Ever wondered how guns were made in the ancient times? Let's look into it today. Be careful, any modifications in this design will be done at your own risk, any injuries from this design will be solely your responsibility, I having no part in it.
Any firearm basically has only a few components-the trigger, the barrel, the combustion chamber, the fuel and the projectile. In this project we will make a basic projectile firing weapon that basically works on the same principle that inspired ancient muskets, bayonets and pistols. Our project would be lacking a basic component, the 'trigger', but don't worry I'll tell you what can be done as a substitute.
Barrel: So for the barrel I used this hollow metal rod with an open end and a small hole on the other. This rod will serve the purpose of both the barrel and the combustion chamber. Make sure its a sturdy one- if the rod ain't strong enough it'll explode in your face sending metal shrapnel flying towards you, and we don't currently have an arc reactor like Iron Man to keep it from piercing your heart, so be careful.
Fuel: Next we have to decide what will we use as a fuel. You don't need a very strong explosive, a simple firecracker will do because one, you need something in proportion with the size of your barrel and two, we don't want to make something that would attract the cops, so use something that can be arranged easily AND legally.
Bullet: Finally we need a projectile, i.e., our bullet. So here I've just nailed it, literally. I've used a small screw and I'll tell you why- because you just need something that can go into your barrel easily leaving minimum empty space around its side, and it should be able to maintain maximum accuracy and damage. For the accuracy, we all know that a screw has rings around it, that gives it a nice spin when it cuts through the air and gives it rotational stability (the same reason why bullets and missiles go spinning towards the target) hence increasing the accuracy; and for the damage, umm let's just say it looked dangerous and pointy.
Okay let's test it out. I just slid in a small firecracker which luckily had approximately the same diameter as that of my barrel. Remember, the lesser empty space in the barrel, the more power the explosion will generate, and the more velocity the projectile will have. I pulled the fuse out of the small hole at one end. Finally put your bullet in the barrel and secure the barrel in a clamp, because the recoil will just propel the barrel like a rocket, if unsecured.
Ignite the fuse and run away. In my case, the energy lose from the explosion was quite lesser than I expected, and the bullet just pierced through the .2 cm thick stainless steel plate kept 10 feet away from the gun-decent stopping power there. It had also created quite an impact on the wooden support behind.
Trigger: So our basic gun is ready, however its more like a cannon than a gun right now, because it lacks a trigger. I didn't include a trigger in my design, but you can-its very easy. Remember the nichrome wire experiment from your primary school science fair? We'll use that. Just seal the ignition hole, drill two holes just near the ignition end, pass a nichrome wire through your barrel and seal it. Now when you want to fire, just connect the free ends of your nichrome wire to a 9V battery and it'll grow red hot. Now just put your gunpowder taken from inside that cracker, put it in the barrel, put the bullet it, and ignite it using your very own electric trigger.
So how do you like it? Please share your views with me in the comments!
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