Posted on 05/26/2004 5:34:12 AM PDT by gcul
Three German men are facing weapons charges after being caught with a home-made potato gun.
The men were seen by a police patrol driving away from a lake in Kirchhain-Niederwald at speed.
Officers gave chase and stopped the men who told them they'd been trying out the potato gun in front of spectators.
The men said they'd got instructions on how to make the gun from the internet.
They'd used bits of piping and a fuse from a gas stove. They'd also used several spray cans to fire the weapon.
The men were also carrying a number of potatoes, and told officers their gun could fire potato pieces more than 300 yards.
The potato gun is classed as a firearm and none of the men had a permit to own or carry one.
Darn it! If the Germans can't control the potato guns, they can at least control the sale of potatos.
"How did these people almost conquer the world?"
With the 88mm potato gun.
Is it a large chip clip for rapid firing?
Media becomes upset at the mention of a Common-tator gun..
You have to be careful. The ignitor fittings need to be tapped to the correct thread size. Also, some kind of adhesive needs to be used on the threads. Don't forget that PVC needs purple primer and PVC adhesive. Otherwise, your 'tater gun just spits stuff out the back end. *AND* my potato cannon does launch with enough force to be dangerous. You need wide open spaces(the Outer Banks was perfect). I used a broom handle for a ramrod. Sharpen the edge of the muzzle, then you can use oversize spuds. I got 150 yards with just a few spritzes of Auqanet hairspray...
Well, I sure hope Herr Köhler will shake us out of our common lull and bring the good old German engine to full speed.
I hear that you can fit a can of Pringles on it and go to town.
Cop-killer armor-piercing potatoes should definitely be illegal!
Mmh... He can give us a push, but he´s certainly not capable to play the engine. That can only be the Chancellor, and we have to wait at least one long year until we can elect our first female Chancellor.
If this guy thinks his cannon has some b*lls, he needs to enter the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PUNKIN CHUNKIN, in Sussex County Delaware, November 5-7, 2004. I think this is the 18th or 19th year that they have had this pumpkin propelling contest. Some of the cannons, catapaults and trebuchets are quite impressive and last years best shot was 4434.28 feet.
http://www.worldchampionshippunkinchunkin.com/
Yes, they can be a little noisy. We were firing one off at a friend's house one evening and a "concerned neighbor" called the police.
Ruh Roh! Watch your back, guys!
You say potatoe, I say potato.
This reminds me of something that happened several years ago when I worked at an oilfield bottom hole pump shop in Kansas. A young man came in wanting to purchase brass chrome ID heavy wall tubing pump barrels. No such thing is made because changing pressure would cause the chrome ID to flake off. We quizzed him a little & found he & some friends were planning on making black powder cannons with cement filled beer cans as ammo. He said they were launching them over the water at a lake a few miles from us. Made it sound like they were already doing it, but might of been bragging
We kept watching the local paper for the story on his arrest but never heard from him again.
the piezo electric thingywhatsis'es that start gas grills and pilotless gas stoves. Potato guns work off of some kind of gas fumes, not gunpowder.
The fuse refered to is the small rotating striker assembly that you can buy for Coleman stoves and lanterns.
I use one in my large caliber carbide cannon. With oxygen boost it will shoot a tennis ball over 200 yards and makes one HELL of a boom!
Of course, I live miles from anywhere, so all I have to worry about is some cow returning it with a wicked backhand and breaking one of my windows.
Seriously, when I fire it you can hear it for MILES. Lot's of fun for July 4'th!
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