Would you consider 3d-printed weapons as nice gifts?
Asked by
Walgt (
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July 10th, 2016
My father is a bioengineer by trade. One of his side hobbies is weapons engineering. As a high school graduation present, my father gave me a series of weapons & ammunition that he personally engineered and printed on 3d-printers (handguns, shotguns, suppressors, semi-automatic rifles, sniper rifles, blades, swords, crossbow, bow and arrow).
I used these weapons for about a month now and they do perform just as well as the non-printed models which is what my father assured me would be the case. He told me that thanks to 3d-printing technological advancements and my father perfecting his designs, the previous limitations of old are no longer an issue. Weapons and ammunition can now be printed in any material and have a strong wear and tear.
For reasons unknown, possibly irrational, I still feel some disappointment in that they’re not originals. On the plus side, by law, they don’t have to be registered and there aren’t any serial numbers to trace them.
I guess what I am asking is if a product was engineered using alternative methods but yielded the same results, would you have a problem with it? Would it be an acceptable gift?
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22 Answers
Not only are the gifts acceptable, but the very narration of such a dream like scenario raises visions of incomparable wealth to be realized through the exploitation of your father’s “talents” ahead of troublesome regulation.
Personally, when I think of gifts 3D printed weapons aren’t what spring to mind.
@stanleybmanly
I’m not sure about that. There are a lot of mechanical engineers that are offering their 3d-gun blueprints to download for free on the internet. Defense Distributed is a popular one that comes to mind, but there are many others that post it for free on file hosting websites and torrents. Anyone can download it and follow the blueprints. You just need to buy a 3d-printer and the material. They’re pretty cheap now. It can be done on 3d-printers that range between $250—$500.
What do you mean by ahead of troublesome regulations?
@flutherother
I would say it depends on your audience. I’m an enthusiast. Within that context, a gift of weapons makes sense. It is the alternative methods that gets me.
I’d question my father’s standing as a responsible adult, but that’s just me.
Not interested.
Even if I were interested in firearms (already had my fill, thanks), I wouldn’t accept homebrew guns. I like things to not backfire into my retinas.
@Seek
That was the case about 3 years ago. The material and designs risked potential backfires over extended periods of use. The plastic would melt, something jams up, etc.. You needed that trial and error to make progress in homebrew weaponry you have today. Presently, with the ability to print in any material and perfected designs, it is rarely an issue.
I shot hundreds of rounds in the last month, both printed rounds and nato rounds. There doesn’t seem to be even a smidge of wear and tear on the weapons, especially on the metal ones. One of the plastic models jammed on me once.
It’s your face. Do what you want with it.
My answer remains “No thanks”.
Sorry, 3D printed “weapons” do not perform like the real thing. They can actually be quite dangerous since the material properties are neither adequate nor consistent enough for this. If he made you suppressors that’s a felony. Anyhoo, I’m calling B.S. on this question anyway. “printed rounds”...pfffft, whatever…FLAGGED.
I have tinkered with 3D printers and even helped build one. They’re not worth the hype that people give them. You can do much better with $10 and your local hardware store if you need to make something.
@ARE_you_kidding_me
I don’t think you’re aware of what has been developed in the last several years. Two years ago the first printed rounds were developed by Michael Crumling, a 25-year-old machinist from York, Pennsylvania. The ammunition uses a thicker steel shell with a lead bullet inserted an inch inside, deep enough that the shell can contain the explosion of the round’s gunpowder instead of transferring that force to the plastic body or barrel of the gun. This allows a home-printed firearm made from even the cheapest materials to be fired again and again without cracking or deformation. The following two years since his creation a lot more progress has been done to make it more quickly and efficiently.
On top of that development, various other forms of material were tinkered with to create a much more durable type of material. The three common ones I am aware of are Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, Polylactic Acid, and Polyvinyl Alcohol.
My father has his own combination. He hasn’t released his blueprints to the public. He experimented with various chemicals to make something more durable. Multi-combination. The metal designs are entirely without danger. This was confirmed by multiple engineers. They have shot over 1200 rounds, printed and nato rounds. There was no wear and tear.
