Since the experts didn't answer. I'll give it a try. I don't know much about fast gun. In Big Gun there are several types of guns. Clippard, Canister, Indiana, Arizona are the ones I have heard of so far, and I have only been doing this for a month. The most common for turret usage is the Indiana. Here is a link to an animation showing how they work. Visit this site I believe BDE sells plans for them.
Preferred solution #1: Send Greg McFadden and email Preferred solution #2: Go to Battlersconnection.com, click "buy guns" & enter the quantity. Preferred solution #2b: Go to BDErc.com, click "buy guns" & enter the quantity. Seriously, though Big gun or fast fun? For Big Gun, there are some good tutorials on Queen's own. For Small Gun, hmmm... probably easiest to ask a buddy to show you his; or buy exactly 1 from bc & copy it. (don't re-sell it!)
I don't recall that the Queens Own website has anything showing Indiana cannons because they tend to use variations on the Arizona cannon, with one MJV-2 valve for every barrel. Fairly simple to build and reliable cannons, but a bit bulky and cumbersome to rotate. Indiana cannons are tougher to build, but more compact and easier to rotate. Both cannons are used in big gun. Fast gun uses a different design. The answer to your question depends on whether you are going with big gun or fast gun type clubs.
If you are looking for fast gun, and you have not dealt with rc combat bb cannons before, I would highly recommend that you purchase the singles from battlers connection and learn how they work with functioning cannon in hand. Then you can decide if it is worth the time to try to make them from parts.
Keep in mind RCWarships.com is shutdown. RCWarships.org is the successor to RCWarships.com, so the longer term safe link would be: http://www.rcwarships.org/rcwarships/nwc/gun01.html. The number of technical articles (including cannon articles) has been greatly increased in the NWC MkII. cheers Jeff
If you are looking at buying parts for guns at something like HOME DEPOT you will find the gun parts cost as much or more than buying them from Battlers Connection and then you still have to build them and hope they work after that, much easier to just buy them from a maker and if you want in the off season try building one for fun, personally if you look at making a gun for yourself and it will take a hour or more you are looking at a "labour cost of about 10-15$ for your lost time and then the parts so buying them starts to look much better and then you know they work. And there are no hassles later. Its up to you but I'd rather spend my time elsewhere and leave all the machining (easy to make a mistake) and soldering to someone else if I really don't need to do it. Keeps it more fun for me. []
Fast gun building: tools required: drill press, dremil bit, disk sander, small cut off saw, torch, vise Special order parts: stainless steel rivets, springs I set up to build guns a number of years back. I put a couple of hundred dollars into additional tools and about 50 dollars into special parts. I can probably supply all the guns for our local fleet for another 5-6 years. I don't charge for my time as it is an investment in the local club on my part. Unless you are on ship number three or trying to do something really weird, buy your guns. There is far too much else that you need to learn and master to keep your ship running. There is nothing like poor guns to make for a disappointing day (says the captain of the six unit crusier...). I set up a used hull with various spare gun parts that where laying around. I am lucky to have 2 of 5 guns working on any given sortie.
