Introduction: High Pressure Piston Valve Air Cannon

About: Gunsmithing student and professional tinkerer, always dreaming of projects with no time to finish them!

Alright so I haven't published anything on here in years due to lack of worthy projects or time, or the combination of both. I've recently created this piston valve air cannon and for a few reasons I've decided to publish this partial ible. When I was going through my pre construction phase for this project I found a lack of high pressure cannons on this sight so hopefully by getting this on here I can help some others interested in constructing a cannon of this kind.

Step 1:

Due to lack of overall free time this will be a brief walk through of the cannon, if I get enough traffic and Interest I will give a complete step by step set of instructions for this cannon.

Step 2: THE CANNON

So essentially this is an air cannon that is actuated by a piston valve. If you do not understand how a piston valve works I will be more than happy to explain. The air reservoir is a 1 in. diameter by 18in. Long black pipe nipple, filled from a shrader valve, the pilot valve is a blow gun and the barrel is a section of 1/2in. X 5ft. Copper pipe. I'm currently running this cannon between 60 and 150 psi, creating an honestly insane amount of power, I plan to get it chronographed. If desired I can add damage shots and a look at the piston.

Step 3: Future Plans

This is my first crack at a piston cannon and I have a lot planned I simply have to find some funds. My first step will be to add a system to connect a 9 oz. paintball co2 tank. Allowing total portability and even higher pressure.

After that I plan to add a system to meter in propane gas and compressed air in place of the co2 and with a few other modifications I will have a fully portable hybrid piston cannon. Again this is somewhat of a complicated idea but I will be glad to explain it to anyone who wants.

Step 4: All in All

Piston valve air cannons are a little finicky but once you've got them dialed in they perform phenominally. So far I'm about 70$ in but the raw power makes it all worth it. Few free to Drop a comment and tell me what you think or give any suggestions you might have or leave questions. I know it's brief, I understand that and I'm sorry. I will be glad to give more details I just don't have a lot of time and would like to Know there is interest in something like this before I invest the time. Thanks for the interest!

Step 5: **DISCLAIMER**

Check your local and state laws for legality of a project like this. Do NOT. Point at people or animals, the science behind this cannon is there but it is always better to air on the side of safety. Wear eye protection and always think before you shoot. I am not responsible for any injuries or unwanted outcomes from this project, you build at your own risk.