If you want to reduce the dead space on the plunger by gluing the 'donut like hole', use a glue that is not rigid when it is dry. I used some 3D craft glue. It is not very strong but is very elasticy. It was perfect for the job. Having said all that, it makes absolutely no difference to the range.

Wisp Posted Yesterday, 11:43 PM
QUOTE(Just Some Bob @ May 22 2009, 06:22 PM)


QUOTE(Wisp @ May 22 2009, 03:13 PM)

I bought a box of these, and I would recommend against them. six of them have already broken, the plastic that holds the plunger or whatever you would call it in the grenade breaks, and it shoots out very fast. It almost took one of my eyes out, I was loading darts and looking into it, it shot out and hit me about a half inch above my eye. Anways, these break really easy, but if they could be reinforced they might be ok. They would probably be best for humans vs. zombies.



Of course. They're made to be disposable. In my experience, the T-shaped end breaks off after two or three operations. Maybe five if you're really lucky. That's why I'm working on various ideas to replace that part with something else - preferably something that works other than by twisting.


Huh. I've never actually had the t part break off, only the ring that holes the thing in place. I tried reinforcing one with coat hangers and epoxy putty, but it didn't work too well. The springs are nice however.

I have fired the same popper no less than 15 times with little to no wear on the mechanism. Maybe it is just in difference in the quality of the brand.



P.S - I can't seem to be able to do quotes properly (see above). Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong?

You could attach a clothespin trigger to these so you wouldn’t have to twist the base.

This is a valid idea. But I do not want to overcomplicate this design, but you are more than welcome to try it. I have temporarily shelved this project until I finish a few other things I have started.

Just Some Bob Posted Today, 08:18 PM
Is anyone else here familiar with "cleco" fasteners? You can google it to learn, and see images.

I'm already working on a similar mechanism for these party poppers, and will post a writeup [if and] when I succeed.

Basically, the T-shaped pin is replaced by three pieces, the two outer ones having "bumps" that project outward to do the job of the arms of the T. But only when the third piece is in the middle, pushing them outward. When the middle piece moves, the outer pieces flex together and release the hole they're passing through.

As a prototype, I glued a steel washer in place of the keyhole slot and used an actual (long) cleco and a huge fender washer. Then using some cleco pliers I "fired" the popper. But nobody's likely to want to carry cleco pliers around in a nerf war. I had to borrow some just to play with. By making a longer center piece which gets narrower away from the end, I hope to make a push-to-fire version out of scrap acrylic or polycarbonate.

Read my reply to alextwin007. But, please, PM me a picture of it when you are finished. I would be very interested to see how it looked.

I propose a new name for them: Spring-Powered Nerf Anti-Personnel Scatter, or SNAPS.

As valid as that idea is, I am keeping it at s.p.n.p.s as I do not want this to be confused with the SNAP pistol/bow. But thanks for your suggestion.

Captain Posted Today, 12:16 AM
Even though it was said before, I think these would be awesome if you used them as shells for a homemade shotgun. The hardest part would be the trigger mechanism to rotate the backs of the shells, but if you got it working it would be amazing and badass.

Also, your worst nightmare, don't quote the first post. It's useless and especially for write ups it is very bothersome.

That would certainly be a challenge! But not one I am capable of. There is no PVC within 200 miles from where I live.


Also, your worst nightmare, you stand very true to your name. Please do not quote my whole writeup and then add nothing useful.

Maybe JSB could find out measurements for you?

...I intended for it to be self-evident. Almost all of my pictures are taken on a crafts board with one inch grid lines...

Shit, sorry. I just glanced at the picture and rushed to post. My apologies. Original post edited.

They look really good
What are the exact sizes of the spring? As I said, I'm looking for 1" diameter with 4" length. Even if they're only a similar size they'll probably do. Also, how strong are the springs? I'm looking for something with moderate strength, but not as much as the Recon main spring.

I am not sure of the exact measurements of these springs. They are slightly longer than a maverick spring and about the same width though. Also, they are much stronger than a recon spring.

One tiny problem - I'm from the UK
But I'll have a look out for the kind of things you're talking about. (A picture would be helpful?)

I have experimented with spring powered party poppers.

http://nerfhaven.com...showtopic=16415

I am from the UK too (hence the name NerfUK). I found the ones in my writeup in Makro. If you view my thread some of my replies state when and how much they cost.

Pokechan Posted Today, 01:37 PM
This is a very good idea for an underside "Dart shotgun launcher" or something like that. Can you say more specific details on where to get then, what brand they are, etc? I really want to purchase some of these.

