This is just an idea at this point; so far as I know no such
gun has been built so don't ask me how well it works.
Notes:
A restraining cord is attached to the back of the
wooden plunger to keep it from hitting the tubing or popping out
of the barrel. If that cord broke, the plunger would still be
stopped by the tubing so it could not hit anyone. AND, even if
the wooden plunger were to hit someone, the worst it could do is
cause a bruise.
Getting the length of the barrel, plunger and
tubing right will be the tricky part. The barrel should be just
long enough that the head of the plunger is at the opening when
the surgical tubing is at rest. The tubing I tested can stretch
to 4 times it's "at rest" length without damage.
The front of the plunger needs to be right at the opening of the
barrel when the surgical tubing is at rest.
I am looking into molding balls from foam rubber.
I have drawn this assuming 1" balls but ½" might
work better and be less likely to roll underfoot. We would just
need to experiment to find the best size.
With ½" balls I would think a .60
caliber barrel (isn't that paint ball size?) would be right
with a ½" ID copper collar in the barrel. I would
need one of the smaller sizes of tubing. With 1" balls the
gun would need a 1.1" barrel. In any case I will need to go
to a specialty supplier as I will not find all this at the local
hardware store.
A ram rod will be needed to set the plunger and
ram the ball into the copper collar. That will take 2 rams rather
than the 1 you would use on a real black powder gun. Still,
I'll bet it loads and fires faster than the real thing.
I recommend a lanyard on the ram rod attached to
the gun. In period it was common in a battle for soldiers to get
in a hurry and fire their rod at an enemy. Since we will be
shooting friends I think we should avoid that.
The clamp for the match on the lock is purely for
show and could be left off. However, if it is included I
recommend a smooth design like that pictured. Avoid sharp points
to avoid injury if someone is accidently hit by that part of the
gun.
Plunger construction: Cut 2 pieces of a 1"
dia. wooden dowel, 1 ½" and 1" for the head and
butt of the plunger, respectively. Center drill both pieces half
way through with a ½" bit. Cut a length of
½" dowel. Using a permanent wood glue like Tightbond
(NOT Elmer's crummy wood glue) glue the ½" dowel
into the two 1" dowel sections. Put the plunger into a lathe
and shape per the drawing.