Bowling Ball Cannon

They are a lot of fun, and I have seen videos of them. But, this one ............ what a POS fab job!

I want to make one, but use an inflatable ball to block the powder charge, and just use it in my little (900 people) community for a noisemaker on special occasions. Should make a resounding report. I had one explosion with the gopher propane/oxygen system that rolled around the canyons and hills for a good five seconds. I have read that they will blow out windows at a close range, and can approach 200 db or more.

A simple dead cylinder, and a little imagination is all it takes. Some gunpowder, some rope fuse from a gun show. A fellow could buy old gunpowder fairly cheap from reloaders, I'd imagine. Would that burn too hot, and create too much pressure? What would be the best gunpowder so as not to overload it? But with the essentially open end, the pressures should not be too bad. Finding a reasonably priced source of bowling balls might be difficult. One fellow let his hang from a chain when not in use, used it as a bell if anyone came snooping.............

Steve

Heart surgery pending? Read up and prepare. Learn how to care for a friend.

Go here:

Ball diameter=8.6 inches Ball weight=16 lbs Cd of smooth sphere=.1

With a barrel 15" long, if peak pressure = 2* avg pressure, the peak pressure necessary would only be about 995 PSI. By comparison, the peak pressure in a .45ACP round is 25,000 PSI and that in a .308 rifle is about 60,000 PSI.

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Black powder ONLY!!!

What would be the best gunpowder so as not to

Ayup. BB guns shoot faster than that.

Developing the energy though..thats tougher...

"Gunner Asch" wrote

TYVM. Saved me some money, and I'm sure the neighbors are gonna appreciate it, too.

Reminds me of the time we set off the 55 gal. steel barrel with OA mix and spark plug. Man, that sucker was LOUD! Got a couple of windows, too.

We had it cleaned up by the time the PD got there, and all we could say to their questions was, "Huh?"

Steve

Youtube videos claim up to two miles. Some of these things are aimed towards cars, and some very vertical where the landing point might be the launch tube. Or nearby house. Or car. Still searching for one where the bowling ball lands where it ain't supposed to. They really fly.

Steve

Heart surgery pending? Read up and prepare. Learn how to care for a friend.

About 25,760 ft-lbf. Plenty of stopping power, but a bit hard to conceal.

Ears still ringing when they got there , eh ?

~89 m/s @45 deg

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote:

jk

One wants a large safety factor in firearms. That little tube does not look adequate to contain a few thousand psi, at least not for many shots.

Joe Gwinn

What is the spin ? The ball might be 'off center'.

Mart> >>

That could be affected by the holes, and I have heard people on youtube videos say that the noise it makes coming down has something to do with the holes, too. Just like a pipe you blow over the end, a whistling sound should be produced by the holes.

I want to see where one lands.

Steve

"Looks pretty thick to me. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Oh, so THAT's what shrapnel feels like entering the body..."

-- If we attend continually and promptly to the little that we can do, we shall ere long be surprised to find how little remains that we cannot do. -- Samuel Butler

Imagine making one like this:

WHAT?

So I gotta ask, couldn't a pissed-off cop find some sort of felony to write you up on if he caught you shooting this thing?

Not if your aim is good... ;-)

Yep, he'd call it a "destructive device" and your gluteus would be lawn growth...

The whole thing sounds ridiculous. Now, in the Tripoli Rocketry Association, we have something far more sensible. BOWLING BALL LOFT! You build a rocket to take a bowling ball of specific weight as high as possible, and return it safely, on a rocket motor of specified size. (Once they did a contest that required lofting TWO 16 lb balls.)

This sorta thing is done waaaaay out in the middle of a really, really big wheat field or desert, so the only ones who can get hurt are the idiots flying the rockets...