The developer of the Zapper, Sardaukar, advertised this one as "the ultimate concealable weapon", because it is a
fully functional lighter as well as a fully functional and deadly single-shot derringer pistol.

"Except for possible legal technicalities, you can carry the Zapper and be armed and undetected. It looks, feels, smells
and lights just as a lighter should.... But there is one deadly difference - it fires a single .22 round".

<a href="http://jelly146.tripod.com/zapper" target="_blank">Exploded isometric drawing of the Zapper</a>

<small>[ January 11, 2003, 12:19 PM: Message edited by: jelly ]</small>

That looks like it was scanned in form "Zips, Pipes, And Pens".

I Personally like the Belt Buckle Gun featured aswell as the Cane.

Anyone seen a prebuilt kit or better diagram of the parts for one of these things?

Agent Blak... I like them too :) But the Sardaukar belt buckle gun is just a simple clone.

The original version of the "Shooting Belt Buckle" is shown in the first two pictures... developed and patented
in Germany during the WW2. Each of the 4 barrels has its own firing pin and own trigger.

<a href="http://jelly146.tripod.com/belt" target="_blank">Shooting belt buckle</a>

Hello,

Does anyone here actually make this device ?
If yes, could you explain me how the thrigger works ?

I think I just found a new "dream" toy to put into my "hypothetical" toy box of goodies. Thanx for putting this lighter up on here...I think you just might have been the first person to give me a good reason to start smoking :D

Anyone ever been picked up with a zippo? They always open mine up and look and it, never could understand why till now:)

more likely is that they looked in it to make sure you dont have heroin or some other drug stuffed in there.
I'd be concerned about the gun going off unexpectedly when cocked.
seems a bit unreliable is all.

<a href="http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=7294586" target="_blank">http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=7294586</a>
<a href="http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=7269145" target="_blank">http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=7269145</a> &lt; this one is really awsome.
<a href="http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=7295544" target="_blank">http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=7295544</a> &lt; how hard could this be to make on a lathe?
All of these are really nice:)

<a href="http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=7337242" target="_blank">http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=7337242</a>
In most situations wouldn't it be just as easy to conceal this? Would be just as likely to show up on a metal detector, slightly bigger then the zippo and it's 5 shots.

Well, if the piggies ALWAYS open the zippo, then why not make it a boobytrap? If you're getting picked up for something naughty, then it'd provide one hell of a diverson to distract their attention, while you split.

In my experience they always take the wallet out first and lay it on the car hood, now if he opens the zippo after looking at my wallet... I'm in aloooooottttt of shit. lol

ssblood, if you where going to do soemthing "naughty" then you might just aswell not bring your wallet, or you id at any rate.

If your foolish enough to bring an ID with you on an 'outing' then you ought just make yourself some reservations at your local prison.

But good idea NBK. I think I'll whip up a little 'toy' tonight.

At first glance, I noticed a couple of problems with that zipp design.

1. There is no barrel. Even if you're only using it at close range, you need some sort of a barrel. The barrel actually increases the bullet's velocity. Even a small smooth-bore tube is needed to get it going in the approximate direction. Think about the M-60 bullet booby trap in used in Vietnam. You put an M-60 bullet in a piece of bamboo with a nail on the bottom. When they step on it, the nail acts as the firing pin, which shoots the "gun." The bamboo acts as the chamber and barrel. Without the bamboo, it would not work.

2. It is not strong enough. It seems like the entire lighter would explode. ALOT of pressure is created in the chamber and barrel when a rifle or pistol is fired. That's why they're made out of such thick steel.

I think that your design could use a few minor modifications, but it still has potential.

I have to disagree. The M60 fired the 7.62mm round, which is bottlenecked. In the chamber of a firearm which fires a bottlenecked round there has to be support of both the wider part of the cartridge and the neck. The bamboo in one of the traps would only support the wider part, not coming close to supporting the neck. As it isn't supporting the neck, and is of far greater diameter than the 7.62mm round there will be no sealing action behind the bullet, letting the propellant gases escape and provide no further acceleration to the bullet. That is of course ignoring the fact that the bamboo couldn't take the pressure of a firing round, and so even if it had the rough dimensions of a chamber it would rupture.

