Author Topic: Paintballs: do they work? (Read 1131 times)

Santa Dave · « **on:** November 10, 2005, 07:38:16 AM »

I have seen/asked this before but never heard an answer:
Will a paint ball survive a "launch" from a mortar and burst on impact?
Two or three little mortars, a cement slab in the back yard with a bulls eye on it---- sounds like a great way to spend an afternoon!
:wink:
Santa

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #1 on:** November 10, 2005, 08:58:38 AM »

I'm one of the one's who's not answered you. Working right now on a solar collector while it's cold and sunny (current system is getting expanded before it gets colder).

So, having a 2 caliber long mortar tube in pb caliber and have not fired it yet, how fast do we have to get the little red spheres going? What is the normal effective range of one of these (air launched normal types)?

Dictator · « **Reply #2 on:** November 10, 2005, 10:11:40 AM »

You might want to chill or freeze them. The paintball guys sometimes freeze them to keep them from breaking in the barrel. I'd try them w/o freezing first & if they break, freeze em.

GGaskill · « **Reply #3 on:** November 10, 2005, 11:10:42 AM »

Just bought a box of paintballs and will make a 1/8 scale Coehorn to test with. My prediction is that the balls will not break on contact because their terminal velocity (maximum speed reached in free fall in air) will be too low.

Someone living in a tall building could test this by simply dropping some on pavement.

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #4 on:** November 10, 2005, 11:15:59 AM »

Suggest using something with at least a 4 caliber length to be able to gain velocity with slower acceleration (or use of a sabot to protect the paint ball).

pyro_tek · « **Reply #5 on:** November 10, 2005, 02:41:36 PM »

I'm getting a mortar tube bored out to work with paintballs. I don't think they will really splat on impact. I reckon some may break in or as they leave the tube due to the pressure spikes. If they don't break they will be a little more enviromentally friendly than lead. I'll post results when I have them.

jeeper1 · « **Reply #6 on:** November 10, 2005, 04:00:51 PM »

Paintballs are made from a vegetable oil and are totally biodegradable. The oil dries to a white powder.

Dirigo · « **Reply #7 on:** November 10, 2005, 04:17:13 PM »

but the cheap walmart paint. that is the hardst stuff. 300 fps is the safe limit for the game. the big ones are .68' the little airsoft ones are .243

john pike · « **Reply #8 on:** November 10, 2005, 05:24:23 PM »

Quote from: Dirigo

but the cheap walmart paint. that is the hardst stuff. 300 fps is the safe limit for the game. the big ones are .68' the little airsoft ones are .243

i wondar if theyd survive a howitzer?

johnp in cosmoline lathe-cleanup-hell,

GGaskill · « **Reply #9 on:** November 10, 2005, 07:59:24 PM »

All right, I made an .6875" bore test barrel tonight (bore depth is 2.9", sort of half way between a mortar and a howitzer.) The paintballs (which are not round within .001") can be pushed all the way down the bore. I'll have to make a base (that shouldn't take more than 15 minutes) and do some testing on the weekend.

GGaskill · « **Reply #10 on:** November 12, 2005, 08:24:28 PM »

Dropped a paint ball on the garage floor from about three feet and it broke, although it didn't splatter and several others dropped at the same time didn't break. Was going to drop a few at the Rose Bowl this afternoon but didn't. Have to find somewhere else to experiment.

dominick · « **Reply #11 on:** November 13, 2005, 03:27:11 AM »

One of the guys I sold a .69 caliber cannon to uses paintballs. He wraps them in tin foil and the seam in the ball has to be aligned with the circumference of the barrel so the pressure is not against the seam when fired. I'm not sure of the charge he used, but at a 100 ft the tin foil imbedded into 1/2" plywood.':eek:'
He also told me it left a nice paint mark. The barrel length on the cannon is 12".

Squire Robin · « **Reply #12 on:** November 13, 2005, 05:15:01 AM »

Why not just up the calibre a bit and put in a tin of paint. That'll mark the target, whatever's left of it :-D

Double D · « **Reply #13 on:** November 13, 2005, 06:00:41 AM »

Quote from: Squire Robin

Why not just up the calibre a bit and put in a tin of paint. That'll mark the target, whatever's left of it :-D

Oh Robin...don't give them any more ideas...

Powder keg · « **Reply #14 on:** November 13, 2005, 06:51:03 AM »

Yea! We could build a mortar that shoots gallon cans

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #15 on:** November 13, 2005, 06:54:35 AM »

My 4.55" bore mortar also shoots the 4.25" diameter 46 oz juice cans - a bit much windage but 100 yards +++ is still very much do-able.

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #16 on:** November 13, 2005, 06:58:31 AM »

Quote from: Powder keg

Yea! We could build a mortar that shoots gallon cans

The problem with gallon paint cans (there are other types) is that they have the brackets at the top on the sides that would require two grooves in the barrel - maybe that's an advantage?

GGaskill · « **Reply #17 on:** November 13, 2005, 07:30:26 AM »

Two groove rifling; studs like the Armstrongs. (-:

Cannonmaker · « **Reply #18 on:** November 13, 2005, 12:19:35 PM »

Two weeks ago I was In Washington state visiting my son and working on his house. While at a major hardware store A worker had several five gallon paint buckets fall from his forklift while putting them on the top rack, whitch is quite high. the splatter was very impressive. I will have to measure the Dia. of a five gal. bucket.

you got it, the "Dictator"

GGaskill · « **Reply #19 on:** November 14, 2005, 09:57:44 PM »

Here is the Paint Ball Eprouvette; I increased the bore size to 45/64 (.703") tonight and the paint balls drop in freely.

Miscellaneous information (paint container dimensions) :
1/2 pint . . . . . . .2.845"D x 2.986"L . . . . . . . 3 pdr
1/2 pint . . . . . . .2.895"D x 2.870"L . . . . . . . 3 pdr
1 quart . . . . . . . 4.258"D x 4.880"L . . . . . . . 10 pdr
1 gal (plastic) . . 6 21/32"D x 7 23/32"L . . . . 40 pdr
1 gal (metal) . . .6 21/32"D x 7 21/32"L . . . . 40 pdr