Will an Aluminum Scuba tank explode when shot?

[Squashie]

Just like in the monster movies of my youth..."The Son of Destroyed Scuba Tank Thread Lives!!!" After more than a year waiting for this Nobel worthy event to occur I, now once again, am filled with joy and anticipation of the evil scuba tanks destruction. I also acknowledge along with most faithfull ScubaBoard readers that this endeavor has toyed with our emotions, and collective spirit waaayyyyy toooooooo looooonnnng. I mean seriously...391 posts on the original thread (16,538 views) and 39 posts, not counting this one the "Son of Exploding Tank Thread" (511 views)...please, please Kyle don't let us down on this one.

Remember always Kyle, there are those who mock men of greatness at every step along the path, those who would ridicule those that challenges the known, abiet perceived, reallity of the day, those who would squash the very adventurous spirit in us all...do not let the nay sayers weaken your resolve. Where would we be today if Christopher Columbus had not been the greatest con artist of all time and weaseled a portion of the crown jewels from Queen Isabella? Where would we be today had those renouned explorers Lewis and Clark not convinced (at gun point) those "helpful" native Americans to guide them on their journey west. Where would we be if Amelia Earhart had not started that flight some sixty eight years ago...uh, scratch that last one... but, you get the idea.

Kyle...I have but one thing left to say to you..."Carpe Diem"...and if you follow that advice, surely the words of Ceaser will follow..."Veni, Vici, Vidi". Go forth and conquer Kyle...your followers anxiously await. :wave-smil

 

[RonFrank]

Good point, it's been so long since I used an AL80, I forgot about that.

Now lets look at marksmanship. Ever try to hit something that is about 7" around at 200 yds like he wants to do? I have in the past participated in competition shooting for steel silouette Turkeys at 200M. Much bigger than the tank and a very hard target when you take into consideration things like elevation and windage.

If the gun is sighted in at 100 yards (common) at 200 yards the bullet will drop not even an inch. This of course depends upon the loads used, the grain, etc.

Hitting a 7" target at 300 yards is not difficult.

My question is why did he need to use two tanks just to prove that a bullet could not penatrate when empty. Seems like one is more than adequate. Something fishy there....

 

[The Kraken]

Quarrior wrote:

"Now lets look at marksmanship. Ever try to hit something that is about 7" around at 200 yds like he wants to do? I have in the past participated in competition shooting for steel silouette Turkeys at 200M. Much bigger than the tank and a very hard target when you take into consideration things like elevation and windage"

Quarrior, my .308 Win.(7.62 NATO) Ruger M-77 with Pentax "Lightseeker" scope groups 3 round in 3/4 inch at 200 yards. I don't think 7" is to difficult.

7" is 500 yard range.

 

[RonFrank]

I'm betting that they'll have to fire at least 10 shots to hit it at 200 yards. It's not as easy as people think to shoot accurately at any distance.

Unless one is NOT using a scope.

Given a 7" target at 200 yards with just about ANY rifle (sighted in of course) and a standard scope that is at least 6X I can hit that target bench rested every time. In fact make it the size of a half dollar, and it's still very possible to hit it every time.

At 100 yards with my 30-06 I generally feel I've shot poorly if my groupings are much bigger than a quarter. If one is shooting a big rifle (300 Weatherby) it may be more difficult after a a few rounds as one's shoulder get's sore, and there is a tendency to flinch as the recoil becomes more painful.... Even my 30-06 which is a featherweight so more recoil, can become painful after 30 rounds.

 

[The Kraken]

30 rounds ????? It's never taken me more than one!!!

Not to mention the heat build up in the barrel and subsequent movement.
Have a friend who shot about 6 or 7 3 round shot groups trying to zero his light weight Weatherby .300 Mag. and was wondering why he couldn't hit the paper.

Chances are if he makes a solid hit on the tank, it will just rupture outwardly and scoot around like a cat with tape worms.

For funsies he should fill the tank with hydrogen and use a tracer round.

 

[Hank49]

For funsies he should fill the tank with hydrogen and use a tracer round.

Or acetyline.

 

[Tom Smedley]

I think that if you shot a tank filled with gasseous stuff it would just punch through and the gas would escape without a spectacular effect. What you need to do is fill the tank with liquid that is not compressible and then shoot the tank. The coke cans, paint cans, and vegetable cans that you see demonstrated are all filled with non-compressible liquid and thus the explosive effect.

We once shot a pallet of hot Carling Black Label beer with an M-60 and the results were admirable.

Better yet fill the tank with diesel fuel and set a burning warning flare on top. The tracer would probably burn out before 200 yards. The bullet would also have lost some velocity that far out too.

I once saw a propane cylinder like the ones used on portable lanterns shot and it did explode and the solid piece of shrapnel traveled more than 200 yards spinning as it went.

Be sure to notify the folks at the Darwin awards. They might want to send a film crew.

 

[H2Andy]

i assume this would be against the spirit of the thing (not to mention the law)
but what wuold happen if you put some plastic explosives on the side and shot
the explosives?

would it blow up?

 

[The Kraken]

Tom wrote:
"We once shot a pallet of hot Carling Black Label beer with an M-60 and the results were admirable."

. . . and you wonder why the other guys in the company were fragging your tent????

Bet you were the most popular guy in the company.

 

[H2Andy]

heheehhe... no kidding... at least shoot Bud Light if you got to shoot beer