Mines & Booby Traps

The operative can use mines and booby traps for selective assassination or to defend a residence, perimeter or retreat. Any of these devices can also be used in an ongoing guerilla campaign when fighting against numerically superior forces. Mines and booby traps also have great potential for causing general mayhem when employed in non-White areas.

Claymore Mines

Claymore mines are anti-personnel, directional mines, which are used for perimeter defense, remote ambush and early warning when enemies trip them outside of a defensive perimeter. The claymore mine consists of a fiberglass casing which is concave in the front and convex in the rear. Inside is 900 grams of C-4 plastic explosive belted on the front with rows of steel shot. Two pairs of scissors legs extend from the bottom for placement on the ground and the weapon is sighted in using a slit between the detonator wells. The claymore mine can be initiated remotely by the user or can be set to explode with a tripwire. When detonated a claymore produces a 40' frontal kill zone. These weapons proved themselves to be essential to modern warfare during the Vietnam War, where thousands of them were used to thwart the Gooks' "human-wave" attacks. To the White resistance fighter, the claymore mine can be employed as a booby trap, a remotely detonated weapon of assassination or terror, or a defensive weapon to protect the operative's retreat.

Claymores can be deployed wherever the enemy is likely to move, park their vehicles, store goods or pass through choke points. These weapons are really only useful against personnel and their directional firing makes the blast much more devastating in crowded areas than a radius fragmentation bomb of similar power.

Improvised Claymore Mines

C-4 is the optimal explosive for this application but if none can be obtained or improvised other explosives can substituted with some loss of performance.

Start the assembly process by purchasing or "liberating" a length of heavy-duty 8" PVC waste pipe. Some plumbing shops will have scrap ends and pieces for sale at reduced prices…. But lets face it "liberating" several full-length pipes from a construction site is really a lot more satisfying. This pipe is very tough but easily worked. It measures 26.5" in circumference and has a wall thickness of about 1/4".

Measure around the rim of the pipe, marking it off in 9" segments. This will yield two 9" segments and one that is not quite 9"s. Using a wood saw, cut 10"s down the length of the sidewall at the three places marked. Cut these three pieces away from the main body of the pipe, yielding three 9" x 10" curved pieces of tough resilient PVC pipe. These pieces will be the back plates for three claymore AP mines.

Drill a 1/4" hole in the center top of the slab about 1/2" down the 9" side. This is the top of the device. The hole is for use with a nail or wire as a means of mounting in final position for firing.

Drill two 3/8" holes along each edge of the 10" side of the slab. Put one on top and one on the bottom with about 8" separating them. These holes will retain an 18" long, 1/4" diameter bolt, providing legs on which to punch the device into the ground. Weld an old washer to the bolts near the bottom as an aid in pushing the steel legs into the ground. Building the mine this way allows it to be deployed either by hanging it up or punching it into the ground.

Twist and bend the bolts so that they slip through the 3/8" holes that extend solidly below before proceeding to the next step.

Carefully cut the top lip of a 1-quart Ziplock bag measuring 7" by 8.5" down each on side to just above the plastic bag. Be careful not to puncture the Ziplock bag, as it must be absolutely airtight after being filled and mounted to the PVC slab. The plastic lip exposed by slicing the top of the bag is used as an anchor on which to tape the filled plastic bag.

Fill the plastic bag full of ground ammonium nitrate. About 1 lb should be packed into the bag. It is important that the bag be packed bulging full, if it is not the powder will not lay flat on the blast shield.

The explosive must lie in an even layer on the plate when placed in a vertical position. If it slumps to the bottom of the bag, the effectiveness of the device is compromised. Usually this is caused by the bag not being packed full of powdered ammonium nitrate. Keep track of the amount of fertilizer used so that the correct amount of nitromethane can be set aside for eventual inclusion in the Ziplock bag.

Carefully seal up the Ziplock bag, and test it to be sure it is zipped, locked, and airtight. This step is very important.

