potato guns for home defense?

redneck · February 6, 2002, 08:57 PM

I just thought of this after the BB gun thread. What do you guys think, would a BG be intimidated by you screaming bloody murder and pointing what appears to be a bazooka at him?

Whats the best load to use? LOL.

I thought of this as a joke at first, but it does kind of seem like a viable alternative for someone who can't get a gun.

baldangel · February 6, 2002, 09:26 PM

Final Net, Extra Hold for MAGNUM Power!

Hemicuda · February 6, 2002, 09:37 PM

you nuts? "Fianl ?Net"????

SERIOUSLY use "Brakekleen" automotive brake cleaner...

and use FAR less than you did with starting fluid or hairspray...

faster, cleaner burn...

illuminatus99 · February 6, 2002, 11:13 PM

a frozen orange makes a really nice projectile

HAWK-HKG11 · February 7, 2002, 12:04 AM

Personally, I like grapefruits better......I think they make a very good CQB weapon

striderteen · February 7, 2002, 12:31 AM

Only if you use it to launch a grenade.

C.R.Sam · February 7, 2002, 01:03 AM

Pointing something like that at somebody could get you shot.

He who shoots first lives longest.

Sam

ropeclamp · February 7, 2002, 07:44 AM

Tator guns do have knockdown power. I heard of someone shooting a cow & knocked it down. Don't know if there was any serious damage done.

David Park · February 7, 2002, 12:45 PM

Even if you successfully defended yourself, can you imagine the civil suit?

I don't like the thought of impact-type projectiles for defense. Would you rather load your shotgun with shot or a beanbag? The single-shot nature of a potato gun is even worse. What if there are two bad guys?

T.Labren · February 7, 2002, 08:38 PM

What if there is two BGs? I saw on the web somewheres, plans for a gatling mini gun tater shooter, ignition provided by 8 sparkplugs. Ya'll are scarry funny with the airsoft, tater guns, water guns. If thats all you got power to ya, but I'll stick to real firearms thank you. I truely hope you guys are not surious thou..

Jody Hudson · February 7, 2002, 08:43 PM

WE have gone to a little larger caliber here. We use punkins and have um up to about 3,000 fps... pretty good knock-down power with 8 pounds at 3,000 fps.

http://www.siege-engine.com/chunk01/d1.1-080.jpg

http://www.worldchampionshippunkinch...bhday2_jpg.jpg

http://www.worldchampionshippunkinch...macdad_jpg.jpg

http://2ndamendment.tripod.com/images/dsc00075-2.jpg

Size DOES count.

bluetoe · February 7, 2002, 08:47 PM

Quote:

SERIOUSLY use "Brakekleen" automotive brake cleaner...

MAPP gas produces a really cool muzzle flash...
Rotten apples are also particularly icky projectiles...

Kalindras · February 7, 2002, 09:52 PM

If you're worried that a potato cannon won't take someone down, then you've never seen ME load one!!

My best shot, in our Scene Shop/Weapons Lab (and I have witnesses, one of whom is my wife (this will become pertinent, later in the story!!)) was dang near fatal!

We had built one with a 5' barrel, and had been experimenting, essentially re-inventing the gun, with it all evening. We had discovered little things like wadding and compression, but were still just '...not there, yet.' We weren't sure where we were headed, but we'd know when we got there, we felt confident. Anyway, my girlfriend (who had been drug along more as a safety check than anything else) had disappeared, so I figured now was my chance! I loaded a potato, wadded with newspaper, then a second plug, wadded with (and this is important!) WET paper towelling. Then I sprayed THREE seconds' worth of B12 (almost a triple powder measure, by the evening's standards) and locked down the breach.

We took aim at our target (a sheet of 3/4" ply at the far end of the shop, some sixty feet away) and spun the Coleman igniter that was the firing mechanism. Then, several things happened very quickly: first) the gun went WHOOMP!, second) it leapt out of the hands of three very shocked stagehands, clattering on the floor somewhere behind us, third) there was an almighty crashing, and fourth) we heard screaming.

