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L1 Launcher, first test
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The step by step photos in the build section of this website required many launcher components as props. At the end of the day we ended up with a pretty swank gun which has been dubbed the L1. A 2600cc combustion chamber with direct propane and stun gun ignition is fitted with a 2" female thread. Barrels measuring 1.5"x54" and 2"x32" provide a powerful 1.5:1 chamber to barrel ratio. The L1 has proven it's destructive force despite the modest size of the chamber. Initial tests show reliability as excellent without a single ignition failure . All of the testers agreed that the L1 was easy to operate and extremely accurate. The only complaint was that the weight of the propane tank upset the balance of the launcher
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The L1 is a spud gun so it was appropriate to use fresh potatoes for the first shots. 25 pounds were vaporized into water and skin bits during the process
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Three 50's era televisions were put to rest during testing. At a distance of 50', the spud could break plastic but not the screen. Moving in to 20' delivered a lethal blow clearing most of the glass with one shot. Long rage shooting was accurate and consistent, a benefit of the long barrel.
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After dark, the tests were moved to an indoor range. PVC rockets were the used as ammunition. The center hit here was scored first shot with the aid of laser guidance. The rocket penetrated the screen easily but disintegrated upon impact.
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Long distance accuracy. The rocket is visible in flight and after impact.
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This plywood is 3/4" thick. PVC rockets with or without added weights were able to penetrate from a 40' distance. The L1 was setup with a 1.5:1 C:B ratio and a .042 propane mixture. Download the Burnt Latke propane calculator to easily determine the proper .04% requirements.
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The rockets fired into the bucket survived but the ones shot through the plywood were not so lucky. As the rocket passed through the wood, the wider rear flare would break off. Next time, slugs.
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The last TV was a small plastic job. A potato from 20' did the trick and knocked it back a bit. If you truly hate television, check out the jaw dropping videos at the MasterBlaster site on our links page.
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The L1 passed it's first tests with flying colors. There were no failures of any kind. Loading and launching was a breeze, even in the dirt. Redesigns will fix minor bugs with an ill fitting Pacific grip. The launcher was also fired by a couple Russian truckers. The only word they could translate was Boom.
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