Nerf Sniper Rifle

Nerf gun made from schedule 40 pvc pipe. Extremely accurate and consistent if constructed properly. I was able to hit a 2x2 foot target from about 60 yards away precisely. Any further and the shot became too much of a gamble, and due the long reload process it is not advised. The gun Somewhat cumbersome so make sure you have a side arm for closer range.

Step 1 Acquire Parts

The pieces you chose to use are up to you. Everything depends on how you want your gun to function. You can add more tanks for more shots before you have to reload, or you can smaller tanks so the gun is easier to move, however your shots will not go as far and you will need to pump to a hire pressure to achieve the longer distance shots.

I personally only had two tanks (due to lack of funding) that were rather large. The gun is a little awkward to move around, but if you are waiting for your victim to blunder across your line of fire it is lethal.

The parts i used:

3/4' electronic sprinkler valve

1/2' pipe (for barrel)

1' pipe (for manifold)

3' pipe (for tanks)

2 metal ball valves

3 1' T-connectors

3 1' male adaptors

1' slip cap

1' female threaded cap (so that if i wanted to i could add another tank)

1'-3/4' male adaptor

3/4' male adaptor

3/4-1/2 bushing

1/2 female adaptor

1/2 male adaptor

2 1/2 couplings

2 garden hose rubber washer hose thingys

1 threaded car valve (so you can pump it with a bike pump or air compressor)

Comments

[Electroinnovation]

oh and by the way "garden hose rubber washer hose thingys" are called o-rings :)

[Electroinnovation]

Those tanks are way to big they aren't really helping your cause. Ive done a lot of exparimenting with things like this and a tank about 1/3 the size would work just as well and it would be a lot quicker to pump up. Nerf darts are very light so they require a small volume of air at high pressure to get up to speed. If you were shooting heavier objects (like ball bearings) it would make more sense to use a bigger tank.

[Batryn]

If you want to make it steadier, try to slide in the 1/2 pipe more. If it still isn't steady, wrap a thin piece of duct tape or foam around the 1/2 pipe and slide it in that way.

[nerfkid427]

poor can lol

[Space_cowboy]

how do u make the tank?

[casvandegoor]

do you have different types of electric valves. I mean, are there valves which open and close directly. do you know what kind of valve the owner of this airsoft gun used?

[Space_cowboy]

well i like the idea but i can hear the compressor in the backround.. how would i make one without havein to haul arounda big compactor?

[bob the builder #1]

That's a qev (quick exhaust valve) look it up on wikipedia if you don't know what it is.

[mrbob1000]

mmm... aluminum extrusion as a barrel...

[lance skywalker]

That was awsome! Try makeing one that shoots paintballs next time!

[finnster]

That's an Orbit Jar Sprinkeler Valve (modded) connected to 1/4" tubing and a blow gun from an air compressor.

[casvandegoor]

ok, thanks for the information!

[TETRANITRATE#2]

if you look at th video you can see a black hose which is probably how he fires rapid fire

[cannonsaercool]

From What I can Tell, It looks like a QEV (Quick Exhaust Valve) They're pretty hard to find, but they're pretty much ideal for pneumatic cannons.

[TETRANITRATE#2]

its a blowgun valve

[casvandegoor]

ok, thank you very much!

[casvandegoor]

ill do research on it

[cannonsaercool]

mcmaster.com has them. They are around $100 though :( Just go on their site and search for "Quick Exhaust Valve"

[casvandegoor]

ow, thats less nice... thanks for the site

[cannonsaercool]

I just looked around more on mcmaster and found out that if you go to the third page, they have that kind of qev for $20- $30.

[casvandegoor]

really? those who open and close automatically?

[cannonsaercool]

How Qev's work: There are three ports on the valve. One for the input another for output and a third. the third one is kind of confusing. you use is do inflate it, and if you let a small amount of air out of it suddenly it opens the valve

[casvandegoor]

can you give me a link? I cant find them. Catalog page 446?

[cannonsaercool]

I believe it's actually page 941. If you scroll to about the middle it says "quick Exhaust valve" it's kind of hidden and hard to find.

[casvandegoor]

yes! the right-agled one look exactly the same as in the video, thanks a lot!

[cannonsaercool]

You're Welcome

[casvandegoor]

O, only one question left: Can mcmaster ship out side the US? Does the costs increase much?

[cannonsaercool]

i'm not sure. They ship ups. I think i remember a place to select your country on the order form

[cannonsaercool]

I just looked at their order form. they do ship outside of the us. I'm not sure about shipping prices though

[casvandegoor]

OK, thank you very much. I should do this my self : ]

[LkArio]

It would be the MOST killer rifle ever if:
Used with weighted darts/stefans like here (they have a longer range)
http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-own-Nerf-darts.-AKA%3a-Stefans./
Rifled barrel, maybe made of polycarbonate, which is strong, or aluminum.
Make it look like a gun, not a piping thing. Draw a design.
Mount a scope.
Install an air compressor.
It's pretty cool anyways.

[BOOOM!]

I think that the tanks are too big for what youre shooting If you use a smaller tank compressed to the same pressure it probally will shoot the nerfs at the same speed It will also be quicker to refill to

[nerfnerf]

Does anybody know how much money this project would total up to??

[oh1134]

Why don't you jusk use pipes for the stand and plastic bottles for the tanks?

[sofaking]

you can mod the valve by drilling a hole and putting an airgun on it

[lifewizard34]

im confused how does it shoot

[cannonsaercool]

The green thing is a solenoid valve for irrigation. it open very fast which is why he uses it instead of a ball valve

[irwinner]

in a pneumatic cannon (which is what this is) you would optimum preformence when the ratio of the chamber volume to the ratio of the barrel volume is 1:1 as the chamber volume is increased greater than a 2:1 ratio the benefits of having a larger chamber are rarely noticed. that doesn't mean its bad though i have a coaxial AT-4 rocket mock-up cannon with a c:b ratio of 7:1, its very powerful but its also inefficient.

one other suggestion mod the sprinkler valve to be pneumatically actuated. it increases the preformence by at least 4. i have two cannons with the same chamber but one has a normal sprinkler valve and the other has a modded valve, the modded one shoots the same projectile a hell of a lot further.

heres a link on how to mod these things

http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/modding-a-sprinkler-valve-t305.html

[toomnybros]

Thanks, i'll use that. I was trying to figure out what the best ratio was. All i knew was that the bigger the tank, the bigger the barrel.

[weponary101]

if you use a long skinny tank it will give you more power. but its up to you on whether you would like to try it