Cardboard Toy: Make a Rubberband Gun Out of Cardboard

For today's Cardboard Project I'll show you how to make a Rubberband gun in short time with simple materials. When I was playing with them, we always had to get our hands on wood, get permission and help with tools etc. No Longer!

Supplies You'll need

1. Cardboard- this rifle used a piece about 30 inches x 10 inches. You'll want twice as much on hand.
2. One clothes pin (or a small binderclip like the one to the right will suffice).
3. Tape of any sort. Tan masking tape, blue painters tape, gaffers tape whatever.
4. Sharpie marker or other pen/ pencil.
5. X-Acto knife
6. Safe surface to cut on. Ideally a mat made for this purpose. The X-Acto will cut through to your floor or table without sufficient protection!
7. Double sided mounting tape to mount the clothes pin. 

First, draw a template of your rubberband gun on the cardboard and cut it out (conserve cardboard).

Now use your template to trace the image on the remaining cardboard stock as shown with 1/2 to 1 inch margin between the mirror images. It is important that the butt and tip of  the two images are in line so that when cut and folded they line up with each other.

Next cut the mirror images out leaving them connected.

Use a ruler to score LIGHTLY along the top edge of the rubberband gun as shown. The goal is to make the folding easy, do not cut all the way through; *Metal rulers are best when using a razor.

Fold the cardboard along these lines and tape either around as I did, or along the seam.

Use the double sided mounting tape to attach the clothes pin. do some testing and make sure to chose a comfortable location for the clothes pin before you tape it.  As suggested above, you can use a binder clip if that is all you've got. They work well but can wear out. Usually I'll tape these on by wrapping a few loops of tape through the mouth of the clip.

For riffles or other longer guns tie two rubber bands together to get the desired length. Too tight a rubber band can go off unexpectedly.

You can even make cardboard targets.

RULES:

• Never shoot at people or animals.
• Never point your rubber band gun at people or animals.
• Point the gun at the floor while you are loading it to prevent accidents.

Color it if you want. Happy Hunting!