[RobT]

Tim Simmons,

Zip guns were rather common in New York when I was growing up and a door bolt firing pin was the ignition device of choice. Heavy duty rubber bands were used to propel the bolt forward when it was manually unlocked. The force was sufficient to set off the rimfire primer of a 22 short and send the round through the short section of pipe used as a barrel. I had heard that some enterprising individuals fitted the wooden stocks of these guns with a trigger attached to an external lever set-up that would release the bolt but that may have just been an urban legend. In any event, carrying these things around “cocked and locked” was as dangerous as all get out and only favored by those with more anger than sense. I wonder if NYC zip guns would qualify as ethnographic weapons?

Sincerely,
RobT