Top 5 Homemade Weapons

Throughout human history, war has been a constant companion. Over time, the means of waging war have only become more advanced, with weapons for killing each other growing ever more sophisticated and technological. However, even in the 20th and 21st centuries, primitive types of homemade weapons—crafted in makeshift conditions—have not disappeared. Here are five of the most notable examples.

Molotov Cocktail

One of the most famous types of homemade weapons, which anyone can make and which is always widely known, is the Molotov cocktail. The name “Molotov cocktail” originated during the Winter War in Finland. As you might guess, it was named after Vyacheslav Molotov, the Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars and Soviet Foreign Minister. During the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939–1940, the Finnish army began using these as anti-tank weapons and coined the term “cocktail for Molotov,” believing he was responsible for the conflict. Over time, the “for” was dropped, and bottles with incendiary mixtures became known worldwide as Molotov cocktails.

Of course, the Finns didn’t invent them. Containers with flammable mixtures have been used since ancient times, such as “Greek fire.” Such weapons were used in Cuba during the War of Independence and widely during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) against tanks and vehicles. In 1938, Japanese soldiers used them against Soviet armor at Lake Khasan, and during World War II, especially in its early stages, Red Army soldiers used them against German tanks. Today, Molotov cocktails are rarely used in military conflicts and have become more associated with street protests, alongside rocks, bricks, and sticks.

The simplest Molotov cocktail is a glass bottle filled with a flammable liquid (like gasoline) and a fuse—often a rag soaked in fuel stuffed into the neck. Early Finnish versions had this design, but they quickly found flaws: the burning rag made the thrower visible, and the liquid didn’t stick to targets well. Adding tar (about 10–20 ml per 0.5-liter bottle) solved the runoff problem and increased burn time and smoke. The Finns also developed two main ignition methods: 1) storm matches taped to the bottle, which could burn for up to 60 seconds, and 2) a fragile glass ampoule inside the bottle filled with a self-igniting mixture (white phosphorus and sulfuric acid), which would ignite upon breaking. About 80% of Finnish Molotov cocktails used the first method, and 20% the second.

Qassam Rocket

Qassam rockets are homemade, solid-fuel, unguided surface-to-surface missiles. They are used to fire at targets in Israel from the Gaza Strip. These rockets are not precise, high-tech, or particularly effective. From 2001 to 2012, nearly 6,300 such rockets were launched at Israel, resulting in 27 deaths and 700 injuries. Their range is about 2–11 miles (3–18 km).

The Qassam rocket is named after Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, an influential Islamic cleric and leader of the “Black Hand” terrorist group in British Mandate Palestine. Structurally, the rocket is made from thick-walled water pipes, which form the body, fins, and warhead. Pipe lengths range from 31 to 79 inches (80–200 cm), and diameters from 2.4 to 6.7 inches (6–17 cm). These can be made in a basic workshop, but require specific raw materials. Producing up to 1,000 rockets a year requires about 1.5–2 kilometers of pipe, which are smuggled into Gaza.

The rocket also has a warhead and a fuel compartment. The fuel is a mixture of potassium nitrate and sugar (3–15 kg per rocket). Sugar is a humanitarian product, while potassium nitrate, used as fertilizer, cannot be made locally and is imported. The warhead is a mix of ammonium nitrate and TNT. Ammonium nitrate is common in agriculture, and TNT can be made from toluene, a petroleum distillation product, though this requires industrial facilities or ready-made toluene.

In early 2010, Israeli forces found a garbage truck in Gaza converted into a multiple rocket launcher with nine Qassam launch tubes. This disguised system could move freely in urban areas and quickly become combat-ready. However, Qassam rocket attacks are always inaccurate due to the primitive rockets and launchers, so terrorists target densely populated areas. The warhead’s simplicity means it can only harm buildings and people in open areas.

