Japanese Rollerguns (Twin Rail)

[popgun pete]

As the strength of a rubber band is proportional to its cross-sectional area the flat strap rubber bands used in the Japanese rollerguns don't store enough energy. That is probably why some guns were tried with two band straps on either side of the gun, however working against the gun's efficiency is the mass of the sliding carriage and any frictional drag if the sliding carriage twisted on the twin rails or they were not dead straight. The design was probably influenced by the skill sets they had to make something up which would do the job and what they were intending to shoot and where. The guns disappear once the Arbalete style weapon arrives which is based on a slingshot mounted on a pole to hold a long spear. That design also killed off the side-slotted barrel guns that started spearfishing with elastic rubber powered weapons.

[popgun pete]

This is a Japanese rollergun owned by Ron Mullins who took the photos. It is basically the gun that the line drawing presented earlier was drawn up from and has some differences to the ones usually seen. The hooks that are on the brass carriage are now located on the sides of the timber barrel with the bands now fixed on the sliding carriage instead. Hence to cock this gun the bands are pulled back from below rather than on top of the gun. The sliding carriage is a flat top plate with a second plate riveted or soldered on beneath it which contains the pressed troughs that form the tunnels that the twin rails run through which makes this carriage much lighter than the cast brass version. It is also more flimsy. The most notable thing about this gun is that it still had its red rubber bands, although they have completely rotted. As usual its detachable spear tip is missing.

[popgun pete]

My guess is that despite the dynamic benefits of the sheet metal construction these simpler to manufacture guns didn't have the look of the cast metal versions. Given that people were buying what were hand made weapons for possibly significant amounts of money they preferred the more substantial looking guns and my view is that would be true today, only now as wall hangers.