Make this DIY quick draw gun sleeve project both for fun and serious training with this DIY tutorial for gun enthusiasts.
RELATED: DIY Gun Safes: How To Hide Your Weapons In Plain Sight
In this article:
- Make Your Own DIY Quick Draw Gun Sleeve
- What You'll Need to Make a DIY Quick Draw Gun Sleeve
- Instructions to Make a DIY Quick Draw Gun Sleeve
Homemade Concealed Carry Quick Draw Gun Sleeve
Make Your Own DIY Quick Draw Gun Sleeve
Ever wish you had a gun hidden up your sleeve, something like the Taxi Driver sleeve gun? You are in luck.
We wanted one, too! Using some slick tricks with a drawer slide, we show you how to make your own DIY version of this cool concealed carry weapon.
Concealed carry guns are a great thing to have around. Having this sort of tactical survival gear on you at all times is a smart idea.
But we think you can amp up your survival strategy even further. Check out this crazy cool homemade quick draw gun sleeve for the ultimate concealed carry experience.
Whether for fun or extreme tactical use, you'll have a blast making this forearm gun holster project. Check out the complete instructions to this DIY gun sleeve from our friends at DIY Ready for this cool DIY!
NOTE: This gun sleeve project was designed for use with an airsoft gun. The responsibility of how the remote control gun is used rests with the builder of the project.
What Is a Gun Sleeve? A gun sleeve is a device wrapped around a user's forearm and used to conceal a small firearm under a long-sleeved coat or jacket. A trigger mechanism causes the gun to extend out of your gadget quickly enough for you to grab it and fire.
What You'll Need to Make a DIY Quick Draw Gun Sleeve
- 1 14″ ball-bearing drawer slide
- belt
- 4-inch hose clamp
- regular pliers
- needle nose pliers
- hammer
- 2 small zip ties
- 4 L-shaped mending brackets (1 and 1/2-inch)
- A 5/32″ x 4-1/2″ x .041″ extension spring
- A 1.375″ x 0.437″ x 0.041″ extension spring
- 3″ x 1″ machine screws with nuts (#12-#24 or smaller)
- 4″ x 1-1/2″ machine screws with 10 matching nuts (#12-#24 or smaller)
- 2″ x 1/2″ flat-headed screws with nuts (#12-24 or smaller)
- 2″ x 1/2″ machine screws with nuts (#12-24 or smaller)
- paracord or other strong string
- drill
- tin snips
- rotary tool
- bolt cutter
Instructions to Make a DIY Quick Draw Gun Sleeve
Step 1. Get a Ball-Bearing Drawer Slide
First, buy an inexpensive ball-bearing drawer slide from any hardware store. Ball-bearing drawer slides are more expensive than the kinds which use plastic wheels, but they are necessary for this project.
We got ours for $10 from the big box hardware store.
Step 2. Begin Disassembling the Slide
Next, take your drawer slide and find the end with the stop and a rubber casing. With a pair of pliers, remove the rubber casing and bend the stop open.
Step 3. Prepare One End of the Disassembled Slide
Once you bent the stop, extend the drawer slide and it will separate into two metal components. We will be working with the smaller one.
The smaller segment also has a stop in the form of two metal prongs which bend upward. We need to flatten these out so we can disassemble the slide into its smaller components.
Place your pliers on top of the prongs and strike them with a hammer to flatten them. We used another pair of pliers instead of a hammer because we were too lazy to walk three feet to our toolbox. Whatever it worked fine.
Step 4. Take Out the Balls
When the stops have been flattened, you will be able to slide the rail apart, and this will expose the ball-bearing component.
Slide this out of the rail, but be careful not to lose any of the ball-bearings. Place the ball-bearings in a small container.
Step 5. Cut the Sliding Component
Cut the sliding component of your DIY concealed carry sleeve holster. With a Sharpie, mark the ball-bearing component as shown and cut it with a bolt cutter to around 4-inches in length.
You could also use a hacksaw or a metal blade-equipped power saw, but it isn't necessary.
Cutting this component will add more space for your concealed weapon to hide within your sleeve. If you bend any of the ball-bearing “arms” in the process, bend them back into place with needle-nose pliers.
Step 6. Drill the Slide Component
Step 7. Cut the Rail
Cut the rail from which you pulled this slide to the proper length with the bolt cutters. The total length will be based on the length of your arm from the elbow to the wrist.
For us, that worked out to 12-inches. Cut it right next to the section of rail which has pre-drilled holes.
Before you cut it, flip the rail over and remove the piece of plastic from the other side.
Step 8. Mark and Drill the Slide Connection
Place the ball-bearing slide at one end of the rail and use a Sharpie to mark the rail where the holes are. Drill holes where you've just marked the rail.
Begin the hole by using a small bit, and then move up to a bigger size to accommodate your screws later.
Step 9. Affix Your First Bolts and Brackets
Slide a 1/2″ bolt through the hole you've just drilled. The thickness doesn't matter so long as the bolt head does not extend beyond the top edges of the rail.
Place an L-shaped 1 and 1/2-inch mending plate over the other side.
Secure the L-shaped mending plate with a nut.
