• 3D-printed semi-automatic rifle can now fire 600 rounds, beating previous record of 6
    67 replies, posted
[MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAW72Y_XPF4[/MEDIA] [QUOTE]Wilson’s nonprofit organization, Defense Distributed, released a video this week showing a gun firing off over 600 rounds—illustrating what is likely to be the first wave of semi-automatic and automatic weapons produced by the additive manufacturing process. Last year, his group famously demonstrated that it could use a 3D-printed “lower” for an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle—but the gun failed after six rounds. Now, after some re-tooling, Defense Distributed has shown that it has fixed the design flaws and a gun using its lower can seemingly fire for quite a while. (The AR-15 is the civilian version of the military M16 rifle.) [...] So that raises the question: is this legal? For now, it would appear so. “There are no restrictions on an individual manufacturing a firearm for personal use,” a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) spokesperson told Ars. “However, if the individual is engaged in business as a firearms manufacturer, that person must obtain a manufacturing license.” [...] Defense Distributed, Wilson says, receives “around $100” in daily donations, and he has an operating budget of about $2,400 monthly. He says that the next phase will be to publish “primers” teaching people specifically how to make such weapons. “I don’t consider myself a tech guy, but I do consider myself a crypto-anarchist,” he said. “I mean the philosophy that Tim May expressed, he predicted WikiLeaks and digital currency. [What I mean is] that the Internet and cryptography are these anarchic tools that can allow for the expanse of citizen action. We like the idea of the market becoming completely black and starving the nation-state from all the money they claim.” [/QUOTE] [URL=http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/03/download-this-gun-3d-printed-semi-automatic-fires-over-600-rounds/]Source[/URL] I told you guys. [URL=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Diamond_Age]The Diamond Age[/URL] is getting way ahead of schedule. So earlier this year they could only fire 6 rounds before the thing broke, now they got it up to six [I]hundred[/I]. They're going to get ATF'd any day now.
This isn't a big deal. They made an AR lower receiver which doesn't take a ton of stress compared to the upper. People have literally made AR lowers out of wood and paper before. I doubt it's possible to make a AR upper receiver with 3D printing.
Good thing 3D printers are more expensive than buying an unlicensed weapon
[QUOTE]Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF)[/QUOTE] Am I the only one who finds this combo a bit strange?
the lower receiver is the part that considered the gun, isn't it?
[QUOTE=Liem;39778069]Am I the only one who finds this combo a bit strange?[/QUOTE] It's the fun things bureau
[QUOTE=Liem;39778069]Am I the only one who finds this combo a bit strange?[/QUOTE] Putting all the fun stuff in one bureau? Not at all Goddamit Zeke
[QUOTE=Trogdon;39778067]Good thing 3D printers are more expensive than buying an unlicensed weapon[/QUOTE] People have made RepRaps that cost around $250 dollars and ABS thermoplastic only costs five dollars per kilogram.
[QUOTE=CodeMonkey3;39778058]This isn't a big deal. They made an AR lower receiver which doesn't take a ton of stress compared to the upper. People have literally made AR lowers out of wood and paper before. I doubt it's possible to make a AR upper receiver with 3D printing.[/QUOTE] that and people can make way more scary shit anyways.
[QUOTE=CodeMonkey3;39778058]This isn't a big deal. They made an AR lower receiver which doesn't take a ton of stress compared to the upper. People have literally made AR lowers out of wood and paper before. I doubt it's possible to make a AR upper receiver with 3D printing.[/QUOTE] the problem is the lower reciever carries the serial number, so it's the only part of the ar-15 that gets regulated as a firearm. the upper reciever and other parts are fairly easy to obtain, so you can imagine the consequences of this technology.
[QUOTE=CodeMonkey3;39778058]This isn't a big deal. They made an AR lower receiver which doesn't take a ton of stress compared to the upper. People have literally made AR lowers out of wood and paper before. I doubt it's possible to make a AR upper receiver with 3D printing.[/QUOTE] Actually I'm sure you could make an AR upper on a 3D printer, but it would have to be modified so the upper clamps around the barrel and possibly around the gas block as well to make the forces are more evenly distributed along the upper instead of just at the breech. A lot of AR-15 barrels aren't just plain Jane pipes so there's a bit more surface area to work with than you'd get on say a bolt action Fudd gun.
The only thing Congress is good at anymore is criminalizing things, I expect a bill to outlaw 3D printed firearms components by the end of the year. Either way, they still aren't printing an actual gun, just components that have to be combined with other proper firearm components. AR-15 guys: are full automatic and semi automatic upper receivers the same part, or is there a difference between them? I'm wondering if one could purchase an off-the-shelf AR-15 and simply print themselves an automatic lower receiver. Obviously, possession without the proper license would be illegal, but could someone do it?
[QUOTE=Liem;39778069]Am I the only one who finds this combo a bit strange?[/QUOTE] For the longest time I thought the contraction for the bureau was BAFTA and ATF was the award given out to actors
[QUOTE=RR_Raptor65;39778156]Actually I'm sure you could make an AR upper on a 3D printer, but it would have to be modified so the upper clamps around the barrel and possibly around the gas block as well to make the forces are more evenly distributed along the upper instead of just at the breech. A lot of AR-15 barrels aren't just plain Jane pipes so there's a bit more surface area to work with than you'd get on say a bolt action Fudd gun.[/QUOTE] Usually the barrel comes with the upper, hence why you can't print the average upper, since you can't print a barrel because it needs to be metal.
