As a child almost 60 years ago the clothes pin gun was all the rage.  Our favorite ammunition was the heads of kitchen matches, the non-safety type.  Made a flaming arc as it flew from the gun. We never told out mothers.
 A. Take apart a spring type pin and file the edge at right angles to the body of pin  as shown
 B.  Re-assemble as shown with barrel of spring on outside.
 C.  Arm gun with half of other clothes pin
 D.  Wedge ammunition in proper place
 E.  Fire gun by pushing back on barrel of spring
Small bits of the rest of the match as well as anything that fits in the pin can also be used.  


Use safely.  Don't start any fires.  Tony

we used to make matchstik guns from a half clothes peg a couple of elastic bands and a matchbox.
Never seen your design before asemery. Interesting - I'll have to nick a clothes peg and give it a go with some swan vestas match heads (non-safety).

Bikewer wrote on Aug 17^th, 2008 at 8:19pm:



and you've never used a hand catapult until you've made one from an inner tube rubber band....

Paper wads are also good ammunition.  They sting when they hit you.  This is a sneaky apparatus which can easily be held in your hand.  Tony

Step E.  Push back (towards rubber band) on barrel of spring to release bar of spring from the right angle you filed

I must be very simple minded because I have no concept of how this works.
How is it held?
What is actually being cocked?
Does the projectile fly out of the side?


Pretend you are speaking to a total idiot

That's right dork. Sorry for the confusion. 
The projectile flies out in front of the gripping end of the clothes pin.  The stronger the spring the farther the projectile goes.  Tony