Indy Mogul
Wesley's Weekly HOW TO: Cheap Prop Pistol
One of the most requested prop builds we've ever gotten here at Indy Mogul is the call for cheap prop guns. While we've covered various squib effects, and a few gun props in the past, we've never really covered a straight-forward "regular" gun. While your best option is of course getting a good Airsoft replica, or spray painting a realistic looking squirt gun - these aren't always the best option. You see if you need a close-up on your protagonists' weapon, an Airsoft replica is perfect, but if you need to arm a group of thugs with guns, it can quickly balloon your budget unnecessarily. You see for background guns, you don't need them to look realistic, at least not from up close. So I decided to show you how to make this quick and dirty prop for your action films, so your bad guys don't look as low budget as your film is.
I really like starting with high density foam for this, because it's easy to carve for this, and you can get about 4 guns from a single block. (It's also quicker to make a gun from it than cardboard, which you can also do, utilizing the same basic technique.)
First, get a marker, and draw the outline of where you're going to cut, using a ruler. Remember to find some photos to use as reference if you want to carve a specific model of pistol. There are two main components to make each pistol; first a longer straight block for the barrel and firing mechanism, then a shorter block with an edged top for the grip and trigger.
Now, get a thin bladed knife, and cut along the lines.
Stick a wooden dowel into the gun as support, and then...
Stick them together.
Then, I cover up the seam with some clay and smooth it out.
Now, I cut some corners off of a cardboard packaging box I had laying around, and pushed them into the top of the foam for the iron sights. (After sticking the marker I used to outline it into where the barrel would be to make the hole.)
I think bent a bobby pin, and shoved it into the foam as a triggerguard.
After cutting out a section for the ejector port, I painted the entire body with a layer of silver acrylic paint as a coat of primer.
Then I paint everything other than the ejector port black, and then let it dry. After that I start layering urethane varnish and more black paint in alternate layers to give it a metalic shiny look.
There you go, just let it dry, and you have a very cheap, basic prop pistol for your film.
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