Man Makes Guns with a 3D Printer

How the H would that be possible?!?!?

You still have to add material so you can print...

What happens to an old incJet when it runs out of inc?!?!?

Is anyone questioning the authenticity of this?
I dunno if slashgear dot com is a reliable source.

Sorry, I'm calling B.S.......at any rate I hope the military and police start using this technology, when they come to disarm us....it'll make it so much easier !!

Originally posted by Miccey
How the H would that be possible?!?!?

You still have to add material so you can print...

What happens to an old incJet when it runs out of inc?!?!?

These printers remove material not add it.

Just desktop CNC mills that use plastic blocks instead of aluminum or steel.

Originally posted by Aloysius the Gaul
ther are 3-D printers that can make metal parts, up to and including stainless steel:

Actually it should work even easier than plastic... but the amount of energy it requires? Laser heating?

OP's seeing it from one aspect only. The problem with this tech is ENERGY.... how will it ever become mainstream without access to some free energy devices?

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
Forum thread of somebody printing upper and lower receivers with pics.

Receiver schematic and magazine print

It's definitely being done.

Do you mean the two vague pictures on the 1st page you linked to? they are not of the printer, they are aparently parts of the printed gun, look like plastic parts.

2nd page has a picture of a possible schematic, but it doesn't look complex to me, and the rest looks like guns you would buy from the shops. Again, no picture of printer, no video of it in action. Need to read the thread before I make a judgement on whether or not there is any information in there, but pics or it didn't happen.

EDIT: read the thread (only 3 pages), no real info, only speculation. Maybe the guy who made it has talked on other threads and given photos or proper text there?

Oh my god! I wanna make and Iron man suit!

With three States already writing and passing superceeding gun laws concerning LOCALLY (ie IN STATE) produced guns, and the feds....(one even threatening Feds with fine and jail for interfering with state produced guns...)
This 3D idea may be what the doctor ordered no?
If for 8000 give or take...say ten k max, you can go into producing a serviceable pistol or whatever ....
there will be hundreds of gun "manufacturers"out there in those states soon....
Certainly ruins the UN treaty as well if the dissidents can afford a 3D printer they can arm themselves without international traffic in illegal arms....
Though this is just getting started, i imagine all kinds of breakdowns in the system this machine could cause.....
Of course itll take much moe work to bring that about...................just think though...this is our first "replicator"!
Now if it could print up a few mai tais for me.........

Ive found a company that sell
these "plastics"..
90$ for a kilo

I know this is going to fall on deaf ears, so god knows why I'm bothering to post, but this can't be "entirely" true.

Stratasys FDM tech uses thermoplastic resins to produce it's parts. That's right, plastic.

So while he may have made "some" of the parts to the gun with this 3d printing process, certainly not all the parts came off the stratasys. Plastic just plain isn't strong enough to make barrels, chambers, bolts, etc. out of.

I smell a bit of propaganda with this one.

reply to post by salainen


The receiver is the big deal. All the furniture is a non-issue since that has always been fabricateable and the other components have to be metal and are all available aftermarket.

Even with a complete metal machine shop barrels are a terrible task to create and rifle.

The receiver is also the only part that has to be stamped with a serial number and sold through an FFL (unless you make it and you keep it) so that's another reason why it's a big deal.

This isnt a new or mysterious thing.

Look into the world of 80% receivers.

Do it nicely with a mill: www.cncguns.com...
Or quick and dirty with hand-tools: mujahadeenar15a2.tripod.com...
Dude looks kinda like Stephen King

3d printing is just plastic CNC milling. Nothing terribly special.

For those who failed to read half of page one this needs to be repeated AGAIN. Bottom line, you simply cannot just print a gun on of these "printers" You can make various components of the gun. Many pieces, parts and bits still have to come together to make it all work, trigger group, gas or piston assembly, bolt etc etc etc...

Please read from page ONE

Originally posted by Blackmarketeer
I want to see video proof of this thing actually firing a .22 round. I mean it's all plastic, right?

Okay reading the original article (here) he only used a 3D printer to print the lower part only, the upper is from an actual gun;

The chamber is not plastic, the guy took the upper part of a preexisting gun and added a 3d printed lower portion of the gun. While impressive, this is not what you are claiming he did.

So the story and headline, is mostly hype and misleading.

edit on 26-7-2012 by Blackmarketeer because: (no reason given)

OK, so everyone knew he wasn't printing whole guns, I thought thats what was being said, but yeah, its a lot more realistic if its just some parts that are being "printed", I can definately believe that. I wan't to build a 3D printer, but it would cost a lot of money, and take a long time to research to work out how to build one.

reply to post by jibeho


As jibeho and a few others who actually paid attention to the details in the linked article have rightfully pointed out, this person did not fabricate the entire weapon out using the 3D printer. The upper receiver, bolt, barrel, gas tube and block, etc. are from a different weapon and were machined in the traditional way. This is how the weapon can be fired - plastic just can't take the pressures involved. If you were to try, you'd be pulling the trigger on a .22 grenade that would go off in your hands.

