I imagine it'd be fine for a single use even holding the thing if it's a low-power bird-shot shell.
Frankly I'm surprised by all the comments here dismissing the practicality of the plastic pipe gun.
Sure, there's risk of it potentially failing, but the whole scenario is implicitly a pretty desperate situation where someone's constructing a single-use firearm on a budget near zero. Safety and reliability aren't going to be the top priorities.
It wouldn't surprise me if you were able to fire a smaller caliber slug from PVC simply by sizing the barrel larger than the slug so there's not a good seal containing the pressure. Sure you'll lose muzzle velocity and accuracy, but for an up-close weapon it can still be lethal while reducing the explosion risks.
Anyone who's played with class-c fireworks like mortars will know that even a thin cardboard tube can be both safe and reusable in launching loose-fitting projectiles with black powder. The powder I removed from .357 bullets and mortars as a pyromaniac kid was pretty damn similar, almost identical looking in grain size and flame speed when burned in open air.
The police found a piece of trash and called it a firearm to cover their asses after blowing a quarter million dollars (err, 100,000 pounds?) investigating a hole in the ground.
It should be incumbent on the police to prove that a person intended to build a firearm if they find a tubular piece of trash in the ground and want to put you in jail for 5 years.
The picture of the pipe is has 43mm stamped on it. A 12 ga slug is only like 18mm in diameter. That's so large that I would be amazed a 12 ga slug would even leave the the pipe in the manner you describe. Even if it did you could throw the slug farther and faster.
It was probably just a storage container to keep stuff dry from moisture since he seems like buried stuff in caches. It would also explain why both ends have threading.
This is just police being extremely stupid or saving face. This guy needs some better legal help there is no way that was a firearm.
"The picture of the pipe is has 43mm stamped on it."
Ah. Good catch. Yeah, that's really dumb to call it a gun then. Sort of makes you wonder about the other police claim of meth lab chemicals and equipment.
Yet they still jailed this poor guy. I amazed a judge, or jury member did not notice the insanity of the claim. The guy is homeless so not like he could afford a decent lawyer. He really needs legal help in my opinion.
I only saw one photo of the thing which didn't show any of the interior details at all.
I'm assuming the police at least scrutinized it enough to determine it was indeed an improvised gun, i.e. verified some kind of firing pin mechanism.
As for its diameter, I don't know why you're assuming there's not a coaxial arrangement going on here. Did you see photos showing details I didn't see? URL please if so.
