Can medieval people make a potato gun?
The spud gun uses air pressure to shoot a projectile - unusually a potato - at high speed towards a distant target much similar to todays revolvers. The only difference is that there is no gunpowder. Can people in the medieval age as early as 5th century A.D. develop a potato gun that kills? The projectile can be anything but I'll applaud the gunmen who can shoot lethal potatoes.
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1 answer
Late answer, but another possibility... The kind of spud guns I've seen around here didn't use compressed air, but instead used a flammable liquid/gas like alcolhol or aerosol hairspray to propel the potato.
Granted, hairspray is not going to be an option, but high proof alcohol vapors are explosive too.
Basically any kind of fuel air explosion could propel the potato without needing a pressure vessel or springs.
Edit:
Just because this is a fun video, an explosion in a potato gun at 20,000 fps
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