Another means of utilising dry ice in spud guns is to use the sublimation of dry ice to create substantial pressure behind a valve, and placing a barrel on the other side of that valve with a projectile loaded into it. Pressures behind the valve can reach upwards of , and by quickly releasing the valve, the projectile can be launched. Whilst this method is more controllable and in many means safer than utilising a soda bottle as a burst disk (provided pressure rated valves and piping are used), it is limited in that quick release valves, such as ball valves, are generally not bigger in diameter than 1 or 2 inches. Additionally, they cannot be opened as rapidly as a soda bottle will rupture, and consequently there is less immediate airflow. However, this is offset by the fact that such a design can operate at more than double the pressure of a typical dry ice bomb launcher, as soda bottles will rupture at only .
