Why is a book such as this in my library? Well, it is paying tribute to where I got my bit by the bug. When I was younger, my family was not big into firearms. We had a pistol in the house, and a BB Gun, but I was not allowed to touch either of them and only saw them on very special occasions. It was not until I was in my late twenties, and already owned several firearms my self, that I was able to shoot my father’s Ruger GP100.
My first ballistic device was a Potato Cannon, and we built several of them. We launch potatoes a few hundred yards, we laughed and cheered every time. We also shot the bark off trees, launched paintballs, and stuck fire works down the barrel. We were boys and our destructive nature was on full display. Enough about me, back to the book.
This book was not around when I was young and needed it, but now that I am a father myself I look forward to working with my son and daughter to build many of these devices. The book does not just focus on the devices, but teaches about the history of ballistic, serves as an introduction to the topics of safety, and teaches about things like explosives. Pretty much everything a teenage boy think is cool.
The book covers Matchstick Rockets, Bottle Rockets, Air Powered Darts, Potato Cannons both Combustion & Pneumatic Types, and shows how to construct and use a ballistic pendulum. If you have children who want to understand the fascination you have with your hobby, this is a really good place to start. As some of these devices, such as bottle rockets and spud guns can be turned in to their own hobbies.