That said however, to those who are saying that it's misleading to headline the article "Man Makes Guns with a 3D Printer," please keep in mind that DOJ and ATF only regulate the LOWER receiver - that piece alone is actually considered to be the firearm. You can purchase uppers, barrels, stocks, gas tubes, bolts, etc. all day long with no background checks. The lower receiver is the only part considered to be a regulated firearm. With that, he did technically print that firearm. Good for him, but me thinks he should be careful as he is skating into manufacturing - something that is regulated as well.

EIther way, this is cool stuff. Too bad I already have all the lowers I need for now, it's the uppers I need more of so I can have different calibers available for different zombies.

Originally posted by Shadow Herder
It just came to me that it is possible to print the whole 3d gun but the debate is whether it can handle a bullet. Why does it have to be a conventional bullet and not some super hard plastic 3d bullet. It will still be lethal.

If you were to switch from plastic to an epoxy mix which is stronger than steel could easily print out guns that could handle a real bullet.

Seeing how you can build a print bot for around 500 bucks or just buy one off ebay militias will be all over this.

Originally posted by buster2010

Seeing how you can build a print bot for around 500 bucks or just buy one off ebay militias will be all over this.

You can grab a used mill for around $2,000 that will pump out real aluminum receivers or for $150 you can get a drill press and finish your own 80% receivers for $50 a piece.

Going the plastic route would be pretty stupid for "militia" purposes. Unless of course the "militia" is just a bunch of angry teenagers who are only hearing about home fabrication now.

You can create a functional receiver by melting a bunch of aluminum cans into a block and shaping it with hand tools if you really wanted to. Takes a long ass time though. Lots of grinding and filing in front of the TV.

Where there's a will there's a way.

It is perfectly legal to manufacture a gun for yourself. All or in part. You can run afoul of the law only if you sell that gun. Even that may not be a problem if you give it a serial number and you are not producing more than one or two guns per year.

This guy was producing parts for his gun. The vast majority of gun parts can be produced with 3D printing.
What cannot be printed can be milled. The exciting thing about this is it brings another technology into the home workshop and gives the home machinist even more ability and flexability.

Just FYI the new big thing in the gun world is Carbon Fiber barrels.

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere

Originally posted by buster2010

Seeing how you can build a print bot for around 500 bucks or just buy one off ebay militias will be all over this.

You can grab a used mill for around $2,000 that will pump out real aluminum receivers or for $150 you can get a drill press and finish your own 80% receivers for $50 a piece.

Going the plastic route would be pretty stupid for "militia" purposes. Unless of course the "militia" is just a bunch of angry teenagers who are only hearing about home fabrication now.

You can create a functional receiver by melting a bunch of aluminum cans into a block and shaping it with hand tools if you really wanted to. Takes a long ass time though. Lots of grinding and filing in front of the TV.

Where there's a will there's a way.

edit on 26-7-2012 by thisguyrighthere because: (no reason given)

Maybe you should learn the difference between epoxies and plastics before commenting. Many epoxies such as Kevlar are several times stronger than steel.

Originally posted by buster2010

Maybe you should learn the difference between epoxies and plastics before commenting. Many epoxies such as Kevlar are several times stronger than steel.

My choice to deride plastics as an option is based on cost not strength.

Maybe in a product like a canoe paying $2,000 for kevlar over $400 for aluminum is worthwhile because of the weight savings but in an AR lower it'd be pretty stupid unless you have cash to burn.

reply to post by Tripnman


True, the lower receiver is often the federally regulated part, but it's the upper receiver that you aren't going to be printing out of plastic and using. That's the part that handles the bullet's discharge and handles all those hot gases and pressure. You would have to be a fool to hold a plastic upper or barrel and fire it and not expect a face full of shrapnel. Especially the type of plastic from these 3D printers, which is more of a resin, and not high-impact ABS.

The part he printed:


It might help out the fellow who get's his FFL revoked and wants to still be able to build/make his own lower's. He will still need to buy/find the upper receiver. Until there is a revolution in plastics that will allow them to be able to handle the heat, pressure and hot gasses from a discharged bullet, the uppers will still be machined and blued from steel.

I can see 3D printers allowing someone to produce some wicked zip guns though. It will be an important tool in the survivalist's workshop.

I hate to say it, but it's hype of publicity like this that will get 3D printers put on the watchlist. Buy a 3D printer, and get added to the role of "suspicious person" courtesy of the DHS, NSA, etc.