Upon further examination, we found that I had created the equivalent of a tactical nuclear railgun, loaded with tubers! The potato APFSDS rounds had penetrated the plywood...and the set-piece behind it (knocking it over--that was the crashing)...and the metal lockers behind that...and the partition wall behind that, finally coming to a splattering conclusion again a cinderblock wall, some two feet above and to the right of my girlfriend's HEAD, where she sat on the toilet, in the Ladies' room.

DOH!!!!

We promptly disassembled that gun, trying hard not laugh anymore (it was hard, through tears of laughter (and for me, pain)). And the amazing thing is, that girl MARRIED me!!

Bad judgement? Guardian Angel Complex? Drunk? That's for you to decide. The moral of this story is...guns don't scare the [color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color] out of people...PRODUCE does!!!

BogBabe · February 9, 2002, 07:01 AM

http://www.spudtech.com:

"Home Of The world's most advanced hand held laser-guided bolt-action aluminum SP9004 potato rifle."

spudtech offers rifled pvc for tater cannons!

Whether for "home defense" or just general shootin' fun, tater cannon shooters owe it to themselves to build a real, rifled spudgun.

publius42 · February 9, 2002, 07:26 AM

"OOPS!" brand carb cleaner works great as a propellant.

Green oranges that are just a little too big to stuff into the barrel makes the best ammo I've found. If you go a little too big, you get a messy blast of pulp, but at the right size you get great compression.

For you regulars out there, I'm BogBabe's evil boyfriend.

David Park · February 10, 2002, 06:56 PM

A link from the past:
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...threadid=60867

February 6, 2002, 08:57 PM	#1
redneck Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2001 Location: Ohio Posts: 364	potato guns for home defense? I just thought of this after the BB gun thread. What do you guys think, would a BG be intimidated by you screaming bloody murder and pointing what appears to be a bazooka at him? Whats the best load to use? LOL. I thought of this as a joke at first, but it does kind of seem like a viable alternative for someone who can't get a gun. __________________ Fix it right the first time... Use Baling Wire !

February 6, 2002, 09:26 PM	#2
baldangel Junior Member Join Date: August 22, 2001 Location: Lafayette, LA Posts: 8	Final Net, Extra Hold for MAGNUM Power! __________________ Tony

February 6, 2002, 09:37 PM	#3
Hemicuda Senior Member Join Date: September 13, 2001 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,757	you nuts? "Fianl ?Net"???? SERIOUSLY use "Brakekleen" automotive brake cleaner... and use FAR less than you did with starting fluid or hairspray... faster, cleaner burn... __________________ Hemi. gun and car collector. Rare cars, and rarer guns.

February 7, 2002, 08:38 PM	#10
T.Labren Member Join Date: December 13, 2001 Location: Lafeyette,La. Posts: 35	Gatlin tater gun What if there is two BGs? I saw on the web somewheres, plans for a gatling mini gun tater shooter, ignition provided by 8 sparkplugs. Ya'll are scarry funny with the airsoft, tater guns, water guns. If thats all you got power to ya, but I'll stick to real firearms thank you. I truely hope you guys are not surious thou..

February 7, 2002, 08:43 PM	#11
Jody Hudson Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2000 Location: Near Rehoboth Beach Delaware Posts: 1,140	WE have gone to a little larger caliber here. We use punkins and have um up to about 3,000 fps... pretty good knock-down power with 8 pounds at 3,000 fps. http://www.siege-engine.com/chunk01/d1.1-080.jpg http://www.worldchampionshippunkinch...bhday2_jpg.jpg http://www.worldchampionshippunkinch...macdad_jpg.jpg http://2ndamendment.tripod.com/images/dsc00075-2.jpg Size DOES count. __________________ We help people relocate to Rehoboth Beach Delaware. Our Site: www.Kate-Jody.com

February 6, 2002, 11:13 PM	#4
illuminatus99 Senior Member Join Date: February 4, 2002 Location: Seattle Posts: 353	a frozen orange makes a really nice projectile

February 7, 2002, 12:04 AM	#5
HAWK-HKG11 Member Join Date: June 8, 2001 Location: Plano, TX Posts: 85	Personally, I like grapefruits better......I think they make a very good CQB weapon

February 7, 2002, 12:31 AM	#6
striderteen Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2001 Location: Pasadena, California Posts: 590	Only if you use it to launch a grenade.

