Touching Off Your BP Cannon

[walter t]

Hi All,
Years ago when we were kids with firecrackers we used stuff we called "punk" for setting them off , what do most people use that will stay lit in windy conditions and burn for a while? I just turned out a couple of paintball  BP .68 cal cannons and we are having a blast (ha ha) doing artillery practice out back. Is there something I could make that would burn / smoulder slowly that will last a little while. We are useing  the 1.3 measure ( cannot remember the grains right now ) of FFG and two sheets of double ply butt wipe for wadding, any hotter charge will pop the paintballs when set off, will post a few pics soon.
Walter t

[GGaskill]

Punks are slow match made from cork.  True slow match is made from cotton or jute rope soaked in potassium nitrate or lead acetate.  See the Slow Match website for further info.

[Rickk]

you can get "punk" here :  http://www.skylighter.com/mall/novelty.asp

As GG said, you can also soak cotton rope in potassium nitrate solution.  Make sure it is cotton only. If there is a nylon core you will need to remove it by pulling it out.   Potassium Nitrate can be found in many hardware stores in 1 pound containers labeled " Grant's Stump Remover "

[Cat Whisperer]

Hi All,
Years ago when we were kids with firecrackers we used stuff we called "punk" for setting them off , what do most people use that will stay lit in windy conditions and burn for a while? I just turned out a couple of paintball  BP .68 cal cannons and we are having a blast (ha ha) doing artillery practice out back. Is there something I could make that would burn / smoulder slowly that will last a little while. We are useing  the 1.3 measure ( cannot remember the grains right now ) of FFG and two sheets of double ply butt wipe for wadding, any hotter charge will pop the paintballs when set off, will post a few pics soon.
Walter t

The punk I have is made from bamboo, not cork. (FW little IW).

I like your limiting the charge based on expansion (popping the paintball if too much).  That should keep charges reasonable.  I did the same thing back in '74 with my first beer-can caliber mortar - cans filled with water.  As pressure rose the cans would scrape the sides of the bore and indicate a rise in pressure.

Do a search on linstock - there are several, if not many, threads herein describing and picturing their construction and use.  Might even be a link or two to some of them in REFERENCES sticky.

What velocity do you have to attain to get the paintballs to work down range?

[walter t]

Hi Cat Whisperer,
I am not sure about the velocity, we are shooting about 100' to a target on the side of a 70'  fiberglass copy of a Russian Nuke sub sail (conning tower)  we used to film the  movie" K19 - The Widow Maker" a few years ago and the trajectory seems pretty straight, the paint balls hits the sub almost instantly, boom , splat. Too much fun!!!
Walter t

[Cat Whisperer]

And I thought I was crazy!

That's COOL!  So, to get the 100 yd range how much of what powder and what is the barrel length?  Much packing between the powder and paintball?

[walter t]

Hi,
I am only shooting 100 feet, not yards! I use two sheets of two ply toilet paper for wadding and push the paintball down the barrel with a rod, no patch, I bored the barrel to be a snug fit on the paitballs, barrel is 7" long .68 bore, 1 1/2" bronze stock.

[Cat Whisperer]

THanks!

This puts a serious twist on paintball as we know it!  100' would be almost from my back poarch/deck to the alley - garbage cans look out!

[walter t]

Look out everything! The best part about paintballs, 1000 rounds for like $20.00, NON lethal, pick your colour, lime green, pink, purple,,,, I will try and see how far I can semi acuratley shoot them today and submit a complete ballistic report, with powder type and grains used, how many sheets and what brand of butt wipe for wadding,,,,, I have two differant brands of paintballs I am shooting  and the more expensive ones seem to have a tougher shell and are less prone to  burst,,, before you buy them give them a squeeze to check for skin thickness and skin rigitity, I would ask the local paintball militia which ones hurt the most when you get hit and get those to leesen the chance of the balls from breaking  when discharged,,,,,,,,,,   
Walter t
Nova Scotia

[walter t]

Hi All,
Did some more test shots with the paintball cannon, seems that about 20 grains of Goex ffg is about the max I can use before the paintballs start to break  when leaving in the barrel , they fly nice and straight for at least 100' then drop pretty fast after that with this load .
Walter t