of the 3 inch pipe. Place them such that they are at least ½ inch apart from one another within the chamber and come from both sides of the potato gun chamber.
Remove a grill igniter from your old grill and attach nearly16 gauge wires to the igniter wires on one end and one to each screw on the other end. Now have a look inside the gun chamber and find if your clicking the igniter creates a big spark between the screws. If not, then reposition them.
Now cut a potato and insert it into the barrel such that it tightly fits into it. Make sure to push it all the way down the barrel but not into the firing chamber.
Spray some hairspray into the bigger chamber and then tightly shut the lid. Click the igniter and see how far your potato flies.

Tips to Remember

You can experiment with different types of propellants and mixtures of propellant and oxygen
Make sure not to shoot other objects that can prove to be more dangerous than a high speed potato.
Check your local laws about building a potato gun. It may be illegal in your area.
It is an explosion-driven gun so handle it carefully. The PVC can explode and injure you.