3D Printed rifle successfully test fired

[Rich Jordan]

14 shots before failing. The initial version failed on the first shot. This is a single shot SBR-looking gun that is loaded by disassembling it.

The only info I could find on the ammo was "Winchester Dynapoints" so it is presumably a .22 rimfire.

Articles here and here.

Video here

[Netpackrat]

Made the mistake of reading down into the comments... The stupid, it hurts.

[JustinR]

The great thing about this technology is you could potentially print a barrel with an integral suppressor. THAT would get me excited.

[Aesop]

Cause what you really want with failure-prone brittle plastic, is trying to contain even more of the pressure inside the weapon...?!?

3D weapons have one main utility: casting flawless prototypes to spec for people who know how to make CNC metal parts from that stage.
At that point, tell me again how the NFA of 1934 makes it impossible for most people to own a Thompson, BAR, or a Ma Deuce.

GE Minigun build kits will be a growth industry.

Next step after that, a set of plans to make my own A-10 Warthog to build around the minigun.
That'll keep the damn hippies off my lawn, and on the weekends I can zip around CONUS and splash Predator drones.
Should make civil liberties a fair fight again...

"o/~ One piece at a time, and it didn't cost me a dime... o/~

[MarkD]

I wonder, can the 3D printing process be adapted to other materials that would be stronger and more capable of handling the pressures generated by firing a cartridge? The problem with both this and the Liberator pistol seemed to be that the plastic just isn't up to the task. Are there non-metallic materials that could handle it?

[Jered]

I wonder, can the 3D printing process be adapted to other materials that would be stronger and more capable of handling the pressures generated by firing a cartridge? The problem with both this and the Liberator pistol seemed to be that the plastic just isn't up to the task. Are there non-metallic materials that could handle it?

My bet is that at some point in the future, we'll see 3d printers than can use powdered metal.

[Catbird]

My bet is that at some point in the future, we'll see 3d printers than can use powdered metal.

They've been around for a while, just not at consumer prices.

[JustinR]

Cause what you really want with failure-prone brittle plastic, is trying to contain even more of the pressure inside the weapon...?!?

I meant more along the lines of a single shot throwaway gun for .45 230gr or .300 Blackout subsonic. For those times that call for extreme measures and a quiet getaway.

[Aesop]

Understood. But even then, the "pros" apparently depend on .22LR, which apparently responds well to things like rolled up window screen and wadded rags and such.

Personally, I'm hoping someone starts selling gangbangers and suchlike on the virtues of 3D printed silenced .44Magnum.
It should get much easier to ID and locate them by the trail of blood and the helpful handful of plastic fragments embedded in their faces after a shooting.

[martini]

I think it was Lockheed that I saw was experimenting with a 3d printer for space applications. IIRC it printed metal in a plastic matrix that would burn off once the part was heated enough. The end result was supposed to be a usable metal part that was a bit smaller than the printed part.