However, I agree with you that for any sort of accuracy you would need a barrel. I don't believe the strength is that great an issue - it is only a .22 round.

one could use the zapper to blow one's head off while offering them a light, or stick it right to the vert column and fire.
I was looking at my MAG LITE recently and suddenly I realised, hmmmm...... this could be more than just a flash lite. I am currently boring a shaft to fit a .22 cal LR round, the only problem I have at the moment is rifling it. Is it possible to use a a CO2 pistol rifled barrel and put a smooth bore sleve on it to provide the necessary strength.
Also for these close range guns shouldnt it be better to replace the Pb slug with an Al or Zn slug as a lighter slug will attain higher velocities in a shorter time (shorter barrel) and as KE = 1/2 mv^2 .... a higher velocity and lower mass is more effictive than a higher mass and lower velocity. The only drawback I can see in a lighter slug is the range which is not all that required as the accuracy is crappy anyways of a short barrel.
So what do you guys think ?

Use a plastic slug of nylon, or teflon, and drive it as fast as possible. As it'll be extremely light, yet tough, it can be propelled at extremely high speeds and, on impact, the hydrostatic shock causes very dramatic wounds. :)

Also, the formula I have for kinetic energy is:

KE = (W * V squared) / 450400

KE = Foot-pounds
W = Weight in grains
V = Velocity in feet per second

Got it out of American Rifleman, the NRA magazine, so I'd assume they know what they're talking about.

Access to .22 cal rounds and I need a FAC to purchase them ..... I was thinking of using powder actuated tool rounds (they are basically .22 cal blanks) but the most powerful round in .22 cal is #4 extra heavy load low velocity (they are all low velocity) So I'll be emptying out the rounds and fill them with something like AP or something more stable but high velocity ... any suggestions (the barrel is about the thickness of a MINI MAG LITE, so it will resist the explosion of 100-150 mg AP) and also any comments on my rifling idea in the previous post.

Why do you need rifling in a mini maglite pistol? Do you need to hit a torso sized target at 800yds? :)

AP makes a very poor propellant, the "gun" will be destroyed and the projectile doesn't go far. Unless you use a minute amount of AP, in which case the projectile defintely won't go far.

The charge in nailgun rounds is smokeless powder (possibly double base, I can't remember), so I'd use that if I were you.

thinking of using a light slug of something like teflon, Al or something similar, I think there is a very good probablilty of the slug swaying to a weird direction as soon as it exits the barrel which is why the spin should stablize the slug. Actually varnish coated Na metal would make one hell of a close range slug. As soon as the slug penetrates the body, the varnish is rubbed off and Na metal reacts exothermically with the tissue H2O and then the NaOH with the other tissues :D .
Anthony, I have used AP before as a propellant. What I did was ... take a regular .22 cal pellet and fill it up with solder to make it solid then wrap a thin paper tube around the back of the pellet with about 1 cm of space behind the slug. There I packed the AP. I would load the spring of my air rifle, put the modified pellet in and fire it. The air pressure would detonate the AP somewhere down the length of the barrel and provide the slug with a 5 km/s impulse. This pellet would break a hole in 1cm thick acrylic glass sheet at about 12 ft.

I looked and looked on the net that I may encounter a slug diameter : bore diameter : barrel thickness chart of some sort, but I didn't :( . Most importantly a caliber/cartridge type to barrel thickness ratio. Does anyone know some basic caliber and cartridge type ratios ? It would be really helpful. :)

That kind of ratio wouldn't make any sense. For example, the 7.62 standard NATO load has a higher pressure than a 45-70 govt BP load, yet calibre is smaller. Just figure out the chamber pressure of a specific loading, and work out how much steel (whatever type you want to use) you'll need with a 1.5x saftey factor.

Zaibatsu ... I know about the NATO round as it is bottle necked. I was talking about regular handgun rounds with various loads as this thread is about a derringer. This is the type of round whose shells I can buy and is centerfire. I think it is a .38 cal as I have one live .38 cal speer next to it for comparison. http://www.boomspeed.com/boobraider/DSCF0020.JPG
Also here is a pic of the shell in the MAGLITE http://www.boomspeed.com/boobraider/DSCF0022.JPG
The barrel will be machined from a car axle as I believe it is Moly-Chrome steel.