*Note: If you need to make the holes on the L-shaped mending plate bigger to match the size of your screws, you can do so by clamping the bracket to a piece of wood and drilling it out with a drill bit.
Step 10. Mount the Slider to the Rail
Take two 1/2″ small screws with flat heads. We used two screws lying around; they aren't even the same type.
The important thing is the heads are low profile, to provide clearance for the ball-bearing section to slide along the rail unobstructed. Place one of the screws through one of the holes in the ball-bearing section.
Flip it over and secure the screw with a nut.
Step 11. Repeat
Repeat this process for the other screw.
Step 12. Cut the Notch to Lock Your Slider in Place
With a Sharpie, draw a small notch shape on the ball-bearing section similar to one in the picture.
It's basically a small U right near the edge. We're going to cut this shape away from the metal.
You can use a drill to cut out a majority of the shape. Begin with a small bit, and then repeat with a larger one. If you have tin snips, you can use them to cut the rest of the metal away.
Step 13. Clean Up Your Notch Cut
Once you've done most of the damage with the drill and the tin snips, you can make smaller adjustments with a rotary tool and a metal grinding attachment.
Step 14. Gather Your Balls
After you've made the cuts, replace the ball-bearing slider back into the rail by inserting one ball at a time. Replace the slider “cut-end” first.
RELATED: DIY Threading Barrels For Muzzle Brakes And Suppressors
Step 15. Secure the Rail Back into Place
Once the slide is in the rail, secure it with two small zip ties. This is so the ball-bearing section won't be pried out of its housing, causing the ball-bearings to spill everywhere!
Keep the zip ties loose enough so the ball-bearing section will still slide. Next, snip the zip tie excess off with scissors or your needle nose pliers.
Step 16. Grab Your Belt
Take an old belt and cut it to about one foot in length from the buckle section.
Step 17. Drill and Bolt Your Belt
Roughly 3 inches down from where the buckle begins, use your drill to make a hole in the strap. Place a washer over the hole on the inside of the belt.
Insert a 1″ bolt through the washer and through the strap.
Step 18. Keep Reinforcing the Belt System
On the other side of the belt (the outside), place another one of your 1 and 1/2-inch L-shaped mending plates over the bolt as shown. Stick the bolt through the pre-existing cutout on the end of the rail and place a washer over it as shown.
Step 19. Secure Your Quick Draw Gun Sleeve
Secure all of these pieces tightly by fastening a washer over the bolt. The L-shaped mending plate should align with the rail in such a way where one of the arms runs parallel to the rail.
Step 20. Attach Your First Spring
Place a 2″ bolt through the hole in this arm and slip one end of the larger compression springs over it. Secure the spring to the bolt with a nut.
Step 21. Begin Building the Trigger Component
Slide a 2″ screw through one of the pre-existing holes in the cut-off piece you've set aside. Place it as shown.
At the edge, place a 1″ screw through the pre-existing hole at the end but facing in the other direction. Secure the 2″ screw with a nut.
Step 22. Preparing for Another Bracket
On the 1″ screw, place another nut and screw it halfway down the bolt. You're going to place another 1 and 1/2-inch L-shaped mending bracket over this bolt in a couple of steps.
Step 23. Mount Bracket to the Rail
Now place the shorter bolt in the pre-existing cut out section at the back end of the rail.
It should come out the side opposite the sliding component. Place a washer over the screw.
Step 24. Add the Mending Bracket
Place your L-shaped mending bracket over the washer, then place a nut over the bolt to secure it into place.
Place a 2″ machine screw through the L-shaped mending bracket and secure it with a nut.
Step 25. Final Bracket
On the top-side of the rail (the side with the moving slide), place yet another 1 and 1/2-inch L-shaped mending bracket over the 2″ screw as shown and secure it with a nut. Place a 1/2″ screw through the L-shaped mending plate in one of the arms as shown.
Step 26. Springing the Trigger
On the same L-shaped mending bracket, place a 1/2″ screw on the other arm, and connect the two L-shaped brackets with a small spring.
Step 27. Springing the Slide to Your Homemade Gun Sleeve
Place a 2″ screw through the L-shaped mending bracket on the moving slide. Secure it with a nut.
Place the other end of the big compression spring over it.
Step 28. Don't Lose Your Homemade Quick Draw Gun Sleeve Springs…
Watch the DIY concealed carry quick draw gun sleeve in action in this cool video from DIY Projects:
Whether only for entertainment or practical application, this homemade quick draw gun sleeve is worth your time. Any true blue gun lover will agree. You never know when you might be able to make use of this knowledge now or in the future.
Will you give this homemade quick draw gun sleeve a try? Share your plans about it in the comments section below!
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***Disclaimer: The contents of this article are for informational purposes only. Please read our full disclaimer here.***
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on May 12, 2014, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
I have no idea who would want that up their sleeve or who would want to depend on such a crude, sharp and otherwise amateur rig, but just a note on springs, your springs you referred to as compression springs you pictured expansion springs.
If you are going to carry a sleeve gun like this you would always have all conditions on your side. As in taxi he had a set purpose and thus wore the right jacket, tested and everything else. No, I would not use this for everyday carry but if I needed to I would be ready, willing and able to use it.