Nerf Blaster Goes Next-level With Propane Power

There are no shortage of Nerf gun mods out there. From simply upgrading springs to removing air restrictors, the temptation of one-upping your opponents in a Nerf war speaks to many!

Not content with such lowly modifications [Peter Sripol] decided that his blaster needed to see some propane action.

[Peter] completely stripped out the existing firing mechanism before creating a new combustion chamber from some soldered copper pipe. He added a propane tank and valve on some 3D-printed mounts, and replaced the barrel to produce some intense firepower.

To ignite the fuel inside the combustion chamber, some taser circuitry creates the voltage needed to jump the spark gap inside whilst an added switch behind the trigger kicks off the whole process. After experimenting with different ignition methods, [Peter] eventually found that positioning the spark in the center of the chamber provided the best solution for efficient combustion and non-deafening volume.

Though highly dependant on the amount of gas in the chamber during combustion, the speed of the dart was able to reach a maximum of 220 fps – that’s a whopping 150mph!

Next follows the obligatory sequence for all souped-up Nerf guns:  slow motion annihilation of various food items and beverage containers. To obtain some extra punch, some custom Nerf darts were 3D-printed, including one with a fearsome nail spear-head.

We strongly advise against taking up [Peter] on any offer of Nerf based warfare, but you can check out his insane plane adventures or last winter’s air sled.

14 thoughts on “Nerf Blaster Goes Next-level With Propane Power

      1. Australia most certainly.

        Where an “AIR GUN” (I repeat “AIR gun”) is classified as a firearm (I repeat FIREarm) needing a license to have it.
        And an air pistol is a CONCEALABLE firearm. Yes, the kind of air pistols kids buy in supermarkets like KMart, WallMart …

      2. I’m pretty sure this thing would be classified as a firearm here in the US too. While homemade firearms aren’t automatically illegal here, it’s easy to land yourself in hot water if you’re not careful. This one might run afoul of some rules meant to prevent private ownership of anti-tank rifles in the US given that it’s well over 0.50 caliber, for example.

        1. US law defines a firearm as taking a metallic cartridge. No self-contained cartridge means not a firearm by Federal law; it may fall afoul of various local or state regulations on potato guns.

          1. That’s nonsense. Here’s a list of things, use your definition to determine which ones are firearms under US law:

            – Shotgun
            – Potato cannon
            – Black powder muzzle loader
            – Starter pistol
            – Powder actuated nailer
            – Retriever training dummy launcher
            – Silencer
            – Pipe bomb

            Now go read 18 U.S. Code § 921.

          2. Apologies for the necromancy.

            @oasisbob
            Disclaimer, I am not, nor do I play one on TV, a Lawyer. Seek competent legal advice.

            You can own a short barreled rifle or shotgun without paying the otherwise applicable tax if it’s muzzle loading There are a host of designs that felons can legally own (federally) because they are Curio and Relic designs which legally (ie; NFA 1934, GCA 1968) are not firearms.
            18USC 921 is not the be-all-end-all of firearms law. You have to read the language in National Firearms Act 1934 and Gun Control Act 1968 to fully understand what standards you are being judged by. The ATF has put out letters surrounding potato launchers, flare launchers and other ‘launchers’ that generally say ‘as long as you’re not being a jackass breaking things we don’t care; local law prevails’. In these examples, how you use it is more important than what propels it. You can build as many black powder mortars and canon as you want. They are over 0.50″ but they are not (legally) destructive devices, despite their obvious destructive capability (https://www.atf.gov/firearms/qa/are-muzzleloading-cannons-classified-destructive-devices).

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