That shell is a 9x19 mm nato round also knowen as 9mm luger or 9mm parabellum.
They are a very commonly used round for pistols and SMGs. Altho they are somewhat low powered, they are about the maximum pressure for blowback action gun's so your barrel is still going to need to be fairly thick at the chamber at least.
good luck with it.

Oh well .... I am kinda disappointed. I tried to bore the car axel I had gotten from a junk-yard only to find out that the WC facing bit would barely scratch it, forget about drilling a 9.78mm X 4" hole in it. Any suggestions ??? All the barrel making sites I've read make it look so easy. Or do I have to work with some other grade of steel.

What is the size of the lathe you have ? Maybe it isn't powerful enough. That is really tough steel you are messing with and I think you might be better buying some seamless 4130 steel tube with an appropriate thickness and internal diameter.

Edit : I hope you have annealed the metal before you tried boring it. Otherwise I'm not surprised it didn't cut.

many years ago i was bought a pen paper set, the pen was steel as was the cap, a bit like a metal Bic pen, but slimmer and more girly :(
well there was no way! i was gunna be caught even dead! using a pen like this!
so i gutted it, and inserted a party popper with the string coming out of the tip where the ball point was.
i drilled a tiny hole in the cap and threaded the string through and tied a knot just under the clip that hangs it on your pocket.
10 finely powdered match heads went into this tube, followed by a small amount of cotton wool then a perfectly fitting ball bearing i had in my junk tin.
another wad of cotton wool to follow the BB so that it didn`t fall out.
we tested it in my mates shed, it punched clean through a 5 layer sheet of plywood at 2 feet!
ok, so it wasn`t or wouldn`t be a lethal killer (not my intention anyway) but it would sure as hell make a good diversion/distractor!
if you DO try this, wrap your pen in leather and gently clamp it in a vice for 1`st 3 shots!
NEVER try an untested weapon like this by hand 1`st!
subsequent hand test AFTER it had proven itself worth, will result in aHOT pen, a scortch mark (superficial) on your string hand, and a mild numbness from the shock in the tube.

I was wondering about an automotive part called the Gudgeon pin, aka the pin that connects the piston with the piston rod. The are available in different ID's and slightly different lengths. Can this be a suitable barrel of a derringer ?

Anyone seen a prebuilt kit or better diagram of the parts for one of these things?

I used to have plans for it. Wasnt too complex. The firing mechanism is a flat piece of clock spring. The firing pin is a screw positioned to hit the rim. The lighter was a special model that no on uses these days. It was an old OSS design I think. One problem was you had to drill a hole in it and fill it with lead. Another hole was drilled to hold and a of pipe as a barrel. The barrel of these kinds of guns were often made from a dissassembled lamp. You unscrew everything and the cord pulls out of a pipe... Takes longer to explain than to just find a old lamp and take it apart. You'll end up with a length of pipe. Anyways. These plans you had to use only a .22 short. Its not practical at all because the firing pin lays on the rim. To load it you slide the clock spring to the side and put the bullet in. You then swing it back over and when you want to fire you point, pull back the spring steel and let go. Because of hte design yo have to use a .22 short or cb cap to prevent backpressue.

Practical? Hardly. There is functional safety. Its totally useless unless to shoot someone in the head when they sleep or something. Same goes for the other pipe pens. You cant load it and carry it around waiting to use it for self-defense.

Why do you need rifling in a mini maglite pistol? Do you need to hit a torso sized target at 800yds? :)

AP makes a very poor propellant, the "gun" will be destroyed and the projectile doesn't go far. Unless you use a minute amount of AP, in which case the projectile defintely won't go far.

The charge in nailgun rounds is smokeless powder (possibly double base, I can't remember), so I'd use that if I were you.

Rifling isnt just for putting a spin on a bullet. Its to keep the gun from blowing up when you shoot it. Think about it. Making a gun like a spitball launcher is a bad idea. Except maybe .22. You can make a .22 out of a length of telescopic radio antenna. Just cut it down till you get the length where the antenna will fit the round and the bigger part will have the firing pin and hold the round. But even that things good for maybe one or two shots. If you have a bit of lint for instance in the barrel and the round goes down, it hits the lint and it lodges and creates friction. Enough of a delay perhaps to create a backpressure and "boom". A totally smoothbore is bad news. If its clean and its a low pressure round. Fine. But the marvel of some kind of rifling will allow the bullet to turn or push any small bits of dirt or lint into the grooves and allow the bullet to pass through.

