Build a handheld laser ray gun

As a kid my parents took me to see 'Moonraker,' and I remember how cool it was to see those semi-realistic lasers flashing and burning whatever they were pointed at. Later in life I bought a book that showed me how to build my own ruby rod laser, complete with battery backpack. And finally I got my hands on an Information Unlimited catalog, which has some literally hair-raising kits. Be warned: this is NOT a toy! It is a real class IV laser gun, packing 500 joules of pulsing energy that truly will burn holes in stuff. Hard stuff, not just plastic cups. Also, the cost of materials isn't cheap-- the xenon lamp costs $400 alone. But if you're really set on your own laser gun, you probably don't care about the cost, right? Hugo Drax didn't care about cost, that's for sure.

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