This weeks dumb idea

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washambala

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I know this is going to sound a little crazy but I want to build my own gun. Not from parts but from solid steel (with perhaps a few exceptions where it makes sense). I have a friend with machine shop that I am allowed to use as long as it doesnt interfere with his business so equipment is more than likely not to be an issue.

I am looking for advice from similarly insane people who might have done this or something close at some point. Also, any kind of software or books or other resources that would make the design and planning process easier would be more than appreciated.

If it helps at all, the goal of this particular project is a semi-automatic shotgun with a receiver thats a bit shorter than most current production guns. I would also like to make it box fed but one thing at a time for now.
 
check out paladin press, they have an entire section dedicated to DIY
as there are a few builder forum, I forget the two big ones right now.
 
Wow! When I first read I was thinking Zip gun and some really bad prison underground news sheet!...Weird! I don't know for I have never tried to build one but I bet you can by just looking at the inner workings of the type of gun you want to manufacture and scaling a good design to fit your needs. Shot gun should be a great starter and good luck! Pics!
 
Just to clarify, I dont mean going to home depot, buying a steel pipe, and endcap and a nail and making an open ended, hand held pipebomb. I want to build a legitimate firearm that can safely handle as much use as anything Remington can put together. At this point its another project and a platform for me to try a few ideas I have about shortening up the action on something like this.

And BTW the title of the thread was meant to be sarcastic.
 
might want to check with BATF you might need a FFL for that.... otherwise sounds cool and like the others we want pics!
 
I am almost certain that I dont. I am not going to manufacture these on any large scale and I am not making them with the intent of selling them. nothing I am planning will fall under NFA regulation as a controlled item (no SBS or AOW, at least not yet. baby steps).

As far as pics, you guys will be the first to see them.

Edit: I have been reading as much as I can about firearm laws. making them yourself is legal without any licencing as long as you arent making them for the purpose of selling them. if you make on and then 10 years down the road you decide to sell it to your neighbor then you can. it just has to have your name and a serial number on it (maybe a few other things but those are the main ones). Dig around THR for more info. Its all here.
 
As I said, I would like to make a Semiauto, box fed shotgun. The big thing that I want to try is to see if I can redesign the way the action works a little bit to make the receiver shorter than normal.
 
As said, Paladin Press has books on building guns. Most are gee whiz survivalist stuff on how to make your own SMG to fight off the Soviets or the FBI, depending; but there might be useful information on design considerations, materials and equipment.

Frank DeHaas did some good work in the field, but directed at single shot rifles, not repeating shotguns.
 
You are allowed to build firearms for personal use without an FFL, they don't even need serial numbers by federal law. If you decide to sell one after a time of use, it must have a unique serial number at that time. State laws may vary/prohibit such things and most LEOs would have a hard time if you were to be stopped while carrying an un-numbered sidearm, but there is no federal law against it. Have fun and post pictures when you are done.
 
I am not a lawyer!!!!

I'll ask the OP. Are you already a fairly skilled machinist? If not than the learning curve can be quite steep, even to the point of being dangerous to you physically and your friends equipment($$$$$$). I know you don't want to get injured or damage your buddy's machinery. I'm not trying to stop you on your journey but it is just something to consider.

As the post previous to mine says it is indeed legal to make a firearm for personal use. The general limits are is the gun you make has to be legal to own where you live.

Finishing a raw AR15 lower(the only part considered a gun) and completing it with commercially available barrel, upper, trigger group, and furniture is probably the most common "home built" project. If you live somewhere where ARs are a no-no then making one is a no-no.

Machine guns and destructive devices are out of the question unless you want to risk a very long jail term. However if you go to the trouble and expense of getting an NFA tax stamp ($200) you can legally make a short barrel shotgun, short barrel rifle or suppressor and be totally legal.

I have seen some very crafty projects including a 12ga Gatling gun a 50 caliber bolt action made from welded tube, many nice standard and short barrel ARs with and without suppressors and a few nicely done 1911s.

The owner of CNCguns.com developed a billet aluminum AR lower that takes grease gun magazines to make a very neat 45ACP AR.

