You can turn a mousetrap like this into a fun little
handgun, that will shoot projectiles with power and
precision! In this video we'll be converting these
traps into affordable little firearms.
I picked up this two-pack of traps for only 98¢.
These are the "Tomcat" brand, and I chose them
because of this yellow bait pad that I'll be using
later. I got a piece of 2x2 and cut it to the
height of 4 fingers, and that's going to be my
handle. To modify these traps, we'll get them out
of the packaging, and start by removing the bait pad
from this heavy duty support staple, and setting it
to the side. Using some needle nose pliers, we can
remove the staple from the base, and grab a marker.
We're going to need to place some dots over the
cat's heel bone, the elbow, and one where the ear
meets the eye. A drill and an 1/8" bit will help
turn those dots into holes, that should end up
looking like this. I've got 2 screws from a door
hinge that will work well for fastening the trap
onto the top of the wood handle. The back overhangs
about 1/4" and when the screws are set, the trap is
secure. Now the locking pin will need to be
shortened, so holding it over the spring and looking
down from the top, a mark is made so that it lines
up just past the remaining hole. The snips on my
pliers will cut that to size, and I'm double
checking that the length is good by holding it next
to the hole. It's pretty much flush with the edge,
so I'll finish it off by bending the tip back just a
touch, so it angles up at about 45º. The other trap
still has a locking pin that can be easily removed,
and used to help form the trigger for the pistol.
This hole is just large enough to allow the trigger
to pivot freely. On the top side, I'll cut the pin
flush with the spring, and then bend it over forming
a hook shape. This will prevent it from slipping
back through the hole. There's only one thing left
to do and that's to add this launching pad. So with
the hooks facing up, it get's clipped onto the trap
hammer and slid all the way to the right side. Then
we simply lift the hammer up, and tuck the pad
inward so it lays down flat on the platform. This
mousetrap handgun is finished and ready for testing.
Setting the firing mechanism works about the same as
setting the trap, only this time we push the trigger
up from the bottom so the hook slides over the
locking pin, catching it in place. It's a 3 step
process to pull the hammer back, set the pin, and
secure it with the trigger hook. By squeezing the
trigger gently, you can watch the catch slide off
the pin, causing the gun to fire. It's time to add
some ammo and these Airsoft BBs hold perfectly in
the center groove. A quick test proves they fire
straight ahead, so I've made a little target for
practice. These things are pretty fast, and I'm a
little surprised the pellets aren't penetrating the
paper, even when shot at close range. To address
that problem I'm putting pellets on every hole to
attempt a shotgun approach. That's a lot more
dramatic, and the spread is about 70º, so it's
obviously more effective closer up. With a bit of
practice, it's pretty easy to set, but if you're
feeling lazy, you could just hold the hammer back
with your thumb, and release when you feel like it.
This also opens up an option for a rapid-fire
approach. Make sure you stay well back when
firing because there's a real danger of losing an
eye when the locking pin snaps back and hits you.
Alright, for a little variety, I've placed a penny
on the launch pad, and it's a powerful shot. Back
at my make-shift target range I'm interested to see
if the penny does any better than the Airsoft
BBs. ..And that's a definite yes. The gun shoots
straight ahead by moving the ammo forward on the
pad, because the targets are lower, and this is
essentially a hand held mini-catapult. It's obvious
that the coins get the job done, and are
surprisingly consistent. By sliding the penny
further back, the launch angle is shifted upward
and targets higher up can be hit, even when the gun
is held level. I experimented with other sources of
ammunition, like this metal washer, a glass pebble,
a bracelet bead, a bottle cap, and found that pretty
much anything small and dense like a little stone
gave satisfying results. I made some more guns and
painted this one black because I liked how that
contrasted against the yellow launch pad. Well now
you know how to make a powerful handheld mousetrap
gun, or maybe two if you're feeling ambitious?
That's it for this project. If you enjoyed this
video, please "Like", comment and share with your
friends. I appreciate your support.
Thanks for watching.