Best Cosplay Weapons: Pistols, Rifles & Shotguns

All sorts of cosplay favourites, from Deadpool to Lara Croft pack heat, it’s a vital part of their costumes. Our Buying Guide gives the low-down on sourcing fake, fun firearms

Toy guns, replicas and airsoft or BB weapons can look amazing for cosplay, while colourful plastic guns can be painted and modified to make them more realistic for the character portrayal.

Have you had legal problems with cosplay weapons?

If you have ever had any issues with cosplay weapons and the law (anywhere in the world), we’d like to hear from you, so that we can share your story (anonymously if necessary) to help other cosplayers.

@compoundcreationscosplay: My Altered Carbon rifle

I designed and printed the stock, the magazine and the barrels myself, then assembled it and painted it. The BB gun had a broken stock, so only cost around £30, the 3D-printing filament was £5-£6 and the paint about £10. Around £50 is a good estimate of the total cost.

@compoundcreationscosplay on his BB gun customisation

Handguns for cosplay

You’ll find there’s no shortage of toy handguns and replicas that can be customised for cosplay. Here’s a selection to consider…

Revolver pistol

Find a revolver pistol by clicking here.

Semi-automatic/automatic toy pistol

Find a semi-automatic pistol by clicking here.

Warhammer 40,000 Imperial pistol

Find a Warhammer pistol here.

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Machine guns and shotguns for cosplay

Our selection of toy machine guns and shotguns can easily be adapted for your cosplay creation.

Toy machine gun

Find a machine gun here.

AK-47

Find an AK-47 rifle here.

Pump-action shotgun

Find a shotgun here.

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@demorafairy: My Viper shotgun for Overwatch’s Little Red Ashe

I started by turning an image of the gun into a template line drawing using PhotoShop. I then scaled up the drawing to life-size and taped together the sheets of paper, so I had a full-size plan. I wrapped two lengths of one-inch PVC pipe in foam, so that I could sculpt them. Next I used thick black foam to form the shape of the axe head, and thin white foam to add the blade edge and detail.

I then added the detail and trigger mechanism in foam and used the Dremel to smooth it all out.For the stock, I added another length of PVC pipe, wrapped it in foam and then covered the whole thing with Thibra and painted it. For the red detail, I added more foam and cut the diamond grooves in it. I then glued fabric over it. Finally, I added the leather straps. The total cost was about £100, with the Thibra (£30) and paint and sealer (£45) most expensive.

@demorafairy on creating a Viper shotgun

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Stockists: Cosplay toy weapons

Places to look for cosplay toy weapons
• Etsy
• Smyths toy shop
• The Entertainer toy shop
• Smiffy’s
• ebay

3D-printing firearms

Toy guns are fine and can work well with your costume, but for the ultimate authenticity, and for a wider range of 1:1 scale weapons, you could consider 3D-printed props.
There are literally hundreds of different designs available simply by searching online. Etsy.com, myminifactory.com or the crafters below are good places to start.

Cosplay weapons crafters & 3D printers

• STUDIO J7 – studioj7.co.uk
• Kenny Cosplay Stuff – kennycosplaystuff.com
• PROPer Artists Ltd – properartists.co.uk
• Trudy Mostyn-Mortimer – TMMcreative.co.uk
• RGL Customs – rglcustoms.com
• Poly-Props Ltd – poly-props.com
• EvilCleverDog – Insta @evilcleverdog
• Rebecca Albrecht – rebzfx.co.uk

myminifactory.com
MyMiniFactory is a website where 3D creatives can post their product designs for free or paid-for download. There are hundreds of printing plans for pistols and firearms, plus many other cosplay weapons. Every object is guaranteed to be 3D printable as MyMiniFactory checks that any file uploaded to the site works on a standard desktop 3D printer.
myminifactory.com

Cosplay weapons and the law

Toy pistols and rifles are readily available at many high-street stores or online destinations like Etsy, but they normally come with a high-vis orange tip on the end of the barrel, to distinguish them from the real thing.
These caps can be removed to create a more realistic cosplay weapon, and, although it’s a bit of a grey area, doing so does not seem to be illegal in the UK, although carrying/owning a realistic-looking weapon is, according to the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 (see below).

The laws vary around the world, so you’d need to check for your region. California, for example, has Penal Code 20150, which prohibits people from changing the appearance of a fake gun.

Stay on the right side of the law by always keeping cosplay weapons concealed when in public, and when you’re not in a con or cosplay environment. You can infringe all sorts of very serious laws by brandishing look-alike weapons in public spaces.
Flying with weapons in your hand luggage is illegal, and is highly likely to cause serious problems and delays, even if they’re fake, toys or deactivated. Check with your airline before flying and put any props in checked luggage.

Have you had legal problems with cosplay weapons?

If you have ever had any issues with cosplay weapons and the law (anywhere in the world), we’d like to hear from you, so that we can share your story (anonymously if necessary) to help other cosplayers.

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