Spud Cannon Suppressor (CHEAP 'n EASY)

[spud can]

Spud Cannon Suppressor
Ok, I know this sounds counterintuitive but when i built my cannon; i did not want the thunderous BOOM of an internal propane explosion. I own multiple firearms and have a licence for my AR (M-16) pre ban rifle's suppressor. I began to wonder; is it possible to muffle the sound from my potato cannon? Turns out; there is! Without any design or extensive thinking beforehand I headed off to my local hardware store. I picked up a few items and began to experiment. The following is my instruction on how to create a supressor for ALMOST ANY potato cannon without extensive modification or cost (for me; less then $15 USD) but a fair warning to beginners oor non-firearm users: homemade building of a firearm suppressor is a federal offence and id punishable by a huge fine and prison time :O A suppressor is a classIII weapon (equivelant to a full auto machine gun) you must fill out a BATF form, undergo a background check and pay a $200 USD tax...
That said, dont try this at home... or just dont get caught.
anyways; my suppressor is made out of PVC Pipe and wood:
my supply list assumes that the barrel of your cannon is 2'' and you want a suppressor that is only 3'' (the sizes are highly interchangeable)
Supply List:
2'' to 3'' (THREADED!!!) PVC adaptor (the 3'' should be threaded)
3'' threaded adaptor
about 3 feet of 3'' PVC Pipe
3'' diameter, circular, wooden blocks (about 5, but its up to you.)
File (wood/carpenters file)
PVC Primer
PVC Cement
Power drill (drill press worked best for me)
Spray paint (not essential, but cool)

1.) OK, so you first have to prep your materials; take the 2'' to 3'' PVC adapter and file off the stoppers on the inside so that a 2'' pipe is able to 'snugly' pass through.
2.) Then you have to drill out some holes in the end of your potato cannon barrel (about the last 1.5 feet, but not too close to the end; as this will compermise the integrity of the structure)
3.) Next drill out holes in your 3'' diameter wooden blocks. your hole should be about 2.25 inches (the potato must fly through these holes so extra room may be needed)
4.) Prime and cement the 2'' to 3'' adapter to the barrel of your cannon. (close to the holes you drilled earlier) about 1.5 feet from the end of your barrel.
5.) Prime and cement the 3'' PVC barrel to the 3'' threaded adapter, let dry...
6.) Glue the 3'' wooden blocks to the inside of the 3'' PVC pipe (these blocks will be your baffles, do not glue more than 1.5 feet inside your Pipe; as they will may come into contact will the 2'' barrel and disallow the threadings to readh each other)
7.) Paint your Suppressor some sweet color, let dry...
8.) Screw your suppressor onto the fixed portion of your cannon... if the BATF comes knocing on your door; unscrew the suppressor and melt it to destroy the evidence, lol, jk...

Here is a side cut-away picture of the first one i built...
Again, i must stress two things:
1.) Actually building this could get you in SOOOO much trouble.
2.) if your baffles are not correctly alligned, the potato could catch onto one of them and destroy your cannon, and possibly cause death to the user(s) use extreme caution!!!!

and by the way, do not cement the threadings together, as you will have to remove the suppressor in order to load the next potato... at least on my original design... i have since [not] built several cannons testing suppressors and have more complex designs if you would like me to post them... Unfortunately i will not be posting any real pictures because of legal reasons.
Hope you enjoyed; to learn more about suppressor designs visit wikipedia and become your own expert!
Remember this is all for informational purposes ONLY, do NOT ATTEMPT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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[Coodude26]

If you don't want anyone to do it, why give step-by-step orders?


Also can we get some videos of it working?

[spud can]

so im not liable when they do it... illegel or not, it is still fun to do. i may try to get a video of the cannon without the suppressor and the same cannon with the suppressor so people can compare the sounds... but it wont be up for awhile.

PS. i like the suppressor idea (and posted this thread) because suppressing the sound is more curtious to others around me, as well as less alarming to people not familiar to the sound of a cannon. hence, less visits from the cops.