Since I live in the UK and not the USA where I get them from does not really matter since, as far as I know, the shop does not even exist in America. But if you still want to know, the shop is called Makro. There are well over 100 Makro stores in the UK. The one near me was closing which is the only reason I went there. They do not let in customers unless they have a Makro card (like a credit card) which you have to apply for. The only info about the brand is what is on the box (first photo in my write up). I paid £5.50 for two boxes (24 poppers). While I was in Makro I also found a cheap dremel, reactor knockoff, first shot and disc launcher all made by Lanard (apart from the dremel, obviously). I am sorry I could not be of more help. Maybe a member from America who has seen them in a store near them could PM you?

I myself have one or two of these party poppers. The springs are very good strong but you have to realize what they are made for. The springs used in party poppers will mostly likely have good strength and durability at first, yet they will wear down much faster than the a spring intended to go thorough chronic use. I am pretty sure what I said is right, but it may be wrong.

Thanks for the info. But the longevity of these springs is not a major worry for me as I have 24 of them at the moment, so they are easily replacable.

I'm not familiar enough with the workings myself really, so it was just a vague idea. Sorry.

Ok. Not a problem, thanks anyway.

EDIT: Range test is up!

balisticjoe Posted Today, 03:34 AM
I have actually experimented with these before. They do work ok-but i prefer to use them for there springs. The way I tried to get them to land and fire is put a bunch of weights in the bottom of the handle,and to twist it almost all of the way-then throw it hitting the ground with enough force to allow it to fire.

Interesting idea, but I am not sure I trust the catch enough to do that. It would probably go off prematurely. Can you suggest what guns I could use the springs for?

Capten Karat Posted Today, 05:21 AM

P.S. Nerf UK, sorry if I'm hi-jacking your thread.

It's ok because it is a similar idea and I have no problem with people trying to help you with it.

SchizophrenicMC Posted Today, 05:31 AM
QUOTE(NerfUK @ May 8 2009, 11:54 AM)

(I forgot to take a picture of my own poppers)


First off, added that hilarious quote to my signature, while playing with my butthole.

Secondly, I can see how this can be useful in indoor wars. It's cheap, effective, and come on, man! It's a damned micro scatter cannon!

As for grenade firing, I'd suggest turning the firing key to a near-fire position (Slightly short of firing) and throwing. It's not gonna be 100%, but it should jar it enough to fire.
I've made confetti-nades like this before.

Yes, these are very cheap. I paid a total of about £5.50 for 2 boxes (12 in each). As I said to balisticjoe, interesting idea, but I am not sure I trust the catch enough to do that. It would probably go off prematurely.

Nerf 808 Posted Today, 08:15 AM
That looks like it has potential to be a Underslung Shotgun like weapon, like SchizophrenicMC said, in an indoors war, it would be a major contender.


Imagine this.....

you are shooting at some one, he ducks to reload, you rush, only to find out he had the S.P.N.P.S Underslung, and thats game, your out.

That is exactly the scene I pictured in my head when I was testing them out a couple of days ago.

Vinnie D. Posted Today, 08:19 AM
Man, these look great for assassin games. Maybe not so much for offense, but as a defensive measure when you're the target, it would be awesome. When you see someone pull a SSPB or a minimized Nitefinder, you quickly scattershot and run. Even if they don't land a hit, that many darts coming their way would gorce your opponent to at least duck.

Maybe for a grenade function, consider some kind of break way pin. Turn it to firing position, with only a small fragile pin (maybe a toothpick) keeping it from firing, so that an impact is all it takes to break or dislodge the pin.

Even better if you could make a battery of these things, and rig them with a pull cord or a tripwire. Nerf Mines. I see integration possibilities as well. Just like those 20mm airburst guns built into the U.N.'s assault rifles.

I am not sure I fully understand the idea with the toothpick. Would you be so kind as to provide me with a paint drawing?

oh1134 Posted Today, 08:12 PM
You are a genius. They are selling the ones in the picture at oriental trading. This would be PERFECT for integration.

Thank you for your kind words and suggestions, although I would not call myself a 'genius'

Ambience 327 Posted Today, 08:24 PM
QUOTE(NerfUK @ May 8 2009, 02:27 PM)

Thanks for the input. I have changed the name of the topic accordingly. It would be very difficult to trigger it in the way you described because the base needs to turn 180 degrees to fire. If you can suggest how I could do it, please PM me.


Nothing comes to mind, but I have been giving it some thought. If I come up with anything, I'll be sure to share it. I'd really love to see something come of this, since these are so inexpensive, and pretty much pre-made for us. If we could work out a way to turn them into true grenades, they might just find a place in a few arsenals.

As oh1134 pointed out, these might be useful as integration fodder. One question though - are you sure about the 180 degree turn for firing? It looks more like a 90 degree turn from the pics.

I ask because I think if someone wanted to add one or more of these on to a gun as a scattergun integration, that adding a small handle to the base would make it far easier to fire. How this handle would be incorporated, and were it would fit for integration, would depend on whether this is truly a 90 degree or 180 degree turn.

