Max weight projectile??

[Dusty]

To set the scene for you, a friend of mine is performing some experiments with various firearms, crossbows, paintball markers, airsoft markers and a lot of ballistic jelly on behalf of a security company.

He has acquired for himself one of these http://www.armurerie-roussel.fr/paintba ... oules.html and has also ordered a variety of items to shoot ranging from paintballs to lead balls of the correct diameter.

I think the normal weight of a paintball is approx 3.6grams but the lead balls he has ordered will be 29 grams and he has asked me if the lead balls will actually go through the gun. Theoretically i suppose they should fire but i've never put anythinn through a paintball gun other than paintballs to be honest. Maybe the odd malteser when i was playing people I didn't like (I jest) but i was always under the impression that solid objects would damage a bolt. Maybe through extended use, perhaps for the purposes of his experiments it would be fine.

Are we talking about a vastly reduced velocity due to the increased weight or will the lead balls leave the barrel at the same speed but with obviously more energy?

 

[GRIMLOCK]

if it works like a pump with a closed bolt it shouldnt damage the bolt however getting it up to velocity will require a VERY large imput pressure and a larger bore barrel as an underbore or match will damage the barrel

 

[Canon Fodder]

I think velocity will decrease proportionately to the projectile weight, bolt should be fine. Given that that is the rap4 shotgun rebadged it works on the Nelson valve train so respringing the valve would be needed to get it shooting really hot with heavy projectiles. Increasing just the input wouldn't work as that makes the valve harder to open.

 

[MorphMann]

Dusty, I have absoultely nothing to help here, but am intrigued.

How did it go?

And does he work for Mythbusters??

 

[Dusty]

He's settled for 6 gram glass balls. Apparently he had modified the valve somehow and was sufficiently powerful to generate enough force to break ribs in theory.

Worked well fr the purpose intended but only to prove how highly impractical it would be

 

[MorphMann]

He's settled for 6 gram glass balls. Apparently he had modified the valve somehow and was sufficiently powerful to generate enough force to break ribs in theory.

Worked well fr the purpose intended but only to prove how highly impractical it would be

I'm kinda glad to hear that, and hope nobody will be stupid enough to try on the field

 

[Dusty]

Impractical from the point of view of modifications required.

 

[MorphMann]

Impractical from the point of view of modifications required.

Have you seen the vid of the American bloke who got hit by Wal-Mat balls??

I can only think if somebody tried it and suceeded would be even worse

Glad to hear we are safe from it

 

[Dusty]

Yes, I think that was a tech pb vid. Appalling but equally it's a rare thing that organisers here supply duff paint.

 

[Canon Fodder]

Geeky boring paintball fact for you, we arrived at the 300 fps limit for paintball when some of the industries founders (I think Tom Kaye was involved) asked some doctors what would be safe. They suggested any more than 300 would likely break fingers if shot up close so that was taken as "safe". Before that most times you shot at a tree to check your marker wasn't hot, the determining factor being how much bark it knocked off.