I thought so, too. That’s why I shared it. Not my idea. But I’m stealing the hell out of it.Genius
If you don't suddenly choose to ignore RAW right at the last step, a peasant railgun does 1d4 damage with a base range of 20ft. (It's just an improvised throw weapon)Peasant Railgun is on my Top 10 List of Rules Bendings That Is Not Allowed.
Though seriously, no DM in their right mind would likely allow such a ... creative interpretation of the rules in the first place.