Use heavy-duty 1" wide fiberglass packing tape to attach the top lip of the filled Ziplock bag to the top of the PVC plate. Run a line of tape down the side of the bag as well as along the bottom. Before setting the plate and attached upright (vertical), run two more very tight strips of tape over the face of the bag. They should placed so as to keep the explosive in the bag from settling down or sagging. In all cases, keep the layer of powder packed as flat as possible on the PVC plate.

Be careful that you do not permanently seal the bag with tape; the Nitromethane must still be added prior to mine deployment.

Military issue claymores contain 700 .38 caliber hardened-steel balls imbedded in the C-4. Hardened steel is used because lead can be deformed by the blast and fly off erratically. Hardened steel balls are also marginally more effective against vehicles and slightly cheaper than lead. The operative may use any round lead, iron or steel ball available, provided they are between .28 and .45 caliber. It will almost certainly be necessary to purchase this part of the claymore.

Steel ball of .38 caliber is often sold as slingshot ammo, but it is not usually cheap. Lead shot for shotshell reloading can be purchased, without much hassle, at most gun stores. OO buckshot is probably the best bet. It is .35 caliber and numbers about 98 balls to the lb.

Seven hundred rounds of 00 buckshot will weigh about 7 lbs. This and the explosives will produce a device which weighs about 9 lbs, far more than military models and too heavy for most applications. 3 - 4 lbs of shot will work nicely in front of the 1 lb C-4 charge. This will produce a weapon with a 35' frontal kill zone.

Once the shot has been obtained it is time to start the most difficult task involved in claymore construction; setting the shot in place. The resulting layer of projectiles must completely and evenly cover the explosive packet without any gaps in spacing and without layering them two deep in some places. This layer must lie vertically, tightly on the explosive.

Shot in military issue claymores is pressed right into the C-4 charge but in our homebuilt claymore, this is not possible.

The best solution to this problem is to place just enough projectiles in a 7" x 8.5" Ziplock bag to fill it with no holes or gap but not allowing the projectiles to pile up in any one place. Suck all the air out of the bag and seal it. Having created a smooth, flat packet of projectiles, lay two pieces of stiff cardboard on front and back of the Ziplock packet. Tape these together rigidly, still holding the shot in a flat, smooth configuration.

Next tape the packet of shot to the packet of explosive, being sure to leave access to the ammonium nitrate so that the Nitromethane can be added. Prime the C-4 charge with a #8 blasting cap or an improvised equivalent placed in the center of the charge. These weapons can initiated by wire remote, radio electronically, on a timer, by tripwire or motion detector… really any method the operative requires.

Once the Nitromethane is added the claymore should have a field life of around 4 months, however, as always when dealing with homemade C-4, they should be used soon after mixing and never stored.

Directional Shrapnel Trap

A directional shrapnel trap can be built in a similar fashion as the

Match Gun. A larger pipe is used and less care is required in construction as the operative will not be firing this device from the shoulder but will instead set it up to a trip-wire or something similar.

Materials Required:

Iron pipe approximately 3 ft. (1meter) long and 2 in. to 4 in. (5 to 10 cm) in diameter and threaded on at least one end.

Threaded cap to fit pipe.

Black powder or similar propellant about 1/2 lb. (220 grams) total.

Electrical igniter (e.g. model rocketry match or lightbulb squib)

Safety or improvised fuse may also be used.

Scrap metal bits, large ball bearings or small stones about 1 in. (2-1/2 cm) in diameter of about 1lb. (454 grams) total.

Rags for wadding, each about 20 in. by 20 in. (50 cm x 50 cm)

Paper or rag

Battery and wire

Note: Be sure pipe has no cracks or flaws.

Procedure:

- Screw threaded cap onto pipe.

- Place propellant and igniter in paper or rag and tie package with string so contents will not fall out.

