16 replies to this topic

[mudkipforever]

So I am very new to the homemades and I plan on building one soon( I'm not sure which one yet!) BUT I need to know how much I could end up paying before I start. Thanks!

Edited by Aeromech, 23 November 2015 - 01:10 AM.

[evilbunnyo]

Depending on what tools you have the price could ebbe as low as 5-15$ but more than likely since you will screw up something on your first try (we all do) your looking at around 20-30 for your first real homemade.

I recommend for your first build of anything try making a HAMP. Its pretty straight forward and will allow you to get used to cutting PVC and using couplers and bushings. All of you should need is some PVC pipe and PVC fittings depending on what you already have.

After that look into making a trigger less Snap then one with a trigger and keep working on up.

[Maniacal Coyote]

So I am very new to the homemades and I plan on building one soon( I'm not sure which one yet!) BUT I need to know how much I could end up paying before I start. Thanks!

2 dollars for a long piece of pvc, and if you already have a saw and sandpaper, you're golden.
You only need a 2-foot piece, but you might want different lengths for different ranges.
(This is for a truly basic item, the blow-gun.)
Crude, but effective.

[mudkipforever]

Depending on what tools you have the price could ebbe as low as 5-15$ but more than likely since you will screw up something on your first try (we all do) your looking at around 20-30 for your first real homemade.

I recommend for your first build of anything try making a HAMP. Its pretty straight forward and will allow you to get used to cutting PVC and using couplers and bushings. All of you should need is some PVC pipe and PVC fittings depending on what you already have.

After that look into making a trigger less Snap then one with a trigger and keep working on up.

I looked up the HAMP and I think that's a great way to start, how much would a good pumpsnap run me? I have the tools.

[Drev]

A pumpsnap probably wouldn't cost very much if you have the tools. The most expensive things would probably be the spring and the 1.5" thinwall. If you can find thinwall locally, it will be the same price as normal PVC, but if you can't, that will run you about $20 from my experience. For the spring, 5 [k26] springs costs around $15, but someone could probably sell you one on here for cheaper. After that, it really wouldn't be that expensive and the maximum cost would probably be around $50, given you don't mess up. I know that I used to mess up all the time, and evilbunnyo also mentioned it, so bank on messing up. A snapbow would be even cheaper than that. As others have suggested, a HAMP would be the best place to start, because it is cheap any easy to make. I started with a HAMP, and now I can make advanced things.

If you want to get into things like rainbows and +bows, that it when the cost will really start to run up. Initially, those can cost upwards of $100, plus the more complicated tooling needed. Stick with a HAMP and Snaps, and move up from there. They are affordable and work just fine.

[Birch]

My first snap carbine with a home depot handyman spring only ran me about 30 bucks and it still works, 3 years down the road.

[jwasko]

If you can find thinwall locally, it will be the same price as normal PVC, but if you can't, that will run you about $20 from my experience.

No stores around me stock 1.5" thinbwall, but I was able to get Do It Best to site-to-store it, so shipping was free and I was able to get it for "normal PVC" price and a lot of weird looks when I went to pick it up.

I think this is what I ordered.

Edited by jwasko, 19 March 2015 - 08:55 AM.

[mudkipforever]

My first snap carbine with a home depot handyman spring only ran me about 30 bucks and it still works, 3 years down the road.

What's it hitting range wise?

[Maniacal Coyote]

What's it hitting range wise?

You sound like you've got a good set of lungs. Go tribal and build a blow-gun. Who knows, you might just Fus Ro Dah that dart past the Century Mark!

[Meaker VI]

The Mark 8 costs ~$50 if you don't already have any the required parts or materials. If you can buy the exact quantity of every part you'd need for the bulk costs, you're looking at $15.50 per blaster (You can't; I think it's like 100 blasters built to get that price). For $58 you could build two. If you don't have a drill, saw, or bits; you're probably going to need to buy $50 in tools. Basically any saw can cut PVC (Shoot, even mason's twine can cut PVC), so if you have one already you're good. Everything you need should be available at a well-stocked Home Depot or Lowes.

[mudkipforever]

The Mark 8 costs ~$50 if you don't already have any the required parts or materials. If you can buy the exact quantity of every part you'd need for the bulk costs, you're looking at $15.50 per blaster (You can't; I think it's like 100 blasters built to get that price). For $58 you could build two. If you don't have a drill, saw, or bits; you're probably going to need to buy $50 in tools. Basically any saw can cut PVC (Shoot, even mason's twine can cut PVC), so if you have one already you're good. Everything you need should be available at a well-stocked Home Depot or Lowes.

I looked at your mark 8 and loved it. I think I will make that first, the HAMP is cool but not quite what I want, so thanks!

[Spiderbite]

So I am very new to the homemades and I plan on building one soon( I'm not sure which one yet!) BUT I need to know how much I could end up paying before I start. Thanks!

Snapbow Mk. V

'Nuff Said

[Spud Spudoni]

Homemades are great, because they don't necessarily have a "set" parts list. Things can be substituted for other things, Hell, the first snap created by Carbon had no rubber seal in the plunger tube. Use a little ingenuity, a little searching, and you can make a snap, even a PVC rainbow for half the price.