[Maniac]

A potato cannon is not a fire arm!!!!!

[Coodude26]

A potato cannon is not a fire arm!!!!!

You better damn well treat it like one or you'll be lucky to die with both arms.

[Maniac]

Yes you should treat it like one but they are not classified as firearms

[Coodude26]

I think we're all well aware of that considering none of them use gunpowder.

[Maniac]

Well it seems like Spud Can doesn't

[spud can]

you are right, a potato cannon is not classified as a firearm. the suppressor is classified as a class three firearm if it is used on anything that is capable of shooting a projectile using any sort of combustion...the point i was trying to make is that it is the suppressor that makes this illegal. sorry if i miscommunicated and inadvertantly accused a potato cannon of being a firearm. lol However i treat my potato cannons with the same care and respect as i do any of my other firearms. (it would be wise anyone do the same)

[spud can]

i treat my spud cannon as a firearm regardless of the BATF's regulations. and Lt. Maniac, the point of my thread is not to debate the classification of a potato cannon (this seems to be a misconception) the point of my thread is to provide a scientific insight for peoples interested in the acustic reductions of objects such as potato cannons... nothing more, nothing less: its just fun; i did not mean to offend anyone or start a debate in any way.

[Gippeto]

the suppressor is classified as a class three firearm if it is used on anything that is capable of shooting a projectile using any sort of combustion...

So... does that mean it's legal on a pneumatic?

I've been under the impression (from the crosman forum) that it was the suppressor ITSELF that fell under the legislation, and had to be licensed.

This would mean that regardless of the type of weapon on which it would be used, unlicensed = illegal.

In Canada, being found to be "in possession of such a device", would place ones backside "up a (certain) creek without a paddle".

[spud can]

ahhh, it is the suppressor itself that is taxed and must be individually licenced. but only suppressors that are capable of being fitted to a 'gun' or combustion capable object are taxable and regulated... thus a paper towel roll filled with wool (that is not fitted to a 'firearm') is not illegal. As for the pnumatic question... i have no idea, its your call. I nearly went blind reading all the rules the first time i purchased an actual suppressor for my AR rifle... its a very blurry line to be straddling... pretty much if you are not using the silencer for anything suspicous; you probably will not be arrested. just make sure you are really nice to the judge

I have a suppressor for my paintball gun, it is more for looks than anything, i play paintball with police teams and firefighters; they dont give a $[-]1T... thats not to say its legal or not, but it is not used in a threatning fashion and i did not pay a tax for it...

[ralphd]

I actually would like one so I don't disturb my neighbors. Since the last mod my launcher is a real wailer. I'm surprised you even need the wooden baffles. In a suppessor for a firearm the wood is there to slow down the bullet to subsonic speeds(below 770 mph, or 1129 ft/s) to eliminate the bullet from causing its own sonic boom. Did you pack the space between the expansion chamber and barrel with steel wool? Please post a video.

[spud can]

um, i use subsonic ammo for my firearm, and my firearm baffles are make of steel, not wood... i would be careful filling the expansion chamber with steel/wool (steel wool can burn under the right conditions) however after burning; the steel wool will likely still help suppress the sound; I do not know if my steel wool has caught on fire yet, if you look at the wool closely; a blue-ish tint will indicate that the wool has burnt.
To answer your question; yeah, there is steel wool in the expansion chamber of my new suppressor. its just easier to leave it out becasue you have to re-pack it every time you load a new potato.
and secondly; i feel the baffles does reduce the sound moreso because they trap some of the sound that does not make it through the holes in the barrel (holes leading to the expanison chamber) but, if you feel that the need of baffles is not imperative; please let me know your results upon completion and testing good luck!

[Hotwired]

The massive quantity of cold air from a spudgun as opposed to a fairly small volume of hot gas from a firearm mean that you need a colossal suppressor to muffle the cannon blast.

I had a go at it before, best I got was a loud thump instead of a loud bang, it changes the sound but I think there's too much gas being dumped for a reasonable size suppressor to seriously quieten your average spudgun.