I’m not sure what state you’re in, but in my state suppressors are legal.
Those are not “printed“rounds they are manufactured or machined, perhaps by your father but not extruded on a printer. If they really can contain the powder then they need to be stored very carefully. Were your supressors registered in your name and the $200 NFA tax paid? If not then yes they are illegal.
The ones extruded from a 3d-printer are bronzefill polylactic acid filament. These are heavier bullets thanks to the metal powder the polylactic acid is mixed with.
This is another variation of 3d-printed shotgun bullets link
3d-printed Metal Surpressor link
Sooooo. Feel like I should point out that ‘real’ metal guns carry a realistic possibilty of accidental discharge, failure to fire, failure to cycle, mechanical failure , backfire, ricochet etc.
A gun made of composite materials would be…. not a great idea to me. With current technology, or at least the ability to mass produce a 3D printed weapon in a cost effective, ‘safe for multiple use’ form, it is not a good gift, or concept.
However, if the gift were just a novelty, with intended use being little or never, it’d be cool to a person who could appreciate the milestone (for better or worse) that a culture already overwhelmed with guns , can now simply fabricate an operable one, that, fitted with certain modifications is relatively hard to detect in say , an airport.
The future is now. Hope he enjoys it.
For the record , I have received 2 firearms as gifts in my lifetime. ....
I would not trust any device designed to produce multiple internal explosions that has not gone through at least a few thousand rounds of test firing without a single failure.
Tests performed by a certified and state controlled agency, by the way.
Not going to take the claims from the manufacturer at face value.
I doubt you would trust a knock off gun produced by some metal worker from the Afghan mountains either.
@MrGrimm888
I have been shooting with my dad’s original (non-printed guns) since I was around 8 years old and the only failure I have encountered over the years was failure to cycle and that was due to the fact that I had a loose grip or disallowed my wrists to flex or bend too much relative to my forearm during recoil. Once I made a firm, two handed grip or stiffened my wrist relative to the forearm, the problem was resolved. A failure to fire was only because the magazine was not fully seated. These are errors on my part rather than on the guns. I haven’t had issues with accidental discharge, mechanical failure, backfire or ricochets.
I shot about 500 rounds so far on the metal printed guns and the composite ones. I haven’t seen any wear and tear between the printed metal version and the composite, but I would undoubtedly favor the metal model.
@ragingloli
A) It is my father B) He is an engineer C) He has been trial and erroring these 3d-printed versions for the past 4 years. I would imagine he shot way more than a couple of thousand rounds during that duration.
In my opinion, there is a better way to make these weapons and that is with a CNC machine which are now automated. The only problem is they’re not cheap machines. I think the cheapest one that can pull this off goes for about $11,000 by HASS.
I was just going to ask where he got the funds for a proper metal printer, they’re in the hundred thousand dollar plus range.
@ARE_you_kidding_me
$60,000 used.
In terms of funding, I don’t know what my parents financial situation is, but I would imagine they do alright for themselves when I consider the approximated salaries of their careers coupled with personal investments. My mother is a cardiologist and my father is a biomedical engineer. Within that context, I don’t think $60,000 seems like a whole lot of money for them.
Ok I believe you now, access to that kind of hardware changes the game completely. These little plastic hobby printers that people are familiar with are toys in comparison to the industrial ones. You’re the first person I have heard of that has access to one for personal use.
I’m ready for real printers to be in the sub $5000 range, then things are going to get interesting.
Thought we were probably a couple of years from that, perhaps months now then.
Yep, by the time you know it, you will be able to buy yourself a cheap 3d-metal-printer on amazon, and print yourself an arsenal with unlimited ammunition that is unregistered and untraceable.
The FBI, a couple years ago, bought a 3d-printer from a company called Objet24 for $20,000 for testing the printing of improvised explosive device (IED). I guess folks will be able to print their own homebrew explosives in due time.
Sweet! I can’t wait until the first “good guy” shoots up some social gathering with unlicensed, unregistered guns he printed up at home from some blueprints he downloaded off the internet.
I’m more interested in making an elaborate, ornate dobro or small experimental motorcycle engine. Hell, just random bits of stuff needed around the house.
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