3D Printed AR15 Much Improved, More Reliable

Status
Not open for further replies.
Funny I was just thinking the other day. There is local gun buy-back going on this weekend and they are giving $200 per "assault rifle". So I wonder what would happen if you printed off 100 AR lowers and took them to a buy-back:D
 
not true.

there are many printers available for <$1,000.

if you want to build it yourself, they can be had for ~$400.
Those printers won't work for printing guns. They could make something that LOOKS like a gun, but it won't work. It can't be done on the budget printers.
To use the better materials and tolerances you need the $15,000 printers.
They guys who are doing this are not using cheap printers.
 
Those printers won't work for printing guns. They could make something that LOOKS like a gun, but it won't work. It can't be done on the budget printers.
To use the better materials and tolerances you need the $15,000 printers.
They guys who are doing this are not using cheap printers

i beg to differ.

i have a fair amount of experience with 3d printing.

on a well tuned RepRap printer, we have been able to make functional tool holders for metal lathes.....if itll survive on a lathe, itll survive on a firearm.

we have printed springs that are damn near unbreakable.....trust me, weve tried.

when it comes to materials, they are most likely using ABS or PLA.....the industry 'standard'.....both of which are also used on hobby grade printers.

as for tolerances, here are the specs for the RepRap:
0.080” min. feature size, 0.004" positioning accuracy, layer thickness 0.012”

more than plenty accurate to print a lower.


i have no doubt these guys are using top-end printers, a top-end printer will likely print faster, and more consistent......but there is no reason it cant be done on a $600 printer.
 
Those printers won't work for printing guns. They could make something that LOOKS like a gun, but it won't work. It can't be done on the budget printers.
To use the better materials and tolerances you need the $15,000 printers.
They guys who are doing this are not using cheap printers.

Might not work for a receiver - but I'd be willing to absolutely bet it'd work for a magazine.

During the last AWB when production of mags was illegal you could still buy hi-cap springs to service your existing mags, and the followers are the same between 10 rounder and hi-caps, but are typically also made of plastic and could be printed too.

The fact that the hottest selling magazines for an AR15 are already polymer is just further proof that we've essentially hit a technological point where banning magazines will be pointless. Anybody who wants one for any non-lawful use could print one up quite easily.

If you look at Anonymous, Wikileaks, and The Pirate Bay, you can already tell that the government as a whole is mostly throwing it hands up in frustration regarding the taming of the digital age. They simply can't restrict the flow of bytes and what computers can do.
 
Are printed springs for a 30 rd magazine, or a 20, feasible in your opinion? It sounds like it.

i dont see any reason why you physically couldnt print a 30 round spring....

that being said, it wont likely be in a realistic form factor. the most successful printed spring ive seen have been 'serpentine springs' with a thickness of ~1/8 THK. they take up A LOT of space when compressed.

so youll likely end up with a 30 round mag that will be the length of a 60 round mag.....and i cant imagine it being too terribly reliable.
 
We'll need new designs, printable designs. They'll look some weird. The boys and girls who cling to their blued steel and walnut beauties will have more heartburn to add to their Glockburn. Hope we can have them all.
 
Most recent episode of CSI:NY they showed some giuy printing a revolver. Fully functional, moving parts and all, no assembly required. Part of me laughed at it, but the general public won't understand that current state of the art is not even withing rock throwing distance of that capability.
 
AR-15_Magazine.jpg


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/2976274/posts?page=41

I can order an affordable 3D printer right now from Amazon and can be making mags immediately, the one shown here is a 5 round AR type. The code is open source, the mag works.

Should not be too difficult to make one for the M1A. I would actually prefer 10 rounders to a larger mag.
 
They need to fore-go the conventional buttstock.

They need to build the lower with an integral buttstock in thumbhole configuration, capable of accepting the recoil tube as an insert instead of attaching the buttstock as a threaded attachment.

At that point the weakest link is eliminated.
 
Those printers won't work for printing guns. They could make something that LOOKS like a gun, but it won't work. It can't be done on the budget printers.
To use the better materials and tolerances you need the $15,000 printers.
They guys who are doing this are not using cheap printers.
Check out FormLabs Form 1 stereolithography printer. I've been touting them lately, since I think they are going to deliver a great product once it hits market, and they fit nicely between the Repraps and 15K$ industrial machines with a ~3K$ printer. Volume is 6x6x5" I think, and uses a liquid polymer solidified with a laser to build parts. Accuracy is around 10micron, I believe (I may be missing a decimal :eek:) and strength/finish is on par with injection molded acrylic plastic (material strength varies with polymer, of course). The goo is a little over 100$ for 1L, which is pricey compared to ABS, but not compared to machining the thing ;)

