Insight: a Mini Tubular Magazine K'nex Pistol

Insight is a tiny, compact pistol that is different from all its competitors due to one thing: it has a tubular magazine.  If you don't know what a Tubular Magazine is, then come on down to my Guide to K'nex Guns.  (It's in Step Two, for those to lazy to dig through it.) 

To my knowledge, it's the most compact tubular magazine gun to date.  These are the instructions to build and fire it.

To entice you to build, Insight also:

Can hold up to five bullets at a time.

Gets about 25 feet; this is very good for a pistol of this size.

Uses a red rod sized firing pin.

Has a comfortable handle.

Requires no cut pieces. (Nor do any of my posted guns, come to think of it.)

Shoots green rods. (A downside for some, but a pro for others).

And... Yes, the gun has a theme song: Insight by Joy Division.

Step 1: Build All the Things

This is just a picture of all the different panels and doodads that are needed.  Just build all the panels and stuff that's shown, and the next steps will tell you how to piece it all together.

Also of importance, those bands do not have to be cut and tied together; it would actually be better if you left them intact; I just ran out of full looped bands, sadly.

Step 2: The Internals: Part One

Just follow the pictures.  

If you have any questions, please send me a comment explaining your troubles.  I'll be happy to help.

Step 3: The Internals: Part Two

^{Just keep on doing what the crazy pictures say.} _{They know what they're talking about.}

Please leave a comment with your concerns if you need help.

Step 4: Encasing the Internals

Just follow the colorful pictures!

Step 5: Putting on the Bands

Keep in mind that none of these bands have to be cut and tied; actually, it's better if you don't.

Again, comment if you have a problem. I definitely won't will be happy to help.

Step 6: How to Load and Fire

This part tells you how to load and fire the gun.  It's pretty self-explanatory, I would think.

If you've come this far and have built this, I hope that you enjoy the gun!

-DarkOwlKnex
,     ,
 (O,O)
<(IIIII)>
   I    I

(If it's not working, see the next step.)

Step 7: What to Do If It's Not Working

If your magazine is acting funny, the best thing to do is to get a rubber band and use it to pull the bottom rail upward.  If you go back through this instructable, the bottom rail will be labeled with a note and an explanation of what to do when the mag is not working. (What I've said here.)

If your trigger is not working you can do one of two things:

1. Put less rubber bands on the firing pin.
2. Get a hot glue gun and glue the one piece of the trigger together.  A note will be placed to show where you should glue if you want maximum power.

Comments

[That_Jamie_S_Guy]

Nice gun :D

[Knextremely stupid]

Yea i finally got it right then it bursts open into pieces

[DarkOwlProductions]

I'm sorry to hear that. I remember modifying this thing a lot so it wouldn't do just that. Maybe I just sort of rigged it? (Sorry about the four month later reply.)

[Xx2draktastik7xX]

Btw, I love the durability of the gun. That and the concept,but in the future it would greatly help to have a parts list and such. Until next time, Keep snapin' em
In!!!

[Xx2draktastik7xX]

Dude keep up the amazing ideas!!!

[megustatrains]

I will build this. rather better than most pistols on the site :D

[DarkOwlProductions]

Thanks! That means a lot! :D

You should tell me how it turns out, especially the mag, as I want to find ways to improve it. Honestly, I should have made it more evident in the description, but this is kind of the beta test to see how it works for people. The instructable will probably be edited once and if improvements are made. :3

[megustatrains]

Idk what i could do because i actually kind of suck at finding good solutions to a knex gun XD

[DarkOwlProductions]

Oh, so is it working or not? I am confuzzled. >:?

[megustatrains]

it didn't D: the internals seemed very tightly packed for me, so the kept on popping out constantly and pushing the outer shells open.

[DarkOwlProductions]

So the entire thing was splitting itself open? Did you put the little blue clip on the blue rod in the back? I put that there to fix that probably and it worked great for me.

[megustatrains]

k ill try that.

[DarkOwlProductions]

Did it work?

[megustatrains]

i actually have ben the builder's spas 12. it has most of my pieces so when i get bored of it ill remake this.

[megustatrains]

is the blue clip on the right side the 1 you meant?

[DarkOwlProductions]

Yep.

[megustatrains]

oh lol i missed that XD

[DarkOwlProductions]

That is definitely your problem. Without that, it split apart for me, too. :3

[DarkOwlProductions]

Ok. :P

[JonnyBGood]

A very interesting gun you have here! I must add it to my list of guns to make after knex war 2013. (Yes, a list... it's getting to be a habit...)