How to Make your own Working Lego Gun in 33 steps!

Because GI JOE needs some help raiding Barbie's dream house and needs to eliminate Ken.

This site is dedicated to help people build LEGO guns, handguns and shotguns, fully working, capable of firing projectiles with a maximum effective range of 4 feet. Feel free to modify the instructions and add onto them.

July 27, 2005 update: Added Parts list for the MP5A 10019 blockade runner.

July 26, 2005 Announcement:  I have taken the liberty of photographing the mp5 in a series of steps. These photos are not the best quality, and may require some thinking to figure out what I did to complete the model, but if you own the Lego 10019 Blockade Runner, all the pieces you need (except some optional black 2x2 tiles for reducing friction) are there. That will make the building process somewhat easier. If you don't have the 10019, you're likely not going to have half the pieces you need anyways. Good luck either way.

You can view the blueprints here at Brickshelf, in an effort to save as much bandwidth (not like lots of people visit anyways) since the plans are around several megabytes. They're documented in exploded view, as it allows for fewer pictures. I've enhanced the blurred pictures with mspaint so the important details are viewable. While you're there, go browse the rest of Brickshelf too. They have some nice LEGO creations.

Side note: For anyone out there dreaming of making a LEGO semi-automatic, I can honestly say, IT IS POSSIBLE! You can make it go into semi-auto fire without aid of a recoil. Details soon.

March 15, 2005: Update: Added a parts list for the handgun.

The LEGO Gun: From The Ground Up

This LEGO gun is a single shot single action rubber band powered firing mechanism. The rubber band functions like a crossbow's string, pulling the bolt forward. Therefore, increasing the angle which the rubber band operates increases the power, and so does increasing the tension. The Handgun is slide operated, capable of shooting a small light projectile about 3 feet. The slide pulls back the bolt and locks the bolt into place by trapping it in a series of levers. The trigger depresses a lever holding back the bolt, allowing the bolt to move forward and fire.

This gun has been long since dismantled. The components fueled the second generation, the pump action shotgun. The shotgun replaces the previous model's unstable slide with a more secure fork that pushes the bolt back. This allows for more heavy abuse than the handgun allowed. With increased structural integrity, the gun can sustain repeated firing and recocking without self-imploding. There are two "barrels" stacked on top of each other. The top barrel is the magazine, holding all the rounds and dropping them in by tilting the gun barrel upwards. The bottom is the firing chamber. Each round is held in place from falling into the barrel by the bolt. When the bolt is cocked, a round can freely drop down into the chamber. This provides the advantage of moving about without the ammunition falling out of the barrel.

The shotgun has undergone several incarnations and revisions, mostly for aesthetics, originally overlooked in the design process. The cost for the shotgun's parts may range from $150-$200, depending on how old your collection is and parts needed. Significant revisions include a more ergonomic handle as opposed to the oval cross section box used for the gun. Increased strength and reduction of technic beams to provide an easier to clean model and a cleaner look.

Disclaimers and Advice on Building a LEGO Gun

Since the creation of this site three years ago, things have changed and I have learned much. Here are some tips for making your LEGO guns:

1.) This gun wears down bricks easily. Coat the sides of movable parts with clear transparent tape. This helps reduce friction wear. I like to coat the inner parts like the shotgun pump guide walls and the pump itself.

2.) Don't use non-LEGO parts. Megabloks suck. They can't hold together to withstand the forces this gun can output. Use technic beams whenever possible since they hold better, however rare they are to come by nowadays.

3.) Take the basic engine I have given to you as a guide. Do not fear changing the structure if you feel you think it is better than the one outlined. The plans have since changed over time, and these instructions have not been updated, simply because it is a pain.

4.) You may be tempted to glue your gun together. Highly not suggested, as this prohibits tinkering and future modifications.

5.) For obtaining the parts you need, especially to make your gun look nice, people suggest Bricklink. Ebay is another solution, as old components are listed often, but you will not get parts cheap. If you have access to a LEGO store outlet, they have some nice deals on parts. Of course, LEGOLAND also works. Projected costs to build the handgun now hovers around $40-60 USD.

Before you go looking in your pile of parts to start building this, here's a small disclaimer:

This site is not affiliated with the LEGO company, nor endorses, suggests or supports using this product for violence. I am not responsible for any repercussions for possessing a LEGO gun in any area, any harm, destruction, or arrests resulting from this product. You cannot hold me liable for anything, in other words.

With that settled, you may need to check if you can actually build the thing. If all your pieces are circa 1999-2003 and above, you may not be able to complete this project.  This is also true if you are using really old Technic parts before 1997, because THIS GUN REQUIRES PIECES THAT CAN HANDLE  LOTS OF STRESS. SOME PARTS MAY BREAK IF THEY ARE CHEAP SUBSTITUTIONS FOR WHAT I HAVE LISTED OR ARE SUBJECT TO STRONG IMPACT FORCES. Strong impact forces? What the hell does that mean? It means that the pieces will be slamming against another, increasing the likelihood that they will crack, warp, become scratched or downright explode into fragments.

Personal note: YES, I have had pieces break and fragment. But they were expendable. Build this not because you love mint condition bricks, because they will look like crap after firing about 10 rounds.

Ready? GOOD! Get started with the instructional links below.

Check out the Brickshelf site for more pics of various things I have developed.

Munitions: In the event you want help choosing your LEGO ammunition. Anything light and pointy works well. Here's a chart of experimented ammunition.

Bullet	Range	Rating/recommendation	Comments
Crayon	2-3 meters	Highly recommended, stockpile in bulk	Fragmentation round
Pen	1-1.5 meters	Recommended for availability, cheap and plenty	Light piercing (paper sheet)
x-acto knife	0.5-0.75 meters	Low, and expensive	no piercing power, despite pointiness
AAA battery	0.3-0.5 meters	commonly obtained, Perfect muzzle size.	Dents wood.
AA Battery	0.3-0.5 meters	common, too big for handgun, perfect for shotgun.	Dents wood, may crack open casing.
Lego Brick	1.0-2.0 meters	Not suggested, may damage bricks	unless you have lots to spare, do not use.
pencil	1.0 meters	recommend for variable point and length grades	Light piercing, low fracture

Other sites of interest:

http://www.mocpages.com/home.php/631

http://www.sentex.net/~mwandel/legos/gun.html

Questions? Comments? Or do you have Lego guns of your own?

Email me at [email protected] with any questions or .dat files of your gun. Please put some semblance of a topic in the subject line. Blank subjects are really annoying.

Thanks for everyone's support, whoever has taken the time to e-mail me with questions.

Last Modified July 26, 2005. Pictures drawn with MLCAD a LEGO drawing program.

Get it. Install it. Run it. Draw with it.

Then delete it after you get bored with it.