Zip Gun
By: Invisible stalker: hell's hackers
Date: january 22, 1984 Revised: march 7, 1986
The gun which I am about to explain how to build is an original style zip- gun. Other zip-guns have been made, but most have been of inferior quality and are very dangerous to operate. The gun I have constructed is easy to use and safe to operate.
Zip-guns where used during the gang war era because of their easiness to build and their small size. Many prisoners of have been known to construct zip-guns while in jail (but I have not heard of any prisoner escaping using a zip-gun). Today's Militants make them just for the hell of it or to shoot once in an assassination or riot and throw away if there is any danger of apprehension.
you will need
(1) ball point pen - approximately 5.3 Inches long (metal).
(1) Strong spring - approximately 1.59 Inches long (able to fit inside
2nd half and a little bit of the first).
(1) Strong metal bar - approximately 2.5 Inches long (able to fit
inside pen).
(1) Strong small metal bar (a little bigger then the circumference of
the spring and able to slide easily thru the 2nd half of the pen).
A few .22 Caliber bullets.
(1) soldering iron.
-please note: diagrams not to scale.
First untwist the ball point pen and take out all the insides (you may break them to get them out because they are not needed and should be discarded (see diag. A).
-The pen (diag. A)-
--------------------------
-< + :*]
--------------------------
^ ^
1St half 2nd half
< denotes pen tip (where the ink comes out).
+ Denotes middle (separation point of pen).
*] denotes push button.
Now take the metal bar (larger one) and attach it to the push button (see Diag. B).
-Firing pin (diag.B)-
--------------------*
^ ^
metal bar push button
You can attach it by either shoving the metal bar into the bottom or by soldering it in place (please note: I recommend soldering the metal bar in place). Important - the metal bar must be attached in the exact middle of the push button (the metal bar will act as a striking pin and must be in the exact center so it will strike the middle of the bullet causing the bullet to go off).
With the metal bar now firmly attached to the push button, put the push button inside the pen like it should be (see diag. C).
-Firing pin placement (diag. C)
--------------------
-B-B-:-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-*]
--------------------
^
2nd half
-B- denotes metal bar.
: Denotes middle (separation point of pen).
*] denotes push button.
Now take the spring and slide it over the metal bar (see diag.D).
-Placement of spring (diag. D)
---------------------
-B-B-:BXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXB*]
---------------------
^
2nd half
-B- denotes metal bar.
: Denotes middle (separation point of pen).
*] denotes push button.
X denotes spring around metal bar.
Now with the spring around the metal bar and the push button where it Should be, attach (by soldering or twisting, soldering preferred) the small metal bar to the metal bar (see diag.E).
-Attachment of small metal bar (diag. E)
. -------------------
-B-B^B-:BXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXB*] ' -------------------
-B- denotes metal bar.
: Denotes middle (separation point of pen).
*] denotes push button.
X denotes spring around metal.
^ denotes small metal bar attached to metal bar.
Note: it might also be helpful to solder the small metal bar to the Spring along with soldering it to the metal bar.
Pull back push button as far as it will go while holding onto the second half of the pen. Now let go and the metal bar (longer one) should snap forward and then return to its approximate starting position.
A .22 Caliber bullet should now be placed in the 1st half of the "pen" approximately 1 1/2 millimeters in front of where the metal bar would be if the "pen" was put back together. Be sure to tape (or whatever you think will work) the bullet inside the casing or else the bullet, if moved, might go off accidentally (see diag.F).
-Bullet placement (diag. F)-
---------------------------
< <* -B^B:BXXXXXXXXXXXB*]
---------------------------
^ ^
1St half 2nd half
-B- denotes metal bar.
: Denotes middle (sepearation point of pen).
*] denotes push button.
X denotes spring around metal bar.
^ denotes small metal bar attached to metal bar.
Pull back on push button as far as it will go, then let go - the bullet has just been fired (easy, right?). If you wish to shoot another bullet, untwist the "pen", take out the shell and reload (see placement of bullet).
