Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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  1. #1
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    Default AR lower made from 3D resin printer????

    WOW!!! while this is not exactly new tech, this will surely push the anti's buttons, and probably create new problems for BATFE...

    LINK, http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/1...3d-printed-gun

    Article,An American gunsmith has become the first person to construct and shoot a pistol partly made out of plastic, 3D-printed parts. The creator, user HaveBlue from the AR-15 forum, has reportedly fired 200 rounds with his part-plastic pistol without any sign of wear and tear.

    HaveBlue’s custom creation is a .22-caliber pistol, formed from a 3D-printed AR-15 (M16) lower receiver, and a normal, commercial upper. In other words, the main body of the gun is plastic, while the chamber — where the bullets are actually struck — is solid metal.

    The lower receiver was created using a fairly old school Stratasys 3D printer, using a normal plastic resin. HaveBlue estimates that it cost around $30 of resin to create the lower receiver, but “Makerbots and the other low cost printers exploding onto the market would bring the cost down to perhaps $10.” Commercial, off-the-shelf assault rifle lower receivers are a lot more expensive. If you want to print your own AR-15 lower receiver, HaveBlue has uploaded the schematic to Thingiverse.

    HaveBlue tried to use the same lower receiver to make a full-blown .223 AR-15/M16 rifle, but it didn’t work. Funnily enough, he thinks the off-the-shelf parts are causing issues, rather than the 3D-printed part.

    While this pistol obviously wasn’t created from scratch using a 3D printer, the interesting thing is that the lower receiver — in a legal sense at least — is what actually constitutes a firearm. Without a lower receiver, the gun would not work; thus, the receiver is the actual legally-controlled part.

    In short, this means that people without gun licenses — or people who have had their licenses revoked — could print their own lower receiver and build a complete, off-the-books gun. What a chilling thought.

    But hey, that’s the ambivalent nature of technology, the great enabler. In just the last few months, 3D printers have also been used to print organs, blood vessels, and drugs. In a few more years, when 3D printers move beyond plastic resins, who knows what we’ll be able to print.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: AR lower made from 3D resin printer????

    Oh yes! This is for real and extremely interesting. You can use a 3D printer to model things today for pennies compared to what it used to cost. I am playing with one and can see where this technology can change everything if certain things were no longer available. I'm trying to remember the movie name (someone here will) where John Malkovich attempts to assasinate someone with a ceramic gun he makes. Eastwood was in it. Anyway, you can "maybe" create a gun like it with a 3D printer.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: AR lower made from 3D resin printer????

    I read about this the other day and was loving some of the comments. Someone was worried about felons using this to get their hands on guns. Do they really think that a felon will go through all the trouble of buying and learning to use a 3D printer, rather than just buying a gun on the street?

    It is cool to see this technology used for firearms though. I don't think this is the most practical application though. I would like to see some 3D printed magazines though.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: AR lower made from 3D resin printer????

    In The Line of Fire.

    While I know what 3D printers are capable of, the stuff that I use that has been made on a 3D printer seems to break really easily. Easily enought that I really doubt that the lower would be able to handle the recoil. That is why the .22 worked and the .223 didn't, IMO.

  5. #5
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    Default Re: AR lower made from 3D resin printer????

    Quote Originally Posted by CrazyWhiteGuy View Post
    In The Line of Fire.

    While I know what 3D printers are capable of, the stuff that I use that has been made on a 3D printer seems to break really easily. Easily enought that I really doubt that the lower would be able to handle the recoil. That is why the .22 worked and the .223 didn't, IMO.
    According to the guy, the 223 didnt work because of the upper, not the lower. Had the same problem when he switched lowers.
    Quote Originally Posted by Python73 View Post
    Shoot what you like, like what you shoot.Own what you like, like what you own.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: AR lower made from 3D resin printer????

    This is really nothing new. Let me start by saying it isn't illegal to manufacture your own firearms for personal use and you can do it today with things that have been on the market for decades. Instead of getting crazy and printing them out of brittle material with a 3D printer, a person could purchase machining equipment and manufacture their firearms from actual metal. The reason this isn't generally done by felons and other criminals is because it's generally easier to buy or steal firearms elsewhere. I can see it's value in replacing plastic parts, but let's face it machined metal is superior especially in use with firearms.

  7. #7
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    Default Re: AR lower made from 3D resin printer????

    Quote Originally Posted by leplat View Post
    According to the guy, the 223 didnt work because of the upper, not the lower. Had the same problem when he switched lowers.
    he thinks that it didn't work because of the off the shelf parts

    HaveBlue tried to use the same lower receiver to make a full-blown .223 AR-15/M16 rifle, but it didn’t work. Funnily enough, he thinks the off-the-shelf parts are causing issues, rather than the 3D-printed part.
    now, maybe i missed it, but where did he say he tried the upper on another lower and had the same problem? all i can see in the article is he shot 200 .22s and failed at shooting 223.

  8. #8
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    Default Re: AR lower made from 3D resin printer????

    Quote Originally Posted by ByblosHex View Post
    This is really nothing new. Let me start by saying it isn't illegal to manufacture your own firearms for personal use and you can do it today with things that have been on the market for decades. Instead of getting crazy and printing them out of brittle material with a 3D printer, a person could purchase machining equipment and manufacture their firearms from actual metal. The reason this isn't generally done by felons and other criminals is because it's generally easier to buy or steal firearms elsewhere. I can see it's value in replacing plastic parts, but let's face it machined metal is superior especially in use with firearms.
    Yea, I have both a 3D printer and full CNC machine shop.. the printer maybe fine for quick prototyping, just to put your hands on something. But I've found the receivers that I've made with CNC take less time and seem to be just a tad stronger.

    If God didn't intend us to have guns why would he have given us a trigger finger?

  9. #9
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    Default Re: AR lower made from 3D resin printer????

    Quote Originally Posted by MrBi11 View Post
    Yea, I have both a 3D printer and full CNC machine shop.. the printer maybe fine for quick prototyping, just to put your hands on something. But I've found the receivers that I've made with CNC take less time and seem to be just a tad stronger.
    Question: how difficult is it to take a receiver and copy it with a CNC, say for example one that's no longer imported (not NFA, no worry) but there are a few in the US just REALLY expensive?
    "You can't stop insane people from doing insane things by passing insane laws--that's insane!" -- Penn Jillette

    "To my mind it is wholly irresponsible to go into the world incapable of preventing violence, injury, crime, and death. How feeble is the mindset to accept defenselessness. How unnatural. How cheap. How cowardly. How pathetic." -- Ted Nugent

  10. #10
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    Default Re: AR lower made from 3D resin printer????

    Quote Originally Posted by Yellowfin View Post
    Question: how difficult is it to take a receiver and copy it with a CNC, say for example one that's no longer imported (not NFA, no worry) but there are a few in the US just REALLY expensive?
    Having a set of CAD drawings makes it a snap, if you need to reverse engineer it by taking measurements off an existing one and drawing it up yourself a bit more.

    But the question is relative, how hard it is depends on who is doing it and there experience. pulling a rabbit out of a hat may be simple for one guy, but magic to another....

    If God didn't intend us to have guns why would he have given us a trigger finger?

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