Prop machine gun help

[Mr. Nagata]

This is sort of an odd request, but I'm building a replica Browning 30 caliber machine gun out of plastic for a prop and the charging handle/bolt needs to move back and forth to replicate firing. The ejecting shells and muzzle flash will be added in post. I worked out a pretty complicated way of doing this with an electric motor, but I no longer have the time to build the contraption that can do it. I'm hoping to gut some cheap device or toy with motorized components that I can put inside to get a rapid, horizontal back and forth motion. I'm racking my brain trying to thing of what sort of device has this motion. I once saw some cheap Chinese toy guns that actually had a slide that moved back and forth rapidly with a very simple internal spring/motor device. But I can't find these guns anywhere.

Does this post make any sense? I'm tired.

 

[exoray]

You can get one of these $10 blowback airsofts, I'm sure you can force fit it to work with a little ingenuity... But for $10 I wouldn't expect quality and I don't know how much "blowback" action they actually have...

http://www.hobbytron.com/AirsoftBlowbackPistols.html

 

[Mr. Nagata]

I thought about airsoft, but it will have to be full auto motion. Any pistol that would fit would probably be semi-auto.

 

[OdiWan72]

Have you thought about the guns for gaming consoles?
Some of these come with movable bolt and I´m sure these could be hooked to a battery.

Markus

 

[Sidewinder]

Tokyo Marui EBB G18C.

http://www.redwolfairsoft.com/redwolf/airsoft/ProductDetail?prodID=14442

SAS

 

[Garthok]

For something quick and easy you could try butchering a cheap Jig saw

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=305665-353-4290-02&lpage=none

Or even a cordless version. Being a Browning 30 cal you may have the room for one. Advantages are it has the motion..and will cycle when trigger is pulled. But, it won't have much of a length to the action.

Those airsoft pistols seem like the trick, but you wanted other options thrown out there.

Good luck and post pics when done

Cheers

 

[Mr. Nagata]

These are really great ideas folks! Thanks for the help. I prefer it be something electric as opposed to a gas powered airsoft. So I don't have to refill it. Battery operated is best. I will look more into jigsaws.

Any more ideas?

 

[Sidewinder]

The airsoft I put up is battery powered.

SAS

 

[TridCloudwalker]

That new Nerf belt fed machine gun may also be an option. I saw a tutorial online of someone suping it up with a different motor so it shot 200 rounds a minute.

 

[jackdoud]

Kaybee used to sell these toy machine guns:

When you pulled the trigger the barrel would light up and occilate back and forth. May not have enough travel for your application though and they may be difficult to find now a days anyway. :unsure

 

[Mr. Nagata]

Yeah, those Kaybee guns are the ones I was talking about. But come to thing of it there wasn't a lot of travel.

Sorry about the Glock. My mistake. That looks very promising. In order to get it to fit, I'll have to cut off the grip section. I'm assuming the batteries are housed in there, which will have to be relocated. Hopefully all of the moving parts are housed in the upper slide portion. Otherwise, I don't think it would work. Are you familiar at all with the inner workings of that gun? I'd hate to take it apart and cut it up only to find it won't work.

 

[Sidewinder]

Not sure where the motor is, prob in the grip - there are loads of reviews and youtube vids showing dissasembly tho.

SAS

 

[Great_Bizarro]

How about a magnetic solenoid with a long throw, run it using a 555 chip to pulse it and have a return spring behind it to push it back into place. Pull the trigger and it actuates the 555 to actuate the electromagnet in pulses.

 

[Chiok]

I think ripping up a jigsaw or electric saw / electric breadknife would be a nice easy option. That being said, jigsaws are packed pretty tight in their casing so not sure how well you could fit everything in the gun.

There's also the rather rudimentary rotary-linear mechanism or attaching a rod to an eccentric wheel to a motor that will push forward and back as the wheel goes round, just like old style train wheels or conrods and pistons.

 

[lovemunkey187]

Reciprocating Saw? like this.