Potato Gun sights / scopes

[niglch]

I'm just wondering what you guys use for sights on your potato guns be it an iron sight, a laser sight, or some sort of scope. I'm looking for ideas for the over-under combustion launcher that I'm currently designing and buying parts for. I've heard it mentioned that potato guns are very inaccurate, but since I'm now building my second gun I wanted to add a few bells & whistles. I found this design rather interesting, but since my barrel is made from 1.5" pipe, I'm not sure if the T fittings in this diameter are made in a way that I could do this.

Anyway, I'm basically just asking how you guys aim your gun.

[n3rdkw]

Look down the barrel....
Well I use carrots and 1/2"; so for up to 30 yards, it's pretty darn accurate.
I shot into someone's window with it from approximately 30 yards out.

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

I shot into someone's window with it from approximately 30 yards out.

Responsible spudding, gotta love it

back to the original question, given the sort of accuracy you can expect from a PVC pipe, I'd say a red-dot would be your best bet if you want to mount a sight.

[TwitchTheAussie]

Point, click and hope for the best lol.

[spud yeti]

I'd also have to say a red-dot, but otherwise just put a little point on the front and end of the gun to line up (like most pellet guns have)

[boilingleadbath]

You guys may have seen my "fall adjustment sight" before. (a search in the how-to section should get results)

Basically an aperture on a vertical slide and a front post.

I'm sitting here, wondering if it'd be possible to make a decent quality setup similar to that, but using only materials the average person has around the house.

Specifically, I'm thinking that a piece of clear plastic (say, from a CD jewel case, or if that's not durable enough, the CD) could be epoxied to a hinge (which would be epoxied/screwed to the launcher).
On the side opposite the hinge, we would add a small block so that it could stand vertical.
Then, on the vertical strip of acrylic, we would wrap a tight fitting piece of cardboard/soft plastic around it. Such piece of plastic would, obviously, have a hole in it (3/16" would be about right)

The front post would be a headless bolt... flat on top for more precise elevation sighting.

The hardest part of this, of course, is getting the sides parralel and strait. Perhaps one could bypass this requirement by attaching the slide using a spring-loaded clamp of some type... perhaps (and I'm reluctant to suggest it; it's a tad ghetto) a paper clip?

[mtronic]

I use a laser and tac. light combination on my marble canon, it works a treat. you just have to adjust the elevation and make sure its centered. But remember these are canons and not presision rifles, I use the laser to get a rough idea of what Im firing at. I dont want another "accidental" widow smashing

[PinHead]

I use a laser and tac. light combination on my marble canon, it works a treat. you just have to adjust the elevation and make sure its centered. But remember these are canons and not presision rifles, I use the laser to get a rough idea of what Im firing at. I dont want another "accidental" widow smashing

Accidental widow smashing? Ouch, that had to be a sight.

[VH_man]

i have a 3X9X32mm scope on the barret 14mm. its not perfect, mostly because of my odd mounting (im building a new one that doenst move).

its more fun to set it on 3X magnafication and move up to like 25 feet away and act like youre 200 yards away, becuase, its just not accurate enough.

[sjog]

you don't need the tee
laser's come w/mounting plate
glue/epoxy plate to barrel
slide flash lite into barrel wrap w/tape to center lite
aim lite at wall adjust laser to lite beam
shoot a few times adjust as necessary

Laser's are cheap
http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=35ktq4n

[joannaardway]

A laser sight is my first choice, although sighting directly down the barrel works fine with some experience.

However, you should never try "precision shooting" that will involve missing things you shouldn't hit (pets, windows, valuables), because the launchers are too unreliable for that. In essence, if you don't want to hit it, don't have it in the 20 degree arc in front of your shooting.

[jimmy101]

Just a warning to folks about lasers. If you have never used one on a gun they are almost completely useless in bright sun at a range of more than a few tens of feet. You just can't see the dot.

[Mishkan]

Hook up a weaver rail... then you can just switch between whatever you want. Aimpoint, ACOG, scope, red dot etc. (not grenade launcher sight).

[Bubba05]

Yeah my thing i can broard side a barn at about 100 yards but yeah it wont shoot all that streght!!

Bubba

[niglch]

I have come up with a simple scope idea. You could possibly get some 3/4" PVC pipe, a couple of 3/4" T's, and 2 couplings. Cut one T in half and use hose clamps to clamp it to the top of the barrel. Then the second T would hold 2 pieces of pipe on either side forming the main part of the scope. Then find some clear plastic sheeting and cut a square with the same side length as the diameter of the 3/4" couplings (around the inside). Then you could use a file to turn the square of plastic into a circle that could then fit into the coupling and be wedged between the stopper and a piece of pipe. You could do this on either end of the scope and sharpie on a cross-hair on the further "lens" (not that it would ever appear on the same plane as the actual target).

It would at least look sort of like a scope, but I'm still not sure where you can buy sheets of clear plastic.