Sorry, yes I did mean 90 degrees. Also that is a very interesting idea about adding a handle and using them for integrations. Thanks again for the input.

CaptainSlug Posted Today, 08:34 PM
I'm doubtful that these are capable of shooting darts to useful distances.

Thanks for the warm welcome . These were intended for CQC and indoors in general.

Capten Karat Posted Today, 10:01 PM
I did something similar with a plunger tube from a broken longshot:



I don't know about 35 foot ranges but, i can pack small pieces of fbr down the barrel, to use it as a "grenade" I pull the "pin" out (ls priming handle) and throw it, but the problem is it has to land on the plunger to fire, which is seldom.

I'm sure with some fine tuning you could get your prototype off the ground.

Thanks everyone for the replies.

I had done this at my New Years party, I just never got around to posting it.
The spring in there is great for NF's.

Thanks for the comment. What kind of range did yours get?

Ambience 327 Posted Today, 07:10 PM

I wouldn't call this a grenade so much as a small shotgun/scatter cannon.

A grenade is something you can throw/launch some distance from yourself that then detonates either on impact or on some sort of time delay, spraying an area with shrapnel/other harmful substance/effect. Since you have to hold this and twist it to get it to fire, it doesn't really qualify as a grenade.

Now, if you could somehow rig the catch to release upon striking the ground, you'd have something there.

Thanks for the input. I have changed the name of the topic accordingly. It would be very difficult to trigger it in the way you described because the base needs to turn 180 degrees to fire. If you can suggest how I could do it, please PM me.

EDIT: Range test coming soon!

What's an estimate of the range?

I have not yet formerly tested the range but just eyeballing it, about 30-35'

First of all, I would like to thank cxwq for validating me. This is my first post so let me know if I make any mistakes. Questions, comments and constructive criticism are welcome.

Background Info

A shop near me is having a closing down sale. While wandering around something caught my eye. 'Twas a box of spring powered party poppers. I bought a couple of boxes (each containing 12 poppers) and had an idea.

Write up

Here is one of the boxes:

Here is a similar popper on its own: (I forgot to take a picture of my own poppers)


Step one: Cut off all the labels and stickers. Also rip of the card circle on the top and pour out the bits of coloured confetti. Below are 12 (1 box full) without labels, stickers, card tops and confetti:


Step two: Load in seven darts like so:

This is now ready to be fired.

Step three - Firing: Twist the base clockwise (like you would with a glue stick) to fire.

Internals

The internals of these things is unsurprisingly simple. It is made up of only four pieces:

This is the twisty base and also part of the catch:


This is what the catch catches on and also what pushes the dart out:


This is the really strong spring:


This is what it is all housed inside:


Here is a picture of how the insides catch:


And here it is after being fired:


Reloading

1. Pull apart the twisty base from the housing.
2. Put spring back on twisty base.
3. Place the thing that hits the dart on the spring.
4. Push it down and twist it until it catches.
5. Put housing back on and push down until it clicks twice.

It is now ready to have darts loaded into it and be fired again.

Range Test

All these shots were fired at waist height, 40" (3.3' ) at a 45° angle. There are five sets of seven results (five shots). The hall I tested it in is 33" (2.8' )in width, so some of the darts bounced off the walls, killing the range. Spread is around 36" (3.0' ). I am sure better ranges and a tighter spread could be achieved with Stefan’s. Range could also be improved if it were held at shoulder height instead of waist height. Results are as follows:

Set 1
1. 175" (14.6' )
2. 180" (15.0' )
3. 194" (16.2' )
4. 200" (16.7' )
5. 205" (17.1' )
6. 223" (18.6' )
7. 228" (19.0' )
Average: 200" (16.7)

Set 2
1. 224" (18.6' )
2. 225" (18.0' )
3. 231" (19.4' )
4. 232" (19.3' )
5. 239" (19.9' )
6. 240" (20.0' )
7. 250" (20.8' )
Average: 234" (19.5' )

Set 3
1. 143" (11.9' )
2. 202" (16.8' )
3. 205" (17.1' )
4. 206" (17.2' )
5. 207" (17.3' )
6. 222" (18.5' )
7. 239" (19.9' )
Average: 203" (16.9' )

Set 4
1. 167" (13.9' )
2. 172" (14.3' )
3. 178" (14.8' )
4. 182" (15.2' )
5. 211" (17.6' )
6. 227" (18.9' )
7. 233" (19.4' )
Average: 195" (16.3')

Set 5
1. 201" (16.8' )
2. 213" (17.8' )
3. 218" (18.2' )
4. 223" (18.6' )
5. 227" (18.9' )
6. 228" (19.0' )
7. 245" (20.4' )
Average: 222" (18.5')

Total average: 211" (17.6')

Overall I an very pleased with these things, considering how little they cost and how quick they are to produce.