Improving Our Homemade Airgun

Getting More Power
Obviously, if the air pressure increases, so will your velociy. Replace your shop compressor with a portable air compressor, like the ones designed to pump up car tires. Most are capable of filling to 250 psi, if you shop around, you can get ones that go as high as 300 psi. Here is one way you can make a portable air compressor practical for use with your homemade airgun. You can also use a shock pump, but be prepared for a workout if you are trying to pump a large air chamber.

Another way to get this pressure is to use CO2 or HPA tanks regulated down to 300 psi. I dont recommend filling to higher than 300 psi, as safety becomes a huge issue. Make sure that you have guages and keep an eye on your pressure, especially in warm weather.

Also you can increase power by increasing the volume of the air reservior. Use a longer/wider pipe for the reserviour to hold a greater amount of air. This is perhaps the best mod, since our gun is limited to relatively low pressures, we have to rely on a greater mass of air to force the bullet out. If you increase the air volume, make sure you combine that with a longer barrel, giving the air more time to expend its energy on the bullet.

Greater Accuracy
The best way to improve accuracy on this gun would be to build a stock and trigger mechanism. Manually opening the valve causes the gun to move, throwing your bullet off target. Having a trigger mechanism will eliminate this movement. Another benefit of a triggering mechanism is increased power, as the air is dumped quicker.

Adding Sights
The creative inventor will find ways to adapt his homemade airgun with dovetail mounts, allowing him to attach red dot sights or scopes. Iron sights can be constructed as well, you might want to look at using metal plumber's tape for the rear sight. It might just help you compensate for rapid bullet drop...

Camoflage
Copper and steel are both very visible out in the woods. Furthermore, steel is prone to rust. I recommend using the Krylon camoflage system to make your gun blend in with its surroundings and to protect it from the elements.

Here's One Way to Do It:
Check out these videos of a advanced ball valve airgun:

A Final Note
I hope that you have found these articles on building your own airgun to be interesting and thought provoking. I have omitted many pictures and minute details to keep minors and mindless idiots from constructing their own airguns. Never be afraid to think outside the box, airguns are like cats, there are many ways to skin them. Please be careful if you choose to follow the instructions found here. Use the brain that God gave you for constructive purposes. I really dont want anyone to get hurt, and most of all, I do not wish to have our sport ruined by irresponsible people. For the sake of others, by all means use your privelges, but dont abuse them!

Here is an example of what this gun can do at only 160 psi:
Just a reminder to treat this guy with respect. Not bad for a $50 airgun!

It kills particle board too!
This shot was at 160 psi, giving it a velocity of 377 fps. That's 57 ft-lbs of energy!

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