Introduction
This is a PVC pressurized air rifle that I built in high school, which was initially designed to shoot Nerf foam darts. However, after learning that foam darts cannot withstand the force of the air pressure from the rifle, I had to experiment to find a lower pressure which did not shred the foam dart midflight. The air rifle was made with standard PVC pipe and cement along with a large amount of 3D printed components. The main idea of the gun has a pressurized chamber which goes to an electric solenoid valve that is powered by a lithium ion battery when the trigger is pulled. The air chamber is pressurized when the air pump switch is pressed which fills the chamber to a pressure determined on the air gauge. A laser diode and LED light is also on the rifle. The air rifle was constructed over a few months including the design and construction of a couple prototypes. Many of the key components feature unique physics most of which is covered in detail. The energy from the pressure, aerodynamics of the darts, and trajectory of the projectile are just some of the topics.

            Hover the cursor over the image above for a diagram of the main parts.