New Outlaw Star Caster Gun

After I created my original Outlaw Star Caster Gun, I was besieged with requests for another one. I was commissioned to create another replica in August of 2009 and with the help of my sharp-eyed client, refined the design to be far more accurate.



I started to build the Caster barrel by bolting two pieces of bass wood together for lathing. Since the barrel will be molded, I needed to be able to separate it in two halves.



The barrel and end cap lathed.



I made a master for the trigger out of a scrap of green acrylic. The grip halves were cut from 3/4" MDF.



I temporarily glued the grip halves together for shaping. I started by rounding the edges with a router.



After some shaping with the Dremel, the basic shape of the grip is done.



I cut a slot in each half for the trigger to slide in.



I built up the pistol butt with Bondo.



The grip piping was made by bending half-round styrene.



The grip finished.



I lathed the breach arm junction out of basswood. The missing chunk at the left broke off during the process and would have brained me if I hadn't been wearing a face shield!



I drilled out the center of the junction block.



The junction block in place over the Caster body.



The breach lever arm base was cut from thick styrene plastic.



The arm detail was made by cutting layers of styrene.



I added the piping to the barrel with half-round styrene.



I used styrene to build up the breach details.



The inner seal for the breach cap was made with a slice of PVC pipe. I also cut away a section for the rear sight to mount to.



The piston master was made with brass and aluminum tubing.



The brackets that hold the piston to the bottom of the barrel were made with thick styrene. To cut the slot in the barrel for the brackets, I sharpened a steel rod into a makeshift chisel.



I had to cut away part of the grip to make room for the trigger guards. It looks sloppy here but I was able to clean up the seam with putty.



I had to re-chuck the breach cap to the lathe to hollow out the inside.



A nice clean fit but leaving enough room for paint.



I lathed the Caster shell from a poplar dowel. The caliber, in case you're wondering, is .70



The piping on the Special Shell was made with very thin half-round styrene (and a magnifying glass).



I re-made the muzzle by lathing some MDF.



I lathed some detail for the inside of the breach cap, implying a place for the shell to seat and a firing pin, if the Caster gun even has one.



The completed piston assembly.



The rear sight was made by drilling a hole in acrylic cabochons (domes) and gluing them to the ends of a wooden dowel. The base is MDF.



Test fitting the breach arms so I could place the small guide dome. Placed correctly it limits the breach arm's range of rotation.



The lowered position. Note the guide dome is at the bottom of the slot.



All the parts ready for molding.



My friend Volpin volunteered to make the molds for this project. Thanks, dude!



First set of resin copies from the molds.



I drilled out the holes in the arms. I will be using the sleeves from pop rivets to connect parts and act as hinge pins.



Holes drilled and test fitting of rivets for the trigger guard.



Hole drilled and test fit of the piston.



I didn't plan the trigger very well so I had to do some adjustments to get it to slide properly. I inserted a steel rod into the back of the trigger that would slide into a tube, keeping the trigger movement smooth and linear. A small spring from an pen snaps it forward.



I had to make a breach insert that would keep the shell from falling down the barrel.



The pistol grip sealed up around the trigger assembly, I glued it to the trigger guards and the lower barrel.



I wanted to use aluminum tubing for the trigger guard connector and the breach arm bar. Unfortunately the rivets are much smaller than the inner diameter of the tubes. I made and cast resin adapters to make them fit.



The trigger guard spacer in place.



I used a 3/4" PVC pipe for the barrel of the caster. I painted the inside black and attached it to the lower barrel with epoxy putty.



I had to drill out the breach cap to allow room for the shell when it's seated in the breach.



I cut aluminum bars that slid in resin sleeves to allow the breach to open.



I used a screw to stop the rail from moving out too far. The rails needed a slot cut out of the center.



After several failed attempts to cut the hole with drill and file, I gave up and had rail guides cut with a high pressure water jet. Perfect!



Now with the breach resolved, I could seal up the barrel.



I also forgot to make a master for the standard Caster shell. I took a resin copy and sanded off all the raised markings.



During a test fit, I discovered that I didn't make the breach arms long enough for the bar to clear the edge of the cap. I took resin arms and cut off the ends. The gap was filled with Bondo, sanded smooth and then I made a new mold for the arms.



After testing over a dozen different paints, I found the perfect Caster Gun brown! It has golden tints (that I mistook for gold on my original Caster) but is light enough to contrast nicely with the red piping.



I masked off the butt detail and painted it.



After a marathon session with masking tape, I painted the red piping.



The barrel vents are small enough that hand cutting them was out of the question. As careful as I tried, there would still be variation and imperfection in the pattern. Instead, I had a decal cut from a metallic vinyl and applied it to clear styrene.



Once wrapped around the barrel, the styrene gives the holes the illusion of depth. And best of all, the pattern is perfect!



The breach arms painted and ready for assembly to the connecting bar.



The arms attached to the Caste. I had to remove the guide dome on both sides as it wasn't in the right position for smooth operation. I would later glue them back on now that the arms were in place.



The breach open.



The completed piston assembly.



The muzzle glued in place.



I had to cut a flat spot at the top of the breach for the rear sight to sit properly.



The final rear sight was fitted with a small nail to make a stronger connection to the Caster.



The rear sight in place over an open breach.



The final painted shells. Pictured (L-R) #5, #12, #4, #9, #13



The final Caster Gun!



Detail of the barrel.



Detail of the grip.



The open breach.



A shell loaded.



Like last time I shot a short video showing the Caster Gun and the loading of a shell.

New Outlaw Star Caster Gun