
Zip gun - drev
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Improvised_firearm
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LyndsySimon
Probably the most effective of these if you have 12ga ammo available is a
“bang stick”. It’s basically a 12ga shell in a tube, with a spring that will
force it into a firing pin when it’s pressed against something and trips a
small lever holding back the spring. They’re used in shark hunting and for
self-defense by divers against sharks.

Here’s a commercial one, which has a safety pin that must be removed before it
will fire: [http://www.billsbangsticks.com/12-Gauge-
Powerhead_p_17.html](http://www.billsbangsticks.com/12-Gauge-
Powerhead_p_17.html)

In an insurgency situation, devices like this are best used to obtain
something better. Only being usable for a single shot isn’t necessarily a huge
disadvantage, especially if there are multiple people using them at the same
time. Pressed against heavy clothing, they also make surprising little noise.
The “Liberator” .45 pistol was made by the US with the intention of
airdropping the, to the French Resistance in WW2. In reality, almost all of
them ended up at the bottom of the Atlantic. The Sten 9mm SMG didn’t cost much
more to make and was much more effective.

~~~
jpitz
I remember one employed by the protagonist in one of Clancey's books, Without
Remorse.

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LyndsySimon
As a side note - it’s more difficult in the US to make a legal zip gun than an
illegal one. Smoothbores must have a 16” barrel or longer (18” for shotguns),
and an overall length of 26”.

If you’re making a semi-auto, it must be a closed bolt design, and the sear
must be designed to not reset until the trigger travels forward. It’s much
easier to make an open-bolt SMG than a semi-auto pistol.

~~~
UncleEntity
Can't remember the name of it but apparently there's a short-barrel shotgun on
the market that's legal simply because they asked the ATF if their
interpretation of the law meant it wasn't technically a short-barrel shotgun
but merely a firearm and they were like "yep". Think the thing has a 14"
barrel.

Also out here in the Wild, Wild West (aka Arizona) one can make pretty much
any firearm they wish as long as it isn't full-auto or has (IIRC) a barrel
over a 1/2" thanks to the last governor.

Anyhoo, the point is it varies on the gun laws depending on where you live.

~~~
LyndsySimon
I bet you're thinking of the Mossberg Shockwave. It's considered a "firearm"
under the National Firearms Act of 1934. There's also the Franklin Armory
"Reformation", that exploits a similar legal loophole by being smoothbore, and
therefore has a barrel under the legal limit for rifles. It's silly :)

> Also out here in the Wild, Wild West (aka Arizona) one can make pretty much
> any firearm they wish as long as it isn't full-auto or has (IIRC) a barrel
> over a 1/2" thanks to the last governor.

Federal laws still apply, and the NFA in particular is what makes DIY firearms
complicated. I'm in Arkansas, and it's about the same here as Arizona.

~~~
escherplex
_exploits a similar legal loophole by being smoothbore, and therefore has a
barrel under the legal limit for rifles. It 's silly_

Funny. I live in FL where a carry permit is relatively easy to obtain.
(Interesting that many local MDs in SW FL have one) But the Mossberg Shockwave
loophole is hilarious. Take for example New Jersey's supposedly highly
restrictive gun laws. An _assault weapon_ includes _A semi-automatic shotgun
with either a magazine capacity exceeding six rounds, a folding stock or a
pistol grip_ in their NJ Administrative Code Title 13. Yet a _Mossberg 590
Shockwave 12ga 14 inch 6-shot_ with a handle grip resembling an old flintlock
pistol is legal.

~~~
LyndsySimon
The original intention of the NFA, back in 1934, was to restrict handguns. The
"short-barreled rifle" and "short-barreled shotgun" provisions were designed
to limit how well a long arm could be concealed.

The handgun portion didn't survive, but the minimal length requirements did.

Also, interestingly, it wasn't a ban but a tax. Congress at the time believed
they didn't have the Constitutional authority to ban any class of firearms, so
they instituted a prohibitive tax ($200) on short-barreled rifles and
shotguns, "destructive devices", and automatics. There's a $5 tax on "any
other weapons", which these days mostly applies to guns that don't look like
guns.

Bear in mind that $200 in 1934 is about $3,700 today. At the time, you could
mail order a .45 Thompson submachine gun for about $200, so the law
effectively doubled the price. They were advertised as self-defense weapons
for property owners: [https://gastatic.com/digest/wp-
content/uploads/2016/04/tumbl...](https://gastatic.com/digest/wp-
content/uploads/2016/04/tumblr_n0ycbpNDiA1s57vgxo3_1280.jpg)

Automatics weren't banned until 1986, and even then, they weren't technically
banned - they just require that $200 tax, and it's not possible to pay the tax
for one made after May of 1986.

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matthberg
Not to be confused with a zip tie gun, a device indispensable to anyone doing
major cable routing work. It tightens the zip tie the perfect amount and then
cuts off the excess tail.

[https://www.ebay.com/bhp/zip-tie-gun](https://www.ebay.com/bhp/zip-tie-gun)

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tokai
The whole 3d printed gun scare boggled my mind. Making a single fire weapon
with some pipe is so easy nearly anyone could do it. Getting the ammunition
would be the hardest part were I live. Using a 3d printer take a lot more
skill and effort.

~~~
daveFNbuck
I think a lot of the scare comes from assuming you can easily 3D-print
something functionally identical to a handgun you'd buy at a store. There's
also the legitimate concern that 3D printing will one day be much easier.

~~~
leephillips
Of course, the plastic guns are practically useless:

[https://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/10/oh_no_its_the_plast...](https://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/10/oh_no_its_the_plastic_3d_gun/)

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reimertz
A bit unrelated but it made me surprisingly happy to see that my very small
hometown Vänersborg was mentioned in the article. Now I feel like going to our
local museum to get some more information about the mentioned gun.

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GW150914
Some of these are really impressive, but a lot look like overly involved ways
to lose a hand.

~~~
village-idiot
The pressures produced by even a .22lr are a bit intense. I wouldn’t fire any
of these

~~~
LyndsySimon
There are ways to reinforce the chamber and barrel to make them much safer,
and low powered .22 rounds that make testing a lot easier. I’ve built a few
smoothbore .22 rifles for fun, and have had no issues with them. They’re
accurate enough for small game out to 25 feet or so.

~~~
village-idiot
Oh yeah, it's possible. At certain levels of skill you basically are just
gunsmithing a new firearm.

That being said, I'd bet that most Zipguns are made by the desperate who lack
proper materials and relevant experience.

~~~
LyndsySimon
There are “traditional” designs that have been handed down through the
generations in both poorer areas of the US and in cities like NYC where legal
guns have been hard to obtain for a long time.

Someday I plan to collect some of them and publish a book :)

~~~
village-idiot
I'd be interested in seeing that. Maybe make a table top book full of
beautiful photographs?

~~~
GW150914
I’d love to see that too, and it would definitely be unique!

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mullikine
The weapon of choice for the GLA

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xkcd-sucks
It would be nice to rename this to "Improvised Firearms" (the article's actual
title), as the current title contains an ethnic slur

~~~
LyndsySimon
The term “zip gun” predates the slur. “Zip” means “fast”. As in, “I need a gun
now, and can’t wait until I can buy one”.

~~~
simcop2387
I believe it may also be related to the sound the bullets make too. Usually
you'd be using lower powered ammo and get less of a bang.

See noun form of zip, first definition
[https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/zip#English](https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/zip#English)

~~~
Klathmon
That's interesting! I assumed the name was because they tend to be held
together with zip-ties.

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ikeboy
Who would win - zip gun or zip bomb?