Most recent episode of CSI:NY they showed some giuy printing a revolver. Fully functional, moving parts and all, no assembly required. Part of me laughed at it, but the general public won't understand that current state of the art is not even withing rock throwing distance of that capability.
Don't you bet on it. Aside from the need to reinforce a couple things (barrel, chamber tubes and firing pin) a low-grade revolver capable of firing a couple low-power shots is likely possible at present. Granted, it'd go out of time or wear out the sear in a couple shots, but it would be about as durable as the el cheapo Spanish/Belgian knockoffs of American revolvers at the turn of the century. But yeah, a guy simply printing a S&W 27 from CAD models off the internet would only accomplish the murder of his hands and eyes :D

Printing assemblies is already being done:
Gyro_large.gif
From FormLabs website
(PS, cool that we can link gifs here-didnt' know about that :))

TCB
 
Last edited:
so youll likely end up with a 30 round mag that will be the length of a 60 round mag.....and i cant imagine it being too terribly reliable.

If they limit legal mags to 10 rounds, a 20 rounder the size of a 30 round mag wouldn't be a bad deal.

And, as was noted up thread, if replacement springs and followers are still available for existing mags, being able to print a 30 round magazine body is all you need.
 
Wait a second... what about using the 3d printers to make magazines for firearms that are older/harder to find? Seems like it would be whole lot easier to "retool" a 3d printer than a machine shop.
 
@ dcarch, the problem is that with an AR-15 the stack is significantly narrower than the magwell. Aluminum and steel mags have ridges that keep things in alignment and polymer mags simply absorb the space. The issue with pistol mags is that the stack is as wide as the magwell. All you have is thin-gauge steel. I doubt printed polymer would be strong enough.

But damn good idea.

also, reading through the blog post on the 30-round magazine, I see a couple of problems:

1: The feed lips need some fine tuning

2: The printed body and follower do not have sufficient lubricity against each other to move freely. The inside of a polymer magazine is glass smooth and the followers are usually IM delrin plastic. We need either a self-lubricating printing fluid or these magazines will require some post-printing finishing.
 
Last edited:
The 3D printer may make its mark in history as the machine that will manufacture the next generation Liberty pistol.
A one or two shot derringer style, will actually and safely shoot low pressure rounds. Possibly with a novel approach of an integral suppressor. A completely disposable weapon that leaves no rifling marks and no consistent firing pin mark.

That CSI episode I think was more about creating a negative image of making gun parts with a 3D printer, the giveaway is of course its in NYC.

I would love to see a new TV series about modern day gunsmiths creating parts and alternative weapons with the 3D printer. Even a new style of caseless ammunition?
 
good grief! All this on top of the recent announcement that the new makerbot is going to be closed source!!! Seems to me they've completely done a 180 from EVERYTHING they stood for.

how long until the government shoves their face into 3d printing ?
 
MakerBot site has declared its hostility to guns and home 'smiths by deleting all gun-parts from their file-hosting site.

Cool, that makes my decision easier. I had been torn between the new Makerbot printer and the soon-to-release Formlabs SL printer. All these tech co's are probably gun-hostile, simply due to the backgrounds/demographics of the people involved (ivy-league egg-heads who've never been around guns), but if they aren't openly opposed to the legal use of their products where firearms are concerned, I say we should endorse them. I'll have to write them a letter before I confirm my preorder to see if they have a stance on this issue, or if they take a more libertarian mindset to how others use their printer.

TCB
 
Hey now.

I'm an "egg head", computer programmer, network admin, wide area communications work, database administration, high-availability server services. I'm actually a long hair hippy type wearing a tie died shirt at the moment. I like espresso, fine wine, filet mignon, fine art, classical music, and a good book in a warm tub. I study philosophy, and history, with an emphasis on "the condition of man" - what causes men to commit acts of evil, what causes empires to fall, what causes wars.

I also collect and own over 75 evil assault weapons... and know how to use them very well. :D

Can't judge a book by it's cover man!
 
2: The printed body and follower do not have sufficient lubricity against each other to move freely. The inside of a polymer magazine is glass smooth and the followers are usually IM delrin plastic. We need either a self-lubricating printing fluid or these magazines will require some post-printing finishing.

My thought is that it would be best to print the mag body as two halves and either use mechanical fasteners or fuse the halves after smoothing the inside.

Personally, I'll continue to do all my manufacturing on my lathe, mill, metal break, etc. Don't need a 3D printer to make a lower, and mine will not self destruct after 80 rounds, nor after 80,000. Neat as the 3D printing stuff is, the limitations of the material leave the products lacking in utility. Sometimes there's just no substitute for metalworking tools & skills.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top