Tennis Balls are a LOT of fun to play around with.
I have access to a nearly limitless supply of racquetballs, but the problem is I haven't found a suitable barrel (Racquetballs are 2.25" or 57mm in diameter). The advantage tennis balls have, however, is their smooth surfaces slide better in a barrel than the soft rubber of a racquetball. That, and 2.5" diameter pipe is easy to acquire.
gun ideas
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THUNDERLORD
- Sergeant 3

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It really looks cool when tennis balls pinch straight through chain link fence, change direction slightly and keep on haulin' .pat123 wrote:tennis balls? potatos? you should make a tennis ball gun
Especially if your at (or outside) the tennis court.
Atleast that was the most fun I had with a combustion a long time ago.
- MrCrowley
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Here's a how to I made for a 2" piston for a golfball cannon, I used a 15mm ball valve originally, very powerful but the 1" sprinkler upgrade made a big difference.UTguy wrote:golf balls seem like a good projectile but I don't feel like buying them and I was looking to fire something a bit larger.
http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/how-to- ... 10381.html
You probably could get away with a 3/4" or 1" ball valve easily enough. Mine shoots about 380m with the ball valve.
They are excellent projectiles for sure...it's their job in life. I wasn't necessarily suggesting you build a GB gun, was just showing you a piston gun, concepts of which can be translated to any size cannon/projectile.UTguy wrote:golf balls seem like a good projectile but I don't feel like buying them and I was looking to fire something a bit larger.
Would that be Univerity of Tennessee, UTguy?
It may be a bit big, but 3" bore is my favourite so far. Large enough to make some interesting ammo, but not so big that you can't find anything to shoot out of it.
You should probably start with a bit of a smaller bore first. Tennis balls are really poor projectiles unless you fill them with lead or something.
You should probably start with a bit of a smaller bore first. Tennis balls are really poor projectiles unless you fill them with lead or something.
Spudfiles' resident expert on all things that sail through the air at improbable speeds, trailing an incandescent wake of ionized air, dissociated polymers and metal oxides.
- Blitz
- Corporal 2


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I wouldn't recommend tennis balls for distance shots, admittedly, but they're still fun to shoot around.
I've grown a liking to 3" since sch80 pipe fits 20oz soda bottles well. It may become my new favorite large-bore ammo, as soon as I build a useful gun to utilize it!
I've grown a liking to 3" since sch80 pipe fits 20oz soda bottles well. It may become my new favorite large-bore ammo, as soon as I build a useful gun to utilize it!
- rcman50166
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3 inch pipe is my favorite diameter also. Basically every bottle fits in it. Plus if you have a 3 in bore it's easy to say the gun powering it can afford to shoot objects that aren't exaclty air tight. 

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