My thoughts on a copper gun.

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Sun Oct 15, 2006 9:36 am

I was just thinking about a copper gun designed around two main things: I'm not too keen on sweating joints, and I want it to be mountable in/on some sort of rifle replica. Here's an idea I drew in paint. I expect it wouldn't be too hard to find threaded copper pipe for a barrel and cut it to a desired length, however I doubt you could get it in just the right size threaded at both ends for a chamber. I thought of using a compression fitting on the end of the chamber to link it to a endcap with valve, but I hear they are unreliable, so I won't be using one of them...Hmm... Also I think the barbs would restrict airflow, but I am not sure how bad that would be relative to normal elbow joints.

Any suggestions here?
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This is what I am thinking of.
This is what I am thinking of.
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Infernal2
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Sun Oct 15, 2006 11:26 am

Well, if you don't mind going small you could use copper nipples, a local hardware store carries them up to 6 inches.
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ammosmoke
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Mon Oct 16, 2006 10:32 pm

I think that you can buy copper pipe sections with threaded pieces soldered to them already, and I know there is hoards of threaded parts you can buy. I suggest that you use threaded joints, (yes you can get them.) Although sweating joints isn't that hard. Heres a tutorial link. (Below)
Ok, then I would use a fitting like the one: EDIT: OOPS sorry here: file://localhost/C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/carson/My%20Documents/My%20Pictures/Potato%20Guns/tube%20coupling.jpg

http://www.acehardware.com/sm-working-w ... 80921.html

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Infernal Maveric
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Tue Oct 17, 2006 10:34 am

Sweating/soldering copper pipe is realy easy.

it would be best for you to make an under/over ball valve gu nto start with. PM me if you want pointers on soldering the pipes.

And for the tubing, it would need to be preasure rated as to withstand the PSI you take it to
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Benster
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Wed Oct 18, 2006 9:33 am

When you buy your piping find out if it is solid pipe, or if it is jointed pipe (not sure if those are the correct names or not. There are two way that people can manufacture copper piping, the first is by making a flat piece of copper, then joining it together creating a nearly invisible seam all along the pipe. While this is fine if all you need the piping for is to run water pipe etc. but it can weaken if put under to much pressure. So for pressure, I would recommend the second type of pipe, I beleive it is made by spinning out a peice od copper, so that there isn't any seam to weaken it. This stuff might be a little more expensive, but its better than shrapnel wounds 8)
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Hotwired
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Thu Oct 19, 2006 3:49 am

The second method is drawing a large copper tube through increasingly smaller holes, stretching it and reducing its diameter until it's the correct size.

In the uk I don't think I've ever seen that first type.
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