The build uses printed templates to make cutouts from cardboard flats. (Photo: Blackfish)
YouTuber Blackfish put together this working cardboard Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun that fires paper bullets! The best part is that not only is this a cool demonstration of a cool toy, it’s also a step-by-step guide on how to build one yourself.
The guide is thorough and shows each step, including assembly testing during construction. With projects like these, it’s important to check every part as it goes together. This project uses a lot of glue, and if there are any mistakes, there’s no way to fix them, there’s only starting all over again.
Although if you have to start over, it won’t cost much. A full arsenal of cardboard MP5s will only cost a few bucks, and the most expensive component is glue. It’s a good thing this project rolled around during the warm weather season because you’ll want to crack a window open for ventilation.
To make your cardboard MP5 subgun, you’ll need a few household supplies. You’ll need corrugated cardboard, hot glue and multi-purpose glue and a lot of superglue. The design uses wooden kitchen skewers to fabricate the pins and elastic bands provide the spring tension. To create the cutouts you’ll need paper and a printer, a box cutter, a utility or hobby knife and a pen or pencil. Blackfish put all the templates in .pdf format for users to download.
The barrel, charging handle, recoil assembly and a few other components are printer paper and craft paper. Other tools you’ll need include pliers, scissors, shears, heavy-grit sandpaper and a ruler to measure out cuts.
See Also: Meet the Kriket, the DIY Sheet Metal Pocket Pistol
You’ll want to use absorbent cardboard and craft paper that will really soak up the superglue. The build uses superglue to reinforce the critical components of the submachine gun such as the barrel and feed ramp, fire control group and magazine feed lips and follower. Even the bullets get superglue reinforcement.
If you’re going to build this you’ll also want to watch the video completely before getting started. Maybe even a couple times over. All said and done it’s probably about as complicated as assembling an AR-15 lower — even though a kid can do it, it’s worth it to plan a little in advance.
This is a great project for when it’s too hot to go shooting or to give the budding gunsmith something to keep busy. Even better, it’s not the only one. Blackfish has a whole collection of cardboard guns to build.
Great job, and fires paper bullets. Would be fun to try this. Sting hell out of your so called friends.
Engineering mind at work. The anti-gun people will have to pass laws controlling the mind if they think they can take away the rights of free people to own guns. This same process can be used to create a working firearm. Do any of you remember the Zip guns of the past? How about those printers of our modern time? Interesting project.
Anybody can tell this is obviously a weapon of war that nobody should be allowed to own. Anything that even looks like it needs to be confiscated from everybody, especially law-abiding citizens. And a background check should be required to buy rubber bands but not more than 10 at a time because nobody could ever need more than that.
Its probably illegal to download the plans or watch the vid in Maryland. This is the state that expelled a grade schooler because he ate his pop tart into the shape of a gun and ditto for some kid that made a gun with his fingers.
I wonder if you were to cut the pieces out of wood…would it still work..?
Somebody had too much free time on their hands. But it is interesting in what some people can do with too much free time.