How to Make a Paper Gun That Shoots

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: July 11, 2023 Tested

is a fun way to spend a rainy afternoon and have target practice inside. You can create origami guns or a pistol with a trigger that shoots paper bullets. With a little patience and a few folds, you can set up your own shooting gallery.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Making a Paper Tube Pistol

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1
Gather your supplies. Before you begin assembling your gun, you'll need certain supplies. To start, gathering the following:
- Several pieces of durable paper (8.5x11", any color)
- Scotch tape
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Marker
- Hot Glue
- A rubber band ^{[1]
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2
Roll your first piece of paper into a cylinder, starting in the corner and working up. To start, select one piece of paper. Roll the paper into a thin tube. Gently roll the origami paper into a cylinder shape, leaving a space in the middle if possible. It should look something like a small cardboard paper towel roll. This is your mold, and you'll use it to help roll the rest of the paper tubes needed to make a paper pistol. ^{[2]
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- It should be about the diameter of a pencil. If in trouble, you can even use a pen or pencil to help you get the shape right.
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To make your gun, you'll be sliding the first tube into a second, larger tube in order to shoot. To create the second tube, roll a second piece of origami paper around the first tube you created. When the second paper is completely rolled up, gently slide the first tube out of your new tube. You will now have another tube, slightly bigger than your first. Like the first tube, this tube should something like a cardboard paper towel roll. ^{[3]
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Once you've rolled up your tube, secure the tube with your scotch tape. Place one piece of tape on either end of the tube to keep it together. Then, trim down the sides of the tube using your scissors. You want the sides to be smooth and even, with no awkward bits of paper slipping out on the sides. ^{[4]
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5
Roll up two more identical tubes, then cut them to the following lengths. Keep rolling your tubes up the same as the first time. Then, use scissors, a ruler, and a marker to cut your tubes into the following lengths.
- For the barrel: You need to have two 15cm tubes.
- For the handle: You need to have seven 5cm tubes
- For the trigger: You need to have one 8 cm tube.
6
Make a handle by hot gluing all of the 5cm tubes together at a slight angle. Stack all of the tubes on top of each other, then slightly offset them by moving the bottom ones to the right, diagonally (this mimics the shape of a normal pistol handle). Hot glue them, one on top of the other, together to make a long, thin handle for your gun.
- You can also glue them on straight, then cut one end of the handle diagonally, forming a slight angle. Trim down the angle with your scissors to smooth out the sides. ^{[5]
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The excess tube should be on the side the handle slants towards. In other words, if you were holding the gun up to shoot, the extra 3cm would point back at you. This is going to be the "trigger tube" of the gun.
This is the barrel of your pistol, so it needs to point away from you, of course. Line up the back of the barrel with roughly the center of your handle, then hot glue it in place.
This time, don't worry about there being a space. Roll up some paper (it is nice if you can use a different color) into round tubes just a bit thinner than your first set. These new ones need to be able to slide in and out of the older tubes. To get them thinner, roll them without the guide. You should also cut off the last 4-5" triangular inches of paper as you're rolling the tubes to decrease the thickening paper in the center of the tube.
10
Bend a thin tube into a U so that it slides into the trigger tube and the top tube of the handle. Trim away the excess so that there is only 1/4" of tube poking out of the back of the trigger chamber and nothing poking out of the back of the handle. The bend in the U is on the barrel side. This will be your trigger -- when you pull the trigger back, this little extra bit should pop out the back of the trigger chamber.
- Make sure that the tube can slide freely back and forth. This is your trigger, after all.
Bend the tube into an S-shape, flattening the curvy parts as needed. Slide one end of the paper into the second highest tube of the handle (right below your trigger), letting the curve in the "S" become a little trigger guard. Hot glue the leftover tube to the bottom of the barrel and cut off any excess.
12
Flatten a thin paper tube with your fingers, then use it to "close off" the back of the handle. This tube should be flattened into a long, thin rectangular strip. You then hot glue it to the back of the handle, curving it around the front and under your trigger guard, if you have one. The goal is to close off all of the unnecessary openings in the tubes on the handle of the gun, but the essential one to close is the one right behind the trigger.
- DO NOT close up the trigger chamber. This needs to be open to load and fire the gun.
- In the end, you'll create an "outline" of sorts of the bottom of the gun. This is why using another color looks so good.
Remove the trigger, and put in the spring so that it presses against the outline tube. This will allow your trigger to spring back automatically after you shoot the gun.
14
Make the rubber band trigger and firing mechanism. Fold a piece of origami paper in half twice, forming a long, thin line of paper. Roll this line into a squat tube. Secure the tube with a single piece of scotch tape and trim down the sides to smooth them out. This should look like a tiny toilet paper roll. Then...
- Take your scissors and cut the tube open. Then, take your rubber band and place it inside the tube. ^{[6]
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- Tape the tube back together. You should now have a small, squat paper roll with a rubber band running through it. This is the trigger of your gun. ^{[7]
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Cut the ends so that, with the rubber banded end as close to the back of the barrel as you can get it, not part of the tube pokes out of the front of barrel.
Make sure the back of the trigger rests right at the opening of trigger chamber. When you pull the trigger back, the bit of tube that pokes out unhooks the trigger, which releases the rubber band and shoots your bullets.
Now, your gun should shoot. Roll bits of origami paper into small balls. Place a ball into the end of the gun opposite the handle and trigger, and hook the rubber band up. Pull the trigger to release the rubber band, shooting the trigger tube forward and firing your bullets. The ball should shoot out of the gun. ^{[8]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Making an Origami Pistol

