Canadian Man 3D prints a Ruger 10/22 Rifle

[steve564]

Thought this was pretty crazy, being that I am an advocate of 3D printing, particularly guns This Canadian man has 3D printed almost an entire rifle modeled after a Ruger 22. What do you guys think?

http://3dprint.com/31807/3d-printed-rifle-from-canada/

 

[Palehorseman]

Put me down as unimpressed. The barrel and bolt had to be machined from solid steel, so no big deal about the other plastic parts.

 

[CraigC]

Printing a model is one thing, printing a functional firearm is quite another.

 

[Onmilo]

Printing a model is one thing, printing a functional firearm is quite another.

Indeed but I am quite impressed by 3D technology use in the field of replicas and toys.

 

[DeepSouth]

Printing a model is one thing, printing a functional firearm is quite another.

It's been done, this pistol was 100% 3D printed and fired over 5,000 rounds of 10mm......I know, I know, you all have a crystal ball and know it'll never happen

 

[BCRider]

There's a new 3D printer I read about some time back that prints in metal powder that is then baked to fuse it much like MIM parts. But it's also hellishly expensive and I believe still in the development stage. But I assume that the gun above was made with this method.

 

[cpileri]

Cool!
I've wanted an all nylon 10/22 receiver for years now.
Where do I get one?

C-

 

[FireInCairo]

It's funny how this 3-d technology has been pushed so hard across the news and internet coinciding with the attack on the 2nd amendment in our country. And every article acts like you can actually make a functioning weapon with it, but without a steel barrel it's all but a pile of plastic.

 

[DeepSouth]

FireInCairo

They make 3D metal printers that can and do print barrels. Like the 100% printed gun in my previous post.

 

[moxie]

Operative word = "almost"

 

[TRX]

I carved a 1911 from wood!

I screwed the new wooden grips to various miscellaneous metal parts, but those were barely relevant the awesomeness of my maker-fu.

 

[JohnKSa]

There's a new 3D printer I read about some time back that prints in metal powder that is then baked to fuse it much like MIM parts. But it's also hellishly expensive and I believe still in the development stage. But I assume that the gun above was made with this method.

There are two different 3-D printing methods that work with metal.

One is the technique used to make the complete 1911. It uses a laser to fuse steel powder into a solid part. The final parts are solid steel.

The other is a technique that uses a special glue to build up the part out of stainless steel powder. When finished, the stainless steel/glue part (which is extremely fragile) is heated so that molten bronze wicks into the part and solidifies it. The final parts are stainless steel particle infused bronze. This process has been around for several years.

 

[mac66]

First, Presumably he printed this thing with one of those small home printers.

Second, the significance of 3D printing of firearms is that you can print a receiver (i.e, the regulated part) in your own home and use unregulated parts to complete it.

Third, in addition to the receivers, one can print just about any other small part. This is going to be a big thing in the near future particularly since so many parts these days are plastic. Break a part, just print a new one.

Forth, there is also big market of original and after market gun parts available (just look at ebay) to complete just about any kind of gun.

And which of you guys didn't read the story or watch the video where he shot it a couple hundred times and it works?

 

[jmorris]

Back in the early 90's when 3D printers started comming out, I said that some day they will replace nut and bolt bins. Will be like a microwave, want a 3/8-16 bolt, 1" shank with 1/2" of threads and a socket head, just press 5 buttons.

If the advancements in the technology keeps advancing at the rate it has I might actually see one before I die.

 

[mac66]

jmorris,

Once the technology and software standardizes 3D printing will really take off. Particularly now that they are becoming somewhat mainstream. People will find all kinds of applications and uses for them we haven't even thought off. Look at how computers evolved from gov't/military use to PCs to laptops to netbooks to tablets. Same with cell phones. Who'd of thought that dot matrix printers would evolve into cheap color/laser printers? It didn't happen over night but look at the evolution in just a decade or two.You can now buy a 3D printer for about $1200. That's what home printers cost when they first came out. What did you first PC or laptop cost when they first appeared? I really think 3D is the next big thing.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

Put me down as unimpressed. The barrel and bolt had to be machined from solid steel, so no big deal about the other plastic parts.

Not sure how things work in Canada but it is very significant in the US that neither of those parts is a receiver.

Mike