Even the ammo! That’s remarkable. I understand that reliable guns require a great deal of precision, so I’m surprised it works with FDM printing. CNC metal seems like it would be best, though I guess that takes up a lot more space and cost.
There’s limitations of course since only plastic fdm is cheap enough for hobbyists but reliable guns needing high precision is not the case depending on the platform. Depending on the builder, some designs can last thousands and thousands of rounds like a commercially made gun. Especially if the only printed parts would be polymer on the actual gun.
For most platforms, metal is necessary just at a strength limitation. That’s where using commercial parts comes in and parts can be quite cheap in the US. More complicated mechanisms also need to be metal so full diy is limited to blowback usually.
I see a lot of posters that appear to be turning semi automatic handguns into a carbine shape. Is that just for fun or added stability, or some kind of legal loophole? They look very cool. Like a half sized rifle.
I lot of stuff done here, and even commercial aftermarket parts, are just tacticool. There are advantages to being able to shoulder a handgun and different advantages to a dedicated pcc. Handgun parts kits can also be much cheaper so price plays a role. You don’t see many people printing parts to put on a $2k+ gun. A lot of handgun builds can be done for <$200 and you’ll see people doing anything and everything they can for it. Most cheap pcc are also blowback while most handguns are recoil operated so have less felt recoil and feel less clunky with less reciprocating mass.
The same laws that apply to commercial guns apply to homemade guns with some people having more legal limitations depending on location.
Everything we do here is for fun usually. Most agree that a 3d printed gun isn’t ideal for uses where your life depended on it vs a factory gun (plus jury implications) unless you are in a restricted area. So for most these are just range toys.
Even the ammo! That’s remarkable. I understand that reliable guns require a great deal of precision, so I’m surprised it works with FDM printing. CNC metal seems like it would be best, though I guess that takes up a lot more space and cost.
There’s limitations of course since only plastic fdm is cheap enough for hobbyists but reliable guns needing high precision is not the case depending on the platform. Depending on the builder, some designs can last thousands and thousands of rounds like a commercially made gun. Especially if the only printed parts would be polymer on the actual gun.
For most platforms, metal is necessary just at a strength limitation. That’s where using commercial parts comes in and parts can be quite cheap in the US. More complicated mechanisms also need to be metal so full diy is limited to blowback usually.
That’s very cool, thank you for explaining!
I see a lot of posters that appear to be turning semi automatic handguns into a carbine shape. Is that just for fun or added stability, or some kind of legal loophole? They look very cool. Like a half sized rifle.
I lot of stuff done here, and even commercial aftermarket parts, are just tacticool. There are advantages to being able to shoulder a handgun and different advantages to a dedicated pcc. Handgun parts kits can also be much cheaper so price plays a role. You don’t see many people printing parts to put on a $2k+ gun. A lot of handgun builds can be done for <$200 and you’ll see people doing anything and everything they can for it. Most cheap pcc are also blowback while most handguns are recoil operated so have less felt recoil and feel less clunky with less reciprocating mass.
The same laws that apply to commercial guns apply to homemade guns with some people having more legal limitations depending on location.
Everything we do here is for fun usually. Most agree that a 3d printed gun isn’t ideal for uses where your life depended on it vs a factory gun (plus jury implications) unless you are in a restricted area. So for most these are just range toys.