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Propane gun build

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2026 7:27 pm
by Mb01
Before I build I want to see if my calculations are correct. If I start with the 1.5:1 ratio, I will have a 4 inch x 18 inch chamber and a 2 inch by 4 foot barrel.
Volume of the chamber would be 226 cu in., which is 3,703.5 cc.
Just to make numbers easy, a 5% propane syringe injection would be roughly 185 cc. That seems like a lot. Basically 3 full 60cc syringes.
Am I missing something??
I haven’t built one since the 1990s, and we used Aqua net back then but it gummed up everything. Looking for a clean burn with some pop. I was sold on 99% isopropyl alcohol for this build, but I have just started thinking about using propane instead. Thoughts?

Re: Propane gun build

Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2026 3:40 pm
by jimmy101
The propane should be 4%, so about 148cc.
spud_wiki/index.php/Common_Fuels_for_Co ... n_Spudguns

Your chamber is 50% bigger than it needs to be. Might as well scale everything so that the fueling is a single 60cc syringe worth of propane.

2" barrels have great performant but 2" spuds are expensive, might consider a 1.5" barrel instead.

Two spark gaps if you are using a piezo igniter. That would really help if you go with the large 4"x18" chamber.