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.