Homegunsmithing.com and CNCguns.com are good places to see what is possible. The also have forums with good info on the law and many neat projects from the participants.

DS arms has good prices on unfinished "0%" AR-15 mil-spec lowers if that is what someone is looking for.

If you actually undertake a project you should have a thread that documents the process for all of us on the web to enjoy.

I've been a toolmaker for a dozen years with access to modern CNC equipment and would love to take on a AR-15 lower project but I live in Chicago and mayor Daily does not want me to.:rolleyes:

Have I rambled enough?:) Remember TTIWWP!!!!


Good Luck,
Ironlung
 
Try to find CAD drawings of the AK/ Siaga-12, or a Beneili, there are a few box fed shotguns, for a first gun I would stick to coping a working design, the work on modifying it to fit what you want.

As for a zip gun, ever seen some of Barrets first guns....
gives the ol 'zip gun a whole new look in .50
 
It sounds like the OP simply wants to do it for his own satisfaction, so saleability is not an issue. However, an understanding of how such a gun works is very much an issue. A gun like a pump or auto-loading shotgun seems simple, but in fact is a very complex mechanism compared to an auto pistol or a simple open bolt submachine gun.

One area for a start would be to buy as many guns of the type (auto loading shotgun) as you can find, and study how others have dealt with the problems. You can't do that by looking at drawings or parts catalogs, you need the guns. Also, if you have the idea of eventually marketing your design, you will need to examine those patents still in force to avoid infringement, a trap many inventors fall into.

Lotsa luck!

Jim
 
I don't know about the rest of the gun, but you may want to purchase a barrel, or at least a barrel blank. Chamber and barrels reamers could easily cost more than the barrel itself.
 
Doesn't sound crazy at all. I have "done" a 80% side plate for my 1919...and put my own serial # on it. I know folks who have done the same with partial AR and 1911 receivers also.

The only thing that may be beyond your capabilities is making a barrel, so I would recommend buying a barrel of whatever type (shotgun, rifle, whatever) and starting from there with that.

If it takes off, post pics and keep us informed...should be an interesting story.
 
The barrel has to be bought, but other than that go for it. I used to work as a machinist in the R&D department of Knight's Armament Company and I've made some pretty cool guns. I never designed one myself, but we worked with the engineers who did and we had lots of input. I even machined a receiver for a grenade launcher once. This gun was my favorite, they call it their PDW.

http://www.knightarmco.com/pdw.html
 
you could also look to some of the semi-auto rifle designs and scale them up.
a 12ga tommy gun would be real neat.
i would make so it worked with siaga magazines so you would have access to siaga drums.
use 4140 pre-hard for the receiver so you won't have to heat treat & pac-nor sells heavy wall shotgun barrel blanks
 
Nice idea for a project. Maching the parts should be a learning curve sort of isssue and I'd probably also buy at least the barrel. My biggest concern would be the proper heat treating of the stressed parts. Mayby you should job that part out to a heat treatment specialist?
 
As Far as the barrel goes, I do intend to buy a blank and cut it to size.

I looked at Paladin Press. all of their stuff is geared towards survivalists. I want to build a legitimate firearm that has the same kind of solid feel (and hopefully reliability) of any decent production gun.

Centaur- I remember seeing the Future Weapons ep. on that gun. They had me sold.

Jim- you are correct. That is exactly why I want to do this.
 
You are allowed to build firearms for personal use without an FFL, they don't even need serial numbers by federal law
Click to expand...

This is correct, look at all the DIY AKs built from reciever flats and the cornucopia of parts floating around from old demills. You can make anything you want.

If it were me, I would build a precision bolt gun in an exotic caliber like .338LAP or .50BMG or you can go big and do a 25mm boltgun!
 
Seems like an awefully lot of effort, expense and work just for the satisfaction of doing it. Like hundreds or thousands of hours researching, designing and perfecting.... for a single firearm.

If it floats your boat, then sure. But seems like that time could be better spent elsewhere. But it's your time. Who am I to tell you how to spend it.

Now if you were designing it to vastly improve the weapon for sale/competition with the big dogs, or to patent an idea then that's another angle.
 
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