Homemade Firearms (“Samopal”)

“Samopal” is a term for homemade firearms, usually made illegally in makeshift conditions. There are no standards or technical requirements for such weapons, resulting in a wide variety of designs—from very primitive to fully functional firearms comparable to factory-made models (though the latter are rare). Anyone who has seen the movie “Brother 2” is familiar with the simplest type, called a “podzhiga.”

These models are most common due to their simplicity. The “podzhiga” is a single-shot, muzzle-loading pistol. Typically, it consists of a barrel made from any suitable metal pipe, closed at one end, attached to a wooden (or sometimes plastic or fiberglass) stock. A touch hole (1.5–2 mm) is drilled at the breech for igniting the propellant, often made from crushed match heads. The projectile can be shot or a lead bullet. The barrel may be tied to the handle with wire or otherwise secured. The propellant is ignited with a match (sometimes several for reliability) held at the touch hole.

Despite their crude appearance and simple design, these pistols can cause serious injury or death if the shot or bullet hits vital organs.

“Shushpanzers” (Improvised Armored Vehicles)

“Shushpanzer” is a popular internet term for all types of homemade, non-factory, and often bizarre or ugly armored vehicles. The name combines the German “Schutzpanzer” (armored carrier) and the internet term “shushpanchik”—a mythical creature whose appearance is unknown. In practice, it refers to any homemade armored vehicle, often built in garages or auto shops. These became widespread during the Arab Spring.

Most commonly, these are jeeps or trucks with enough size and engine power to carry improvised armor—steel plates and makeshift anti-HEAT screens, including the now-famous bedframe and fence armor. However, improvised armored vehicles have been used long before recent conflicts. For example, they appeared during the Spanish Civil War and Israel’s War of Independence, when the Israelis lacked military vehicles.

In the USSR, the most famous improvised armored vehicle was the NI-1 or “Scare Tank,” built in besieged Odessa. The city’s industry produced what it could: a regular STZ-5 tracked tractor covered with bulletproof armor and armed with light weapons or 37–45 mm cannons (some had fake guns). A total of 69 such tanks were built and used in the city’s defense.

In the 21st century, this trend continues, with a focus on wheeled vehicles. In Libya, Syria, Iraq, and eastern Ukraine, so-called “gun trucks” became common—armored vehicles with light weapons built on truck chassis (like ZILs and KamAZs). In the field, protection was maximized by welding thick (5 mm or more) steel plates to the cab and body, and the engine was also armored. These vehicles were usually armed with heavy machine guns (12.7 mm) or twin 23 mm anti-aircraft guns (ZU-23-2).

Pit Traps

During the Vietnam War (1964–1973), American soldiers encountered a nasty surprise: a variety of Vietnamese traps. The region’s geography—rivers, lakes, swamps, and dense jungles, combined with a poor road network—prevented the Americans from fully utilizing their vehicles and armor. Troops were moved by helicopter, but on the ground, they traveled on foot through jungles and rice fields, often in temperatures above 86°F (30°C) and nearly 100% humidity. The rainy season lasted for months, flooding vast areas.

These conditions favored the Vietnamese guerrillas, who created countless well-camouflaged pit traps in the jungle and flooded areas. While they could have used animal traps, they went further. The traps varied in size but were essentially pits dug in the ground, with the bottom and sides lined with stakes, often bamboo. Large pits that could swallow a person whole were called “tiger traps.” In some, a person would fall in completely; in others, the stakes would only pierce up to the thigh. Sometimes this caused serious injury, and sometimes death from blood loss if, for example, the femoral artery was hit.

Smaller pit traps, which only caught a soldier’s foot, were called “Vietnamese souvenirs.” Stepping into one, a soldier would at best get a through-and-through foot wound, and at worst lose the foot entirely. Often, stakes were placed not only at the bottom but also on the sides, so the foot would be impaled and then trapped. In hospitals, including in Saigon, these stakes were sometimes given as souvenirs to the wounded, hence the name.

Another feature of these traps was that the stakes were often smeared with feces, carrion, or plant toxins—anything to worsen the wound. Such injuries could lead to blood poisoning, and the wounds healed slowly due to infection or poison.