February 7, 2002, 01:03 AM	#7
C.R.Sam Senior Member Join Date: October 29, 1999 Location: Dewey, AZ Posts: 12,858	Pointing something like that at somebody could get you shot. He who shoots first lives longest. Sam

February 7, 2002, 07:44 AM	#8
ropeclamp Member Join Date: October 12, 2001 Location: in the hills Posts: 17	Tator guns do have knockdown power. I heard of someone shooting a cow & knocked it down. Don't know if there was any serious damage done.

February 7, 2002, 12:45 PM	#9
David Park Senior Member Join Date: June 29, 2001 Location: Alexandria, VA Posts: 1,224	Even if you successfully defended yourself, can you imagine the civil suit? I don't like the thought of impact-type projectiles for defense. Would you rather load your shotgun with shot or a beanbag? The single-shot nature of a potato gun is even worse. What if there are two bad guys?

February 7, 2002, 09:52 PM	#13
Kalindras Member Join Date: January 17, 2002 Location: Wichita Falls, TX Posts: 70	Well, power is NOT a concern... If you're worried that a potato cannon won't take someone down, then you've never seen ME load one!! My best shot, in our Scene Shop/Weapons Lab (and I have witnesses, one of whom is my wife (this will become pertinent, later in the story!!)) was dang near fatal! We had built one with a 5' barrel, and had been experimenting, essentially re-inventing the gun, with it all evening. We had discovered little things like wadding and compression, but were still just '...not there, yet.' We weren't sure where we were headed, but we'd know when we got there, we felt confident. Anyway, my girlfriend (who had been drug along more as a safety check than anything else) had disappeared, so I figured now was my chance! I loaded a potato, wadded with newspaper, then a second plug, wadded with (and this is important!) WET paper towelling. Then I sprayed THREE seconds' worth of B12 (almost a triple powder measure, by the evening's standards) and locked down the breach. We took aim at our target (a sheet of 3/4" ply at the far end of the shop, some sixty feet away) and spun the Coleman igniter that was the firing mechanism. Then, several things happened very quickly: first) the gun went WHOOMP!, second) it leapt out of the hands of three very shocked stagehands, clattering on the floor somewhere behind us, third) there was an almighty crashing, and fourth) we heard screaming. Upon further examination, we found that I had created the equivalent of a tactical nuclear railgun, loaded with tubers! The potato APFSDS rounds had penetrated the plywood...and the set-piece behind it (knocking it over--that was the crashing)...and the metal lockers behind that...and the partition wall behind that, finally coming to a splattering conclusion again a cinderblock wall, some two feet above and to the right of my girlfriend's HEAD, where she sat on the toilet, in the Ladies' room. DOH!!!! We promptly disassembled that gun, trying hard not laugh anymore (it was hard, through tears of laughter (and for me, pain)). And the amazing thing is, that girl MARRIED me!! Bad judgement? Guardian Angel Complex? Drunk? That's for you to decide. The moral of this story is...guns don't scare the [color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color] out of people...PRODUCE does!!! __________________ If ignorance is bliss, why does stupidity hurt me so?!?

February 9, 2002, 07:01 AM	#14
BogBabe Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2001 Location: Sunny Florida Posts: 565	http://www.spudtech.com: "Home Of The world's most advanced hand held laser-guided bolt-action aluminum SP9004 potato rifle." spudtech offers rifled pvc for tater cannons! Whether for "home defense" or just general shootin' fun, tater cannon shooters owe it to themselves to build a real, rifled spudgun. __________________ "We are free not for the collective, not for utility, not for practicality, not for beauty or divinity or dignity or art. We are free because we cannot be otherwise, ever, no matter what. We are free because we cannot be chained by anyone without our consent." --Greg Swann, Let 'em eat steak

February 9, 2002, 07:26 AM	#15
publius42 Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2002 Posts: 1,936	"OOPS!" brand carb cleaner works great as a propellant. Green oranges that are just a little too big to stuff into the barrel makes the best ammo I've found. If you go a little too big, you get a messy blast of pulp, but at the right size you get great compression. For you regulars out there, I'm BogBabe's evil boyfriend.

February 10, 2002, 06:56 PM	#16
David Park Senior Member Join Date: June 29, 2001 Location: Alexandria, VA Posts: 1,224	A link from the past: http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...threadid=60867