At first glance, I noticed a couple of problems with that zipp design.

1. There is no barrel. Even if you're only using it at close range, you need some sort of a barrel. The barrel actually increases the bullet's velocity. Even a small smooth-bore tube is needed to get it going in the approximate direction. Think about the M-60 bullet booby trap in used in Vietnam. You put an M-60 bullet in a piece of bamboo with a nail on the bottom. When they step on it, the nail acts as the firing pin, which shoots the "gun." The bamboo acts as the chamber and barrel. Without the bamboo, it would not work.

2. It is not strong enough. It seems like the entire lighter would explode. ALOT of pressure is created in the chamber and barrel when a rifle or pistol is fired. That's why they're made out of such thick steel.

I think that your design could use a few minor modifications, but it still has potential.

There is a .223 derringer (other rifle calibers) and there is barely any barrel. Some but not a lot. There are rounds you can buy that convert most rifle cartriges in .22 and .30 caliber to fire .22 rounds or .32 ACP. Its like a empty case where you put the bullet. The rimfire rounds have a rimfire pinalready. A center hit fires it off. I cant believe these things are legal because you can easily make one to shoot a round and the "neck" of the casing is pretty much a barrel.

Begste, you wrote that: used to have plans for it. Wasnt too complex. The firing mechanism is a flat piece of clock spring. The firing pin is a screw positioned to hit the rim. The lighter was a special model that no on uses these days. It was an old OSS design I think.

I have both designs. You (Begste) are referring to the OSS assassination lighter. Everyone else is talking about the Zippo ZAPPER from Sardaukar Press, which is made from a Zippo or similar lighter. The only commonalities in the 2 designs are 1. short barrel 2. best using .22 short 3. made from a lighter.

True, the OSS model is obsolete, as lighter of the required type are near-impossible to find. The ZAPPER design includes a pin safety, and firing involves opening the lid as far as it will go.


As for this post: But the marvel of some kind of rifling will allow the bullet to turn or push any small bits of dirt or lint into the grooves and allow the bullet to pass through.

It just shows your ignorance. The bullet actually fills the grooves. Crud in bore most likely equals damaged or destroyed firearm, rifling or no. I know a gunsmith who keeps a museum of firearms destroyed by crud in the barrel.



Not to put too sharp a point on it, ;) but you might apply the 10 Commandments of Firearms Safety to your posts. :cool:

Let's shoot guns, not our mouths.
Geronimo was ignorant; Custer was stupid.

Begste, don't be a post whore and don't quote whole posts! We don't need to have each post multiple times. Banned for 10 days from now on.

Oh well .... I am kinda disappointed. I tried to bore the car axel I had gotten from a junk-yard only to find out that the WC facing bit would barely scratch it, forget about drilling a 9.78mm X 4" hole in it. Any suggestions ??? All the barrel making sites I've read make it look so easy. Or do I have to work with some other grade of steel.


As far as I remember you should anneal/soften (which are some sort of heat treatment) the steel before drilling. Since Automobile axles are hardened steel, it shall be a pain in the ass to drill a gun bore into it. Sorry I lost my gun related files so I cannot give you the exact procedure to anneal/soften the steel before boring. Anyway since I cannot obtain the files from here, I have started downloading the files via overnet and many of them attained good percentages of completion though this is a nasty and slow procedure. If I get the files I may post the procedure here.

In addition, I saw on the Bill Holmes video (which I have lost too), after hardening certain parts (in this case the sear) it is impossible/difficult to scratch the hardened sear with a file!.. Rgrds.

If I remember right, in order to anneal metal you heat it up very quickly and then let it cool slowly. My way might be crude, but in order to anneal metal I just use an acyteline torch and torch the metal to a cherry red as evenly as I can, then let it set until it is luke warm. Although, I am thinking that this method would warp the metal and make it unusable for a gun barrel.

So long as the metal is heated evenly then it won't warp. The method of annealing that Bill Holmes uses in his home workshop firearms books is simply to put the parts in a wood fire and leave them until the parts and the ashes are cool.

I found no image of the zippo gun as described before...

Could somebody please repost that image ?

The seems to be a booklet from Paladin press about a CIA lighter gun.

Does anybody have a PDF or an image of this ?

ninja.