This is the Model 1911 Rubber Band Gun from Elastic Precision. It uses a clever loading and firing mechanism to offer semi-automatic functionality, allowing you to load up to six rubber bands at a time and fire them rapidly in sequential order.
Elastic Precision offers a number of rubber band gun designs, including the Model 1911 pictured here, as well as a Walther PPK, an MP5 submachine gun, and a generic “Model 9mm.” They all work using variations on the same system which allows semi-automatic firing, and they each come with a bag of ammo – bright blue rubber bands.
Above Video: This video shows the patented semi-automatic firing system used by the Model 1911 Rubber Band Gun from Elastic Precision. It can fire up to six rubber bands in under two seconds.
The Colt 1911: A History Speedrun
The origins of the M1911, typically called the Colt 1911, can be traced back to the early 1900s. During the Philippine-American War of 1899 to 1902, the U.S. military discovered that their standard-issue .38 Long Colt revolvers lacked the stopping power needed in close combat against Moro warriors.
Recognizing this shortcoming, the military sought a more powerful sidearm.
This was where John Moses Browning entered the frame, a firearms designer who would fundamentally revolutionize the industry. Browning’s work on semi-automatic pistols began in the late 1890s, culminating in prototypes that laid the groundwork for the Colt Model 1900.
After a series of rigorous trials involving designs from Colt, Savage, and other manufacturers, Browning’s Colt pistol chambered in .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) emerged as the clearly superior choice. On March the 29th, 1911, the pistol was officially adopted by the U.S. military as the U.S. Pistol, Model of 1911 or “M1911.”
The Colt 1911 offered a short-recoil, single-action, semi-automatic mechanism that proved reliable in the heat of battle. It was designed with a seven-round detachable magazine, a thumb safety and a grip safety, and it was chambered in the .45 ACP caliber which offered significantly more stopping power than the earlier .38.
The M1911 was used extensively by U.S. forces in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The design was broadly adopted in the civilian market and today it’s one of the most recognizable pistol designs of the 20th century.
The Model 1911 Rubber Band Gun
The Elastic Precision Model 1911 Rubber Band Gun uses a patented system that allows it to have full semi-automatic functionality, just like the pistol it’s based on.
Those steps on the back of the pistol each hold one band, and when firing the slide moves back, with each band then being moved up on place by the serrated edges until it’s fired. There is a video embedded above which shows the system in action, and it’s probably a lot easier to watch that than try to understand my explanation.
Each of these rubber band guns is made from solid hardwoods for longevity, with no pine, plywood, or plastic pieces used at all.
Each of these rubber band guns is made from solid hardwoods for longevity, with no pine, plywood, or plastic pieces used at all. Once loaded with six rubber bands it can fire all six in under two seconds, and reloading only takes a few seconds when you’ve had some practice.
These rubber band guns are now for sale via Huckberry with an MSRP of $40 USD with free returns and a best price guarantee. If you’d like to read more or buy your own you can visit the store page here.
Images courtesy of Elastic Precision + Huckberry
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
