Make a Paper Gun

Making paper guns is easy and only requires a few common household items. Try your hand with a basic paper gun, and work your way up to a paper gun that fires real paper bullets! We'll show you how.

Steps

Making a Basic Paper Gun

  1. Build your handle. Fold the top edge down to the bottom edge, matching the corners. Repeat this fold two more times.
    • Make your folds crisp and precise. Try using a bone folder (available at craft or art supply stores) to help crease your paper precisely.
  2. Fold each end of the handle down at a 90° angle. The fold should fall approximately 3½" from the edge.
  3. Fold the rectangle in half so the perpendiculars align. The top of the gun (where the barrel will attach) is the edge with the open flaps.
  4. Make the barrel. Take your other sheet of paper and fold it in half widthwise. Cut this paper on the fold, so you have an 8½" x 5½" rectangle.
    • Fold this paper in half lengthwise twice. Then fold the right edge over to the left edge and crease firmly.
  5. Load your gun. Take the barrel, open ends down, and fit it onto the handle where the open flaps face up.
  6. Cock your gun and you're set!!

Making a Paper Gun That Fires Paper Bullets

  1. Make your inner tube. Grab an 8½" x 11" piece of paper and lay it on a table so the short end runs parallel to the edge of the table. Roll the paper into a 1"-1½" tube. Tape the tube in place.
    • Tape the tube in the middle, and at both ends of the tube.
  2. Make your outer tube. Take another 8½" x 11" piece of paper. Place the first tube at the end of the fresh sheet of paper and roll it up. Be sure the second tube is neither too tight, nor too loose. Tape the outer tube.
    • You can check on the fit by taping the outer tube and then attempting to slide the inner in and out of the outer tube. The inner tube should move easily, but not fall out of the outer tube.
    • Pull the inner tube out of the outer tube.
  3. Build your loading mechanism. With scissors, cut two parallel slits (approximately ½" long and 1½" apart) across the the inner tube. The slits should sit near the middle of the tube.
    • Cut out a rectangle by cutting from one slit to the other.
  4. Set the two tubes side-by-side. Keeping the inner tube in place, slide the outer tube backwards 1½". Comparing the two tubes, use a pencil to sketch out the approximate length of the inner tube's rectangle on the outer tube.
    • Cut the rectangle out of the outer tube. Fit the inner tube back into the outer tube. the two rectangle should align when you pull the inner tube out. This is where you will load your paper bullets.
  5. Build your handle. Take another sheet of 8½" x 11" paper. Roll it into a tube and secure the tube with tape. The circumference of this tube does not matter, but should approximately match the other tubes you've already rolled.
    • Cut this tube to the desired handle length. Cutting the tube in half is a good starting length, but you can choose how long or short to make it.
    • Tape the bottom of the handle.
  6. Attach the handle. Tape the handle to the bottom of the outer tube. Use a couple pieces of tape to sure the handle to the body of the gun.
    • Before taping your handle, make sure the loading slots are positioned either on the top or side of the gun.
    • You can create a second handle to be placed under the barrel of the gun for support. Use the leftover tube cut from the handle and cut it to the desired length. Tape this secondary handle to the bottom of the barrel of the gun.
  7. Create a loading knob. Pull the inner tube forward out of the outer tube. On the back end of the outer tube, cut two ½" slits, ½" apart. Cut across the slits and remove the small rectangular piece of paper.
    • Push the inner tube back in through the outer tube and pull it out the back. Using a scrap from one of your cut tubes, roll a tight ½" long tube. Wrap that tube in tape and affix that smaller tube, or loading knob, to the inner tube using thin pieces of tape. This knob should fit in the slits created on the outer tube.
  8. Make your bullets. Cut out 3" x 3" square of paper and place them on your table so they look like diamonds. Roll the squares from the right-hand corner to the left-hand corner, making a cone. Tape the cone tightly.
    • You can cut the open end of the bullet down if you feel it is too long to fit in the chamber easily.
  9. Load and shoot. Pull the loading knob back and place your bullet into the chamber. Push the loading knob back into place. Blow through the back of the gun. Bask in the glory of having made your very own (firing) paper gun!


Tips

  • Experiment with paper of different weights. Thicker paper can give you more stability.

Warnings

  • Do not shoot paper bullets at pets as the tips can be sharp.

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