[QUOTE=Mon;39778125]the problem is the lower reciever carries the serial number, so it's the only part of the ar-15 that gets regulated as a firearm. the upper reciever and other parts are fairly easy to obtain, so you can imagine the consequences of this technology.[/QUOTE] put the serial number on the upper receiver?
Good thing is magneto attacks hurr But yeah, this seems cool, the ability to print a gun seems awesome
[QUOTE=DaCommie1;39778202]Usually the barrel comes with the upper, hence why you can't print the average upper, since you can't print a barrel because it needs to be metal.[/QUOTE] You can get loose barrels, no problem. Then you just assemble it with the gas block in place and clamp the prototype plastic upper on there. Could go a step further and cut an aluminum pipe to keep the bolt from wearing on the upper. Course your gun is plastic and you have a 3D printer so why be concerned with longevity? Basically take a complete unit like this, with the gas line of course: [img]http://i.imgur.com/ljYmDil.gif[/img] And clamping two halves of an upper around the whole barrel and gas block, leaving the front sight exposed so you can still shoot. That way the recoil is distributed over a larger surface area instead of just at the breech, which is where you'd see a failure if you just took a regular GI upper and copied it. I mean, it'd be fun to play with and see how it would hold up under that sort of an assembly.
[QUOTE=Mon;39778125]the problem is the lower reciever carries the serial number, so it's the only part of the ar-15 that gets regulated as a firearm. the upper reciever and other parts are fairly easy to obtain, so you can imagine the consequences of this technology.[/QUOTE] Almost all states don't have registries, and if they do it's typically only handguns. So serial number won't really be an issue, as your average rifle is untraceable past the store that sold it.
[QUOTE=Trunk Monkay;39778291]Almost all states don't have registries, and if they do it's typically only handguns. So serial number won't really be an issue, as your average rifle is untraceable past the store that sold it.[/QUOTE] It's also illegal for the Fed to maintain a registry at all. They do anyway but nobody has sued em for it yet.
you're already allowed to manufacture your own weapons as a civilian without any sort of licensing. you just have to follow a few guidelines like you have to put a serial number on it and also you can't sell it
[QUOTE=RR_Raptor65;39778249]You can get loose barrels, no problem. Then you just assemble it with the gas block in place and clamp the prototype plastic upper on there. Could go a step further and cut an aluminum pipe to keep the bolt from wearing on the upper. Course your gun is plastic and you have a 3D printer so why be concerned with longevity? Basically take a complete unit like this, with the gas line of course: [img]http://i.imgur.com/ljYmDil.gif[/img] And clamping two halves of an upper around the whole barrel and gas block, leaving the front sight exposed so you can still shoot. That way the recoil is distributed over a larger surface area instead of just at the breech, which is where you'd see a failure if you just took a regular GI upper and copied it. I mean, it'd be fun to play with and see how it would hold up under that sort of an assembly.[/QUOTE] I know you can buy the barrel by itself, but most people prefer to buy a [url=http://sotaarms.com/component/jshopping/product/view/2/3?Itemid=0]complete upper[/url] unless they're going for some crazy competition shit. Therefore, a complete lower can be 3D-printed, a complete upper cannot, since a complete upper has the barrel included.
I wonder if 3D printing firearms will become feasible for mass production in the future. 3D printing already has helped with making handtools from what I've seen, why not.. shoot-gun kill tools?
[QUOTE=Liem;39778069]Am I the only one who finds this combo a bit strange?[/QUOTE] It's the "shit that's legal but we gotta regulate" guys. The DEA, on the other hand is the "shit that's illegal" guys.
[QUOTE=milkandcooki;39778818]I wonder if 3D printing firearms will become feasible for mass production in the future. 3D printing already has helped with making handtools from what I've seen, why not.. shoot-gun kill tools?[/QUOTE] Certain parts, more likely than not yes. But I'm assuming it won't help speed up the process by much, nor will it reduce the price significantly.
That's a whole lot of dead robbers.
Nothing to do with me...
[QUOTE=milkandcooki;39778818]I wonder if 3D printing firearms will become feasible for mass production in the future. 3D printing already has helped with making handtools from what I've seen, why not.. shoot-gun kill tools?[/QUOTE] You realize how a firearm works right? A fully plastic gun would melt or explode pretty damned quickly. Even if a 3D printer comes a long that can print firearms grade steel, it probably won't be as strong or as efficient as stamping or milling.
[QUOTE=Penguiin;39778688]you're already allowed to manufacture your own weapons as a civilian without any sort of licensing. you just have to follow a few guidelines like you have to put a serial number on it and also you can't sell it[/QUOTE] Actually, you can sell it but it has to have a serial and be register, but if you don't sell it then you don't neither to do either.
[QUOTE=Liem;39778069]Am I the only one who finds this combo a bit strange?[/QUOTE] basically they started as alcohol cops then they were given firearm enforcement then tobacco enforcement now they do federal offenses of arson/explosives as well
[QUOTE=Trunk Monkay;39778923]You realize how a firearm works right? A fully plastic gun would melt or explode pretty damned quickly. Even if a 3D printer comes a long that can print firearms grade steel, it probably won't be as strong or as efficient as stamping or milling.[/QUOTE] Yeah, there MIGHT be a plastic out there that can handle black powder at least once but modern smokeless powder? Forgeddabout it. BP barrels can even be made with brass or bronze, traditionally iron was used, try that with smokeless and you'll wish you hadn't tried that with smokeless powder. :v:
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