- Insert packaged propellant and igniter into pipe until package rests against threaded cap leaving firing leads extending from open end of pipe.

- Roll rag till it is about 6 in. (15-1/2 cm) long and the same diameter as pipe. Insert rag wadding against packaged propellant igniter. With caution, pack tightly using stick.

- Insert stones and/or scrap metal into pipe.

- Insert second piece of rag wadding against stones and/or metal scrap. Pack tightly as before.

How To Use:

- Bury pipe in ground with open end facing the expected path of the enemy. The open end may be covered with cardboard and a thin layer of dirt or leaves as camouflage.

- Connect firing leads to battery and switch. Mine can be remotely fired when needed or attached to trip device placed in path of advancing troops.

Note: A non-electric ignition system can be substituted for the electrical ignition system as follows.

- Follow above procedure, substituting safety fuse for igniter.

- Light safety fuse when ready to fire.

12 Gauge Shotgun Trap

A booby trap similar to the directional shrapnel trap can be made from an

Improvised Shotgun or a shotgun which is otherwise unsuitable for combat purposes. A trip wire can be set up to fire this weapon with its trigger or it can be fired electrically. A very cheap and simple version of this booby trap can be built from a 2"x4" and a mousetrap.

Simply glue a cheap, spring type mousetrap to a 2"x4" then drill a 3/4" hole through the mousetrap and the 2"x4" so that the dead center of the hole is right under the striker of the mousetrap. Next glue a BB to the primer of a 12 Gauge shell and insert it into the hole. The striker of the mousetrap must hit this BB when the trap is triggered. Set the trap up to a tripwire. A larger board could accommodate a number of these assemblies and when fired would work nearly as well as a Claymore mine.

Any type of improvised firearm can also be used in a similar way as a

Mail Bomb. For this application set improvised firearms to fire in 2-6 directions upon opening of the package to increase lethality. A mousetrap type manual trigger or an electric firing system can be used to initiate this device upon opening of the package.

Panji Trap

A very simple trap. A small pit is dug, lengths of sharpened sticks are cut and inserted vertically into the bottom of the pit, a thin covering of dirt and leaves over the top and there you have it.

Panji Board

A piece of board often with metal spikes, the ends filed to create sharp barbs. When the victim's foot is impaled on the trap it can't be immediately removed without causing intense pain and further damage. The tips can be smeared with

poison or fecal matter to increase the risk of infection.

Whip Trap

Also called a Bamboo Whip Trap. Normally constructed of a length green Bamboo with spikes attached to one end. The Bamboo pole is bent and held in an arched position by a catch device triggered by a trip wire stretched across the track. When released the Bamboo pole whips back impaling the person triggering the trap. A branch from any springy wood will work as well as bamboo.

Venus Fly Trap

This consists of a frame work with overlapping barbs placed in a pit. Some are made from a metal container that is sunk flush with the surface of the ground. It is covered with a grass or leaf camouflage. The barbs inflict injury especially when the victim attempts to withdraw his leg out of the trap.

Spike Board

The Spike Board is used with a pit and consists of a treadle board, one end of which is spiked. When the target steps on to the treadle the spiked end flies up striking him in the face or chest.

#### Side Closing Trap

This trap consists of two wooden slats, each studded with spikes, sliding along a pair of guide rods, and controlled by heavy rubber bands or surgical tubing. When the prop holding the slats apart is dislodged, the slats spring together impaling the portion of the body passing between them.

Grenade Trap

A hand grenade or improvised explosive can be used in many different ways. Such as in a can with the safety pin removed, which is then detonated by kicking or pulling the can from a balanced position. Grenades with pins removed can be placed under heavy objects so that when moved the grenade detonates. They can be tied to a number of objects such as trees, posts etc with a trip wire attached to the pin and tied across a track.

####

#### Pressure Plate

A firing circuit can be set up so that a target stepping on the pressure plate will fire a mine or initiate some other type of trap.

Back to Mainpage

NEXT