What is a Spud Gun?

Basically a spud gun, or spudzooka, or potato cannon, is a home brew device that will launch a potato literally hundreds of yards. These devices are usually home made, most often with PVC pipe. The potato is forced into a pipe, and then propelled out with a firing mechanism. The firing mechanism usually fall into one of three categories.

Pneumatic Guns

Basically these are powered by compressed air. Filled with either a pump or a compressed air tank, and fired by the sudden release of the air. These are quieter than the others, and are legal in some areas where the others are not. They can be more difficult to build, since they have to hold the air pressure before firing.

Combustion Guns

These use a combustible gas in a chamber, often propane or an aerosol like hair spray, which is ignited with a spark. These don't need the larger reservoir of the compressed air, so can tend to be a little smaller.

Hybrid Guns

These use a compressed fuel air mixture, so actually combine elements of the other two types. As you may imagine, these are much more powerful, and so are also the most dangerous of the three types.

Are Spud Guns Legal?

The laws on spud guns vary greatly around the world or even around the United States. In many areas they are completely legal. In some areas, only the types which use combustion are outlawed. If you are thinking about buying or building one of these you would be best served by checking with your local authorities on the legality of them in your area. There is an entry on Wikipedia that outlines some areas that have outlawed spud guns, but it may not be completely up to date.

Spud Guns for Kids

There are a few small spud guns that shoot small pieces of potatoes that are designed to be toys for small children, even as young as five years old. These are sold in toy stores and online, are powered by compressing air with the gun grip and are much safer than the home brew pyrotechnic projects.