why spudgun are potrayed as dangrous by the media and why that is stupid

[quinn whitsitt]

first of all spudguns are not danrous unless you get stupid with them like shooting a nother person or putting why to much air or feul into them it is stupid how the new focuses on how pepole die from spudgun injuries because first of all you whould actually halve to try to do bad stuff with one in order for them to become danrous and its stupid why cant pepole focuss less on a few instances rether then accepting the genrall sence its horrrible

[aqqor]

Spud guns, which launch projectiles (usually potatoes), can cause injury if misused. Media coverage often focuses on incidents where they are used irresponsibly, leading to negative perceptions. Unlike firearms, spud guns often fall into a gray area of regulation. This ambiguity can lead to concerns about safety and responsible ownership, which the media may highlight.

[beginnerelse]

It depends on how you use the potato gun. It can be a dangerous weapon when you use it stupidly like shooting people or putting too much air or feul into them. That's why there needs to be strict regulations on this about safety and responsible ownership, which the media can highlight.

[farcticox1]

Most of the danger will come from the construction of the Spud Gun, not the use, PVC being what it is, will be the main cause of failures, usually explosive. PVC is not air pressure rated.

[D_Hall]

Most of the danger will come from the construction of the Spud Gun, not the use, PVC being what it is, will be the main cause of failures, usually explosive. PVC is not air pressure rated.

Adding to that....

And "putting too much fuel" into a spud gun generally results in a misfire. No bang at all. Hardly dangerous.

[jimmy101]

Like D_hall said, YOU CAN NOT PUT TOO MUCH FUEL IN A SPUDGUN AND MAKE IT EXPLODE.

Too much fuel = NO FIRE.

For propane, the combustibility limits in air are about 3% to 9%. (The correct amount is ~4%). If you put in more than 9% propane the fuel - air mixture is too rich and WILL NOT IGNITE.

And for a basic spudgun, using propane or butane, PRESSURE RATED PVC is JUST FINE. 3" PVC is rated to something like 260 PSI. The MAXIMUM pressure in a basic (1x) spudgun, using butane or propane, is only about 150 PSI and in practice only generates about 100 PSI since too much energy is lost in heat transfer to the chamber and the spud starts to move long before maximum pressure is reached.

This is all assuming basic hydrocarbon fuels (methane, propane, butane, MAPP, ...) in air at 1 atmosphere of pressure.

[jimmy101]

A pretty basic spudgun can launch a baseball at speeds (~200 MPH) about twice as fast as a major league pitcher can throw the same ball. So yes, they are dangerous.

[jimmy101]

Most of the danger will come from the construction of the Spud Gun, not the use, PVC being what it is, will be the main cause of failures, usually explosive. PVC is not air pressure rated.

Schedule 40 PVC is most certainly pressure rated. Your local hardware store likely has both pressure rated and unrated pipe. Unrated pipe is used for DWV (drain-waste-vent) applications. Pressure rated pipe is usable to at least 200 PSI, which is higher than what a basic combustion spudgun can generate.

For a basic combustion spudgun, pressure rated PVC is just fine. And people routinely use non-pressure rated components, like a DWV clean out cap, as the breach.