Odd but effective alternate ammo

Potatoes last one shot, so build reusable! Discuss ammo designs and ideas. Tough to find cannon part or questions? Ask here!
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Cthulhu
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Mon Nov 20, 2017 11:03 am

I'm sure we've all used some pretty weird things shoved into a Spud gun barrel to shoot, but have you ever used something so strange yet it actually has good performance?

I recently built a cheap-o sprinkler valve mortar with 2" PVC and I was amazed that empty caulk tubes could fly up to 500 feet!
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The caulk tube fits very well into the 2 inch PVC and has a hollow back and heavy head to fly far and accurate.
The caulk tube fits very well into the 2 inch PVC and has a hollow back and heavy head to fly far and accurate.
The 1 day build mortar, I may make a thread on it but it's pretty standard
The 1 day build mortar, I may make a thread on it but it's pretty standard
This weapon serves to silence the noisy speakers of the stupid of the other street! (joke) -Hectmarr
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jackssmirkingrevenge
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Mon Nov 20, 2017 11:35 am

Careful what you point it at, you don't want to call 911 to say someone has been injured by a flying caulk :D
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
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mrfoo
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Mon Nov 20, 2017 11:44 am

you don't want to call 911 to say someone has been injured by a flying caulk
Especially if your accent makes it come out as "flying cock".
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jackssmirkingrevenge
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Mon Nov 20, 2017 11:53 am

mrfoo wrote:Especially if your accent makes it come out as "flying cock".
http://thatsthejoke.com
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
Air2theBrain
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Mon Nov 20, 2017 2:39 pm

500ft! :shock:

How much does that tube weigh..? :P

How much psi did you use? 8)
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Cthulhu
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Mon Nov 20, 2017 5:38 pm

Air2theBrain wrote:500ft! :shock:

How much does that tube weigh..? :P

How much psi did you use? 8)
I haven't weighed the tube, but when I do I'll post it.
I'm running at only around 40 psi. The reason for the immense range is that since it's a mortar it's fired at 45°. When aimed horizontally it only goes about 45-50 feet.

I'll probably make a separate thread about it later, but I want to build the bipod and baseplate first.
This weapon serves to silence the noisy speakers of the stupid of the other street! (joke) -Hectmarr
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Cthulhu
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Tue Nov 21, 2017 9:21 pm

The caulk tubes sadly break after hitting the ground so many times, so I've been trying to replicate their design, but I encountered some problems.

How do you calculate the optimal mass for a projectile to get the best range?

Is there a way I can get my projectile to whistle as it flies?
This weapon serves to silence the noisy speakers of the stupid of the other street! (joke) -Hectmarr
Air2theBrain
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Wed Nov 22, 2017 5:03 am

Found this link, looks heavy mathematical. :shock:
https://www.whitman.edu/Documents/Acade ... lsmith.pdf
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jackssmirkingrevenge
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Wed Nov 22, 2017 6:02 am

Cthulhu wrote:How do you calculate the optimal mass for a projectile to get the best range?
GGDT includes an External Ballistics Tool that can be helpful.
Is there a way I can get my projectile to whistle as it flies?
Stick one of these on the front ;)

Image
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
Air2theBrain
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Wed Nov 22, 2017 6:29 am

Jack i was thinking of these when i read this post also. :)

For something funny i would throw an actual whistle in the tube.

You wanted it to whistle right? :P

I heard of a guy putting a whistle in his blow off valve for his car...would have made people turn their heads thinking a referee was on the streets.
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jackssmirkingrevenge
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Wed Nov 22, 2017 6:51 am

I heard of a guy putting a whistle in his blow off valve for his car...would have made people turn their heads thinking a referee was on the streets.
Antonios, Mentale!!! :D

hehehe been a while since the last Chanel 9 Neus reference on this forum, @POLAND_SPUD where you at?
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
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Cthulhu
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Wed Nov 22, 2017 11:57 am

Air2theBrain wrote:Found this link, looks heavy mathematical. :shock:
https://www.whitman.edu/Documents/Acade ... lsmith.pdf
That's mostly about optimal launch angle rather than optimal mass, funnily enough I've actually seen that exact article in my physics class a couple years ago to show the proof behind the whole "45°" launch angle belief.

Found a way to get it to whistle without having to buy a nerf football: I cut the head off a nerf mega dart (which have whistles built in) and glued it to the head of my projectile.


Mass is still a problem.
This weapon serves to silence the noisy speakers of the stupid of the other street! (joke) -Hectmarr
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Wed Nov 22, 2017 12:23 pm

Mass is still a problem.
Pour some cheap epoxy into the head ;) I would really suggest you play with GGDT to figure out the optimal weight for the parameters you are using.
That's mostly about optimal launch angle rather than optimal mass, funnily enough I've actually seen that exact article in my physics class a couple years ago to show the proof behind the whole "45°" launch angle belief.
For a drag stabilized projectile it's usually closer to 55 degrees.

Fr Frog has some relevant data on the Fin Stabilized M829 anti-tank round.
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
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Cthulhu
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Wed Nov 22, 2017 4:53 pm

I dumped a bunch it bits of scrap metal into the body and sealed it with hotglue under a foam disk. It exploded as it left the barrel, but it's a start!
I put an ad out on Craigslist saying I was buying used caulk tubes, let's see if I get any bites!
This weapon serves to silence the noisy speakers of the stupid of the other street! (joke) -Hectmarr
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Wed Nov 22, 2017 4:56 pm

Cthulhu wrote:I put an ad out on Craigslist saying I was buying used caulk tubes, let's see if I get any bites!
"Hi, heard you were paying for used caulk?"

"Uhh..."
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
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