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1
Prepare two strips of paper, folding them into long, thin strips. To start making an origami gun, you'll need to prepare two sheets of paper. Take a large rectangular sheet of origami paper. Fold it in half and tear it into two smaller, wider rectangles. You will fold each smaller sheet using the following process:
- Fold the rectangle in half from top to bottom, creating a smaller, narrower rectangle. Then, unfold the paper. ^{[9]
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- Use the crease in the center of the paper as a guide. The paper is now in two halves. Fold one-half inward, so the end of the paper lines up with create. Then, fold the other half inward, so the end of the paper lines up with crease. The two ends of the paper should meet at the crease of the paper. ^{[10]
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- Now, fold the paper inward along the crease. You should have a long, thin strip of folded paper. ^{[11]
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2
Fold one strip into a horseshoe Take one strip of paper and fold it in half from end to end. Then, unfold the paper. The crease at the center of the strip should divide it into two halves. Fold the end of the right half at a 90-degree angle. Then, fold the other half into a 90-degree angle. The paper should look something like a small paper horseshoe. ^{[12]
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- The width of the center, horizontal section should be twice the width of your long pieces. Place the strip to the right of your center line. Then fold the "arm" of the horseshoe right where it meets the thin strip in the center.
Keeping the fold starting in the same place, re-angle the horseshoe so it looks a bit like a squared teardrop. There should be a nice triangle in the middle.
It will be a bit like a lower-case "L," with a long strip and slight curvy bit at the end. You should also fold your long, thin strip of paper in half too.
5
Entwine the other strip with the first by pushing the ends of the strip into the openings in the handle. Things can get a bit tricky here, so go slowly. Take your second strip of paper and fold it in half from end to end. You will be inserting this strip into the handle:
- Pull the handle apart slightly. The bent down portion should have two small openings. Feed either end of the second strip through these openings. ^{[13]
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- Pull both ends of the second folded strip through the openings of the horseshoe. Keep pulling until the two strips are forming a wide angle of roughly 110 degrees. The two ends of the strip will form the "barrel" of the pistol. ^{[14]
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You should now be able to see the outline of a gun. There should be a small folded strip of paper hanging out just underneath the gun's barrel. Pull down on this strip of paper gently, until it hangs down below the gun. You should now be able to bend this handle in and out like a trigger. ^{[15]
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7
Using a precision art knife, cut a small 1/2" notch right above the handle. This is where you "load" the gun." The incision should be roughly 1/4" deep and 1/2 wide. Place it roughly in the center of the diagonal "trigger" of the gun.
- You may need to cut twice -- once through the barrel and once through the opening underneath. If you do, try and stagger them a bit to make a "hammer" on your gun, or the small lever you see people pull back before shooting in movies. This little extra notch will help hold the rubber band in place.
- Make sure there is a deep enough notch to hook a rubber band (bullet) onto.
This just needs to be big enough to hold a rubber band on the other side. You can then attach the band between this notch and the first one you made. When you pull the "trigger" you move the notch enough to release the rubber band, causing it to fire!

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Question

How does the firing mechanism work?

Community Answer

When you press the trigger, the back end pushes the tube with the rubber band so it slides forward really fast, firing the bullet.

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Question

How would I make a bullet for the first method?

Community Answer

Cut a strip of paper, rolling it so it is thick enough to slide in the barrel. Cut off one tip so the bullet has a flat bottom.

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Question

How can I put the rubber band in the notches (method two)?

Community Answer

Put half on the first notch and half on the second notch. But first make sure your band is long enough.

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Tips

Make tight folds and roll the paper evenly for best results.

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Set up plastic cups in a pyramid to create a target to shoot at.

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Warnings

Do not make or bring paper guns to school. Zero tolerance policies could result in suspension or expulsion.

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Do not shoot your paper guns towards other people.

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How to Make a Paper Gun That Shoots

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Making a Paper Tube Pistol

Making an Origami Pistol

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