Spud Gun Ammo

What To Shoot …Out of your spud gun

You’ve built your radical ball cannon, and now it’s time to shoot the beast.  You have a wide range of ammo available to shoot out of your trusty spud cannon, and also some ammo that could land you in a bunch of hot water.

Take My Potato, For Example

Clearly the first thing that comes to mind when considering potato gun ammo is…potatoes. Reliable, cheap, available, and relatively harmless, potatoes are the ideal ammunition of choice. Being somewhat flexible, they cut easily with a barrel bevel and plug the barrel up perfectly for reliable shots each time. The downside of potatoes is that they can be messy, especially when you’re shooting off a bag or two in a single afternoon, and secondly, their ballistics leave a lot to be desired. They’re frangible, which means they burst when they hit something, which is both good and bad.

Great Balls for Ball Launchers

There’s other, cleaner and more precise ammo than spuds, of course. Commercially available balls are a great way to go – tennis balls, racquet balls, golf balls – you name it, they can be fired. The advantages of these kinds of projectiles are the fact that you can build the gun to accommodate them specifically, so they fit the bore perfectly. Smaller balls, like golf balls require wadding of course, but they fly straight, hit hard, and are aerodynamic. The big disadvantage of course, is cost. They’re nowhere near as cheap as potatoes, and unless you’re firing your cannon off in a flat field with trimmed grass, they will be hard to retrieve.

Fire Torpedoes

If you’re committed to retrieving ammo, however, our manual can show you a great new piece of ordnance – PVC torpedoes. These PVC cylinders are loads of fun, and their trajectory is easy to track because of their size. They’re also precise and can be reused over and over again, and they really bring your potato gun up to the 21st century.

I have an Idea

A light bulb goes off – literally. Or manual shows you how to make light bulb grenades – when these things hit, they explode, to great effect – they’re easy to make and are a real crowd pleaser.

What not to Shoot out of your Orange Gun or Potato Cannon

Hate to be a downer, but there are things you shouldn’t shoot out of your ball shooter or potato gun: things like shrapnel, iron balls, rocks, or anything that could potentially be viewed as something overly dangerous. As soon as your potato gun becomes confused with a weapon of mass destruction, the authorities will be very, very interested in you. Keep it fun, people!

See our Ebook on how to make new cool Ammo for your Spud Guns.

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