In terms of Birch's comment, I made a writeup for a PVC style Rainbow when I was younger. I used two Home Depot everbuilt springs next to each other on the plunger rod and it got between 73 and 83 feet on a terrible overall system, which isn't too bad.

[Astech]

You sound like you've got a good set of lungs. Go tribal and build a blow-gun. Who knows, you might just Fus Ro Dah that dart past the Century Mark!

Forgive my metric, but if you're referring to the century mark in feet, not meters,then any given adult can huff and puff past that mark. Back when I was a young lad (12) I went tribal. Even then I was capable of pushing archaic whistler darts upwards of 40 meters (130 feet). The problem with blowpipes is not their range nor their accuracy, it's their ROF and safety.

Still, nailing headshots from 30+ meters (100+ feet) was a pleasure like no other. Until someone tapped the blowpipe when it was against my face.

[Edit] In response to Xellah below, yes of course. My claim referring to a 100+ headshot was extremely lucky, fired against someone who was running away from my friend with an over-volted Vulcan, and so was not looking and could not sidestep. being in Australia as I am, i have yet to experience NIC, especially considering I'm sixteen and my parents hate those little pieces of foam everywhere. In conclusion, yes, whenever any other gun can shoot me in any way whatsoever, I get wrecked. Sadly.

Edited by Astech, 23 May 2015 - 11:34 PM.

[Xellah]

The problem with blowpipes is not their range nor their accuracy, it's their ROF and safety.

Still, nailing headshots from 30+ meters (100+ feet) was a pleasure like no other. Until someone tapped the blowpipe when it was against my face.

If you show up to any legitimate NIC war and use a blowgun, you will get shit on by pretty much everyone. They have terrible effective range, rof, and accuracy in comparison to almost any/every homemade blaster. I highly doubt your 100+ headshot claim. The velocity of a tagger dart out of a 1/2" PVC blowgun is so low that it can be dodged easily unless you're very close to your target, and if you're that close to them then they've probably shot you already. Having played HvZ for 5 years, I've watched zombies sidestep taggers at almost every range.

Suggesting that blowguns are even a viable option (to cut down on start-up cost) for new players at NIC wars will only frustrate them when they get wrecked. Investing into a proper springer or airgun with a hopper is the way to go.

tl;dr Blowguns are for plebs and people that want to have a bad time while nerfing.

Edited by Xellah, 22 May 2015 - 10:59 PM.

[KaneTheMediocre]

If you show up to any legitimate NIC war and use a blowgun, you will get shit on by pretty much everyone. They have terrible effective range, rof, and accuracy in comparison to almost any/every homemade blaster. I highly doubt your 100+ headshot claim. The velocity of a tagger dart out of a 1/2" PVC blowgun is so low that it can be dodged easily unless you're very close to your target, and if you're that close to them then they've probably shot you already. Having played HvZ for 5 years, I've watched zombies sidestep taggers at almost every range.

Suggesting that blowguns are even a viable option (to cut down on start-up cost) for new players at NIC wars will only frustrate them when they get wrecked. Investing into a proper springer or airgun with a hopper is the way to go.

tl;dr Blowguns are for plebs and people that want to have a bad time while nerfing.

This is the most incorrect post I have seen in a while, so I feel I need to follow it off topic for this correction. 100' is long for a tagger blowgun shot, but it's far from impossible. Taggers and suction darts are remarkably accurate at high velocities compared to other stock darts, and the power available from a typical set of lungs and a 3' long 1/2" sch40 PVC pipe is about the same as a typical NIC homemade blaster. I haven't measured an exact FPS measurement, but from comparing to blasters I have measured, I would say 180 feet per second is easily attained (remember taggers are ~30% heavier than slugs, and more aerodynamic) Longer blowguns are even more powerful, and not all lungs are created equal. On top of that, the process of holding a long tube to your mouth gives you a great view for aiming and tracking your shots. Blowguns aren't my favorite toy, but I have used them competitively in NIC wars against hoppered +bows and pump-action springers of similar power.

I don't know if the people you saw using blowguns have emphysema or something, but my observation has been that blowguns shooting taggers have a longer effective range than a +bow shooting slugs, even if they don't go quite as far flat or quite as fast for the first 30 feet.

All that being said, if someone bumps into your pvc pipe while you're shooting, you may be missing a small circular section from your lips. My more complicated blowguns with feed mechanisms for better ROF all use a length of vinyl tubing to avoid this, but that does significantly reduce the power, and it's basically impossible for the single-loader blowguns that are so lovely and cheap.

tl;dr version:
Simple blowguns have awesome range and power, but other things about them are terrible. They are not a bad thing to use in an NIC war once in a while, but would not be fun to use all day. So go to an NIC war, use a blowgun for a couple rounds, and borrow someone elses hoppered springer for the rest.

[RandomUser]

Blowguns really just depend on the lungs of the user. If you can blow hard enough, you can get pretty good ranges. If you're crap at blowing, that's probably the reason it's not working.

 

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