The "Flintlock" Hybrid Rubber Band Gun

I don't always get bored in school. But when I do, I build weapons. This came from a cool idea I had to shoot not just rubber bands from a rubber band gun, but something else, too, to make it hit harder. Hence the "Hybrid" nature of this weapon. It shoots not only rubber bands, but also key rings, which hurt more. This can also be modified slightly to make it a reloadable close-range weapon that stings like the dickens.

This is actually a really simple weapon. All you need is a regular, UNSHARPENED, Number 2 yellow pencil, a regular-sized, fairly new clothespin, a couple of about 1 inch diameter rubber bands, and a bunch of smaller bands like the black one. (I put a quarter in there for reference.) You should also get a bunch of key rings. I also found out that that plastic string, called lanyard, I think, you use to weave those key chains (like the ones Napoleon made infinity of at scout camp) is really useful cause it's stronger than rubber bands, stretches a little, and ties tight. It's be good to have some of that on hand. You barely need any- maybe like 4 inches at most. Also- get yourself some folding scissors. You can use regular, but everyone knows folding are better. I don't care what you do. Just get your hands on some. You're going to need a small knife later, too.

Really, the only building step. Assuming you have the same clothespin I do, you should have a little notch behind the bigger notch. You're going to want to put one of the 1 inch rubber bands through the notch and around the eraser end of the pencil a couple of times. This will help keep the clothespin in place when you load the gun. You could also use tape, but if you use too much it could keep the pin from closing all the way and release the rubber band before you want to fire. Same with a band that's too big. After that, you can put a piece of plastic string through the spring and tie it tight around the pencil as well. Make sure you tie the string as tight as you can. It keeps it much more stable then with just a band. Now that you're done attaching the pin, optionally, you can put another 1 inch band between the pencil and the pin in that small notch on the outside of the pin. You can slip two fingers through the band and point it like a gun.

To hold the rubber band at the front, carve a small notch in the front of the pencil, parallel to the pin. I tried to use the gun without it, and it was much harder to load.

This is pretty much the main idea of the Flintlock. It fires not only rubber bands, but also combination band-key ring "slugs". The slugs are really easy to make. Just take one of your smaller bands, put it around a key ring, push it through itself, and pull it tight. Then open the clothespin, put the ring in, close it, and pull the band into the notch on the pencil. Now you're loaded! Remember- it'll also fire normal rubber bands, not just slugs.

As promised, this easy mod allows you to shoot people at close range without losing your slug. First, load the gun. Then, hold the end in the notch while you wrap another band around the end on top of the loaded band. Now you can shoot people from a couple of inches away with no loss of ammo!