zip gun

noun

1. a homemade pistol, typically consisting of a metal tube taped to a wooden stock and firing a .22-caliber bullet.

zip gun

noun

1. slang,  a crude homemade pistol, esp one powered by a spring or rubber band

Word History and Origins

Origin of zip gun¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Such weapons, known as zip guns or pipe guns, can be assembled with materials from most hardware stores, making them functionally impossible to track or prevent.

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Inmates in some U.S. prisons over the years have constructed crude zip guns as weapons.

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Also found was a zip gun made of steel pipe and a 12-gauge shotgun round.

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Also found was a “zip gun” made of a steel pipe with a spring-loaded cap and containing a 12-gauge shotgun shell, the office said.

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A pipe bomb and zip gun loaded with a 12-gauge shotgun shell were discovered in front of an elementary school Tuesday morning just as children were about to arrive, according to the county sheriff’s office.

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Related Words

• submachine gun