Print your own guns?

[GoneOffShore]

Posting this here because of the weapon aspect.

I really can't think that this is remotely a good idea, but in hindsight with the advent of three dimensional printers we knew it was going to come.

An amateur gunsmith, operating under the handle of "HaveBlue" (incidentally, "Have Blue" is the codename that was used for the prototype stealth fighter that became the Lockheed F-117), announced recently in online forums that he had successfully printed a serviceable .22 caliber pistol.

Despite predictions of disaster, the pistol worked. It successfully fired 200 rounds in testing.

HaveBlue then decided to push the limits of what was possible and use his printer to make an AR-15 rifle. To do this, he downloaded plans for an AR-15 in the Solidworks file format from a site called CNCGunsmith.com. After some small modifications to the design, he fed about $30 of ABS plastic feedstock into his late-model Stratasys printer. The result was a functional AR-15 rifle. Early testing shows that it works, although it still has some minor feed and extraction problems to be worked out.

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-07/working-assault-rifle-made-3-d-printer

[NYC_SKP]

1. It must be 3D print your own firearm day!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/117256315

[ManiacJoe]

2. In Gone's defense, that thread is poorly titled.

[PavePusher]

6. That hurts, friend.

I don't think I can get over that...

[ManiacJoe]

7. A little more beer and all will be forgotten.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

3. Not likely...

A 3D printer only "prints" with plastic, not metal. Most other reports of this that I've read (and the comment section of this article) point out that he only made the lower receiver with the printer. The rest were off the shelf parts (barrel, trigger assembly, et al). You can't make metal with a 3D printer, and the lower receiver is a low stress part, so it could easily be made from plastic.

IOW, this article is modern journalism at it's finest... That is to say, complete BS with just a twist of truth.

[Jumping John]

5. I think the lower receiver is the only part that that is considered a firearm by the federal

government and the other parts can be bought and sold w/o a background check.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

10. This is a lower reciever

http://www.del-ton.com/Del_Ton_Lower_Receiver_p/lr100.htm

This is what he printed. Not a full assembly, just the receiver itself, which is a low impact piece. That is to say, it can be made from a cheaper material. Regardless, there are many hobbyists out there who build guns. I know an engineer who builds guitars for our store who also builds guns in his spare time as well. I don't forsee this being an epidemic as you can buy a gun cheaper than you could print and build one of these, methinks...

[Jumping John]

4. For those who are wondering - 3 D printers are really pretty cheap and there is

an open source to build your own:

http://replicat.org/

http://www.solidoodle.com/?gclid=CLGBl_7GwrECFUu9tgodslAAjw

http://venturebeat.com/2012/05/29/bukobots-600-open-source-3d-printer-close-to-being-a-reality/

[ProgressiveProfessor]

8. It is an evolving technology

CNC lathes have been with us for years, but the cost is dropping too. At some point it will be inexpensive enough to make parts that were previously made in specialized factories. It is already quite possible to change rifling marks.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

9. HaveBlue is a champ.... always liked that guy.