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CSVR-1
circa 1998
I remember, a long time ago, someone explaining potato guns to me. He said they were very simple, and tried to explain how they worked. His explanation was pretty vague, and I didn't really follow what he was saying. I didn't really think much more about them. Then I remember seeing the movie Armageddon, the part where the guy says something like "...a bunch of guys I wouldn't trust with a potato gun." Hey, I'm in college, I have free Internet access. So I looked them up, and behold, a whole plethora of websites, plans and everything. I saw how simple they were, and I knew I just had to build one. Thus, CSVR-1 was born.
CSVR-1 is a typical, run-of-the-mill, beginner's potato gun. Muzzle-load, aerosol powered, BBQ igniter, very simple. I never followed any specific plans, I just looked around to get the general idea of what people were doing. My own idea that I added was the modular sparker, which is mounted in a 1.5" threaded cap. It can be easily removed. It has been very handy for testing CSVR-3, and for when the whole gun fell off a cabinet, smacked me on the head, and landed right on the sparker. Replacement was easy. It also makes a very convenient handle. The major disadvantage with this is that the spark isn't even in the main chamber. I've had some ignition problems, but overall, performance has been good. Right Guard has been my fuel of choice for this gun from the beginning, when every site I could find was telling me to use hairspray. Now it appears that most knowledgeable "spudgunners" prefer Right Guard.
Specs
barrel diameter: 1.5" [3.8 cm]
barrel length: ~38" [96.5 cm]
chamber diameter: 3" [7.6 cm]
chamber length: ~14" [35.6 cm]
C:B ratio: ~1.47:1
special features: unscrewable sparker