Hello, I am new to the creation of coil guns and would love to build one some day but do not know enough about them yet. I have noticed that most people build them to work off of dc power sources. Can I build on that will work from an ac power source? If so, do I need to only use capacitors that are used in ac powered devices like a central heating and air unit?

As far as a coil goes, I was wondering if I could use the stator from an automobile alternator. I know the center is very big but what about if I wrapped another coil inside where the rotar would be, creating a double coil. Would this also count as a two stage coil system?
These questions may sound silly to those that have more knowledge of electricity and coil guns but like I stated before, I am new to this and any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.