The bullet will tumble when shot instead of the spiraling because the inside of the 1st half (the barrel) has no lands or grooves. Tumbling is good because the bullet will rip thru a target, but it does cause the bullet to be off target approximately 3-4 inches. Having no lands or grooves makes the bullet hard to be traced back to its source (no striations). If you wish to make lands and grooves, you can by taking a screw and twisting it inside the 1st half of the "pen" (adds striations to bullet).
I would also advise you to cut off the tip of the "pen". If the tip is left on, the bullet will still shoot, but it will blow thru the tip and send pieces of the pen flying in different directions (also causing the bullet to be off target.)
-Optional: diagram-removal of tip-
/
/----------------
--/ :
< / :
--/ :
/----------------
/
< denotes tip (where ink used to come out).
: Denotes middle (separation point of pen).
/ Denotes where tip should be removed (just enough to let the
bullet shoot out).
-complete diagaram (with tip removed)-
-----------:-------------
/-----------:-------------
<*+= B-^-:BXXXXXXXXXXXB*]
/-----------:-------------
-----------:-------------
/ Denotes where the pen "caves in" after tip is removed.
<*+= Denotes .22 Bullet taped to bottom.
-B- denotes metal bar.
^ denotes small metal bar.
: Denotes middle (the separating point of the pen).
X denotes spring around metal bar.
*] denotes push button.
- one shot capacity-only one bullet can be shot at a time (you must reload the gun everytime you want to shoot)
- Not as accurate as a regular .22 Caliber gun (but the gun was not intended for target shooting).
- Looking like a pen may cause dangerous situations.
- easy to build.
- Easy to use.
- Easy to conceal and discard.
- Low cost (almost nothing).
I would like to thank dr. Nikon and the sumpman (mr. Forensic) for helping me put together this file.
-=*>Invisible stalker
hell's hackers<*=-
Commonly known as "zip" guns, guns made from pipe have been used for years by juvenile punks. Today's Militants make them just for the hell of it or to shoot once in an assassination or riot and throw away if there is any danger of apprehension.
They can be used many times but with some, a length of dowel is needed to force out the spent shell.
There are many variations but the illustration shows the basic design.
First, a wooden stock is made and a groove is cut for the barrel to rest in. The barrel is then taped securely to the stock with a good, strong tape.
The trigger is made from galvanized tin. A slot is punched in the trigger flap to hold a roofing nail, which is wired or soldered onto the flap. The trigger is bent and nailed to the stock on both sides.
The pipe is a short length of one-quarter inch steel gas or water pipe with a bore that fits in a cartridge, yet keeps the cartridge rim from passing through the pipe.
The cartridge is put in the pipe and the cap, with a hole bored through it, is screwed on. Then the trigger is slowly released to let the nail pass through the hole and rest on the primer.
To fire, the trigger is pulled back with the left hand and held back with the thumb of the right hand. The gun is then aimed and the thumb releases the trigger and the thing actually fires.
Pipes of different lengths and diameters are found in any hardware store. All caliber bullets, from the .22 to the .45 are used in such guns.
Some zip guns are made from two or three pipes nested within each other. For instance, a .22 shell will fit snugly into a length of a car's copper gas line. Unfortunatey, the copper is too weak to withstand the pressure of the firing. So the length of gas line is spread with glue and pushed into a wider length of pipe. This is spread with glue and pushed into a length of steel pipe with threads and a cap.
Using this method, you can accomodate any cartridge, even a rifle shell. The first size of pipe for a rifle shell accomodates the bullet. The second accomodates its wider powder chamber.
A 12-gauge shotgun can be made from a 3/4 inch steel pipe. If you want to comply with the gun laws, the barrel should be at least eighteen inches long.
Its firing mechanism is the same as that for the pistol. It naturally has a longer stock and its handle is lengthened into a rifle butt. Also, a small nail is driven half way into each side of the stock about four inches in the front of the trigger. The rubber band is put over one nail and brought around the trigger and snagged over the other nail.
In case you actually make a zip gun, you should test it before firing it by hand. This is done by first tying the gun to a tree or post, pointed to where it will do no damage. Then a string is tied to the trigger and you go off several yards. The string is then pulled back and let go. If the barrel does not blow up, the gun is (probably) safe to fire by hand. Repeat firings may weaken the barrel, so NO zip gun can be considered "safe" to use.