3D-printed guns are back, and this time they are unstoppable

[livingston]

3D-printed guns are back, and this time they are unstoppable
A decentralised network of gun-printing advocates is mobilising online, they're anonymously sharing blueprints, advice and building a community. There's no easy way they can be halted
A new network of 3D-printed gun advocates is growing in America – and this time things are different. Unlike previous attempts to popularise 3D-printed guns, this operation is entirely decentralised. There’s no headquarters, no trademarks, and no real leader. The people behind it reckon that this means they can’t be stopped by governments.

“If they [the government] were to come after me, they’d first have to find my identity,” says Ivan the Troll, a member of the group. “I’m one of many, many like-minded individuals who’re doing this sort of work.”

3D-printed guns are back, and this time they are unstoppable | WIRED UK

 

[subsonic]

That's all nice, but 3D printed guns are still very much a "when all you have is a hammer" concept now.

But if this leads to more interest in amateur gunsmithing one way or another, so much the better. And 3D printing only gets better with time.

 

[Acer-m14]

i think i replied in another thread on this 3d printing ...

3d printed brake caliper in titanium ..

 

[subsonic]

i think i replied in another thread on this 3d printing ...

3d printed brake caliper in titanium ..

That's cool, but you and me aren't buying that any time soon.

What's available to consumers for CNC milling is far more useful for making guns than 3D printing.

 

[spat]

Right now an 80% receiver is a much better option for an "off the books" firearm.

However 80%s are no where near as tyranny proof as 3d printed guns. Also, the main purpose of a 3d printed gun in a totalitarian state is as a means to relieve a state actor of a real gun. They don't need to be "good", just "good enough".

 

[subsonic]

Right now an 80% receiver is a much better option for an "off the books" firearm.

However 80%s are no where near as tyranny proof as 3d printed guns. Also, the main purpose of a 3d printed gun in a totalitarian state is as a means to relieve a state actor of a real gun. They don't need to be "good", just "good enough".

That may be true, but the point is that right now there are better options to mill, mold, bend etc. receivers from scratch than to 3D print them.

The best actual 3D-printable AR15 lower looks like the FOSSCAD Bolt, which is pretty hokey, doesn't accommodate a bolt catch, and at least some versions a bolt is in the way of putting it on full safe. The results from printing full-size intact lowers with consumer 3D printers are not pretty, to say the least. I would not call them anywhere near "good enough," compared to alternatives.

 

[spat]

That may be true, but the point is that right now there are better options to mill, mold, bend etc. receivers from scratch than to 3D print them.

The best actual 3D-printable AR15 lower looks like the FOSSCAD Bolt, which is pretty hokey, doesn't accommodate a bolt catch, and at least some versions a bolt is in the way of putting it on full safe. The results from printing full-size intact lowers with consumer 3D printers are not pretty, to say the least. I would not call them anywhere near "good enough," compared to alternatives.

An AR lower as a 3d printed gun is an academic exercise at best right now. Really 3d printed guns in general are. But it is an exercise worth pursuing.

As we have both said, there are far better fabrication methods available for the home builder.

When I said "good enough" I was not referring to anything nearly as sophisticated as an AR. I was thinking of something like a derringer that is used once at close range to acquire a "real" gun from someone who already has one.

However the fact that people are actively developing this technology is very important. Those other fabrication methods are far more vulnerable to government regulation than 3d printing, and 3d printing is at the stage where significant improvements can still be made quickly.

 

[fresch]

Wood, pipe, bolt latch, rubber, 4 screws, 22cal round.

 

[libertysnake]

Mark my words, as this becomes less and less controllable -- much like the music industry and Napster in the early 2000s -- the next move is going to be regulation and control of ammunition. It's the only way to control 3D printed firearms without unplugging people from the internet completely.

 

[Deplorable Me]

3D metal printers already exist. Pricy, but they exist. Steel, stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, Inconel. So what if some employee at a high tech firm had access to one of these toys?

The genie is out of the bottle.

Why bother with a 3D printer? CNC machines are cheaper........

Plastic is just a stepping stone.

 

[GoodGuywitha9mm]

The original goal of course was with the "undetectable" 3D printed gun. Typically one shot, useful for hit-men, spies, and the like. Now the metal fab ideas could eventually mass produce for criminal empires, and then we could finally say "I told you background checks don't prevent bad guys getting guns!" I know I'm all over the place on this one... tired of being cooped up inside on a long rainy day.

 

[BDinPutnam]

Wood, pipe, bolt latch, rubber, 4 screws, 22cal round.

Or .410 shell.

 

[livingston]

The original goal of course was with the "undetectable" 3D printed gun. Typically one shot, useful for hit-men, spies, and the like. Now the metal fab ideas could eventually mass produce for criminal empires, and then we could finally say "I told you background checks don't prevent bad guys getting guns!" I know I'm all over the place on this one... tired of being cooped up inside on a long rainy day.

I will respectfully disagree...The original intent was and still is to have a gun that is untraceable by a government ...Now when does this plastic lump become a gun ... ? Without a firing pin is it still a plastic lump.... Now when a steel firing pin is added.... It does become traceable ... correct. And therefore legal .

 

[spat]

I will respectfully disagree...The original intent was and still is to have a gun that is untraceable by a government ...Now when does this plastic lump become a gun ... ? Without a firing pin is it still a plastic lump.... Now when a steel firing pin is added.... It does become traceable ... correct. And therefore legal .

Maybe the best disposable, undectable, untraceable gun would be truly disposable.

A muzzle loaded derringer with a non metallic projectile and something like an integrated plastic primer. Designed to be fired once and thrown away.