Defense Distributed: Successful test fire of first 3D printed pistol (video)
Defense Distributed has released a video of the successful test firing by hand of their first complete 3D printed pistol, the "Liberator". The Liberator has only one metal part, the firing pin, made from a common nail. In the video, Cody Wilson is shown firing the pistol by hand, to dramatically illustrate his faith in the design. The Liberator is a single shot pistol in .380 (9X17) caliber. While firearms have been made in home workshops ever since they have been in existence, the ability to download computer files and have a computer controlled machine print all the parts to a functioning firearm has caught the public attention. Dean Weingarten, Defense Distributed Distributor
Defense Distributed has released a video of the successful test firing by hand of their first complete 3D printed pistol, the "Liberator". The Liberator has only one metal part, the firing pin, made from a common nail. In the video, Cody Wilson is shown firing the pistol by hand, to dramatically illustrate his faith in the design. The Liberator is a single shot pistol in .380 (9X17) caliber. While firearms have been made in home workshops ever since they have been in existence, the ability to download computer files and have a computer controlled machine print all the parts to a functioning firearm has caught the public attention. Dean Weingarten, Defense Distributed Distributor
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$1200: The price of (legally) 3D printing your own metal AR-15 rifle at home
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The Ghost Gunner itself is a small box about one foot on each side. Inside is an Arduino controller and a custom-designed spindle that holds a steel carbide drill bit. It works like any other CNC machine — the drill spins up and moves in three dimensions to carve items out of blocks of metal. However, this machine is specifically intended to make an AR-15 lower receiver. That’s the part of a gun that connects the stock, barrel, and magazine. You could say it’s the “gun” part of a gun. It’s also the part that’s regulated by the ATF and assigned a serial number. Selling it without a license is illegal, but making it yourself is perfectly fine. An untraceable gun built without a serial number is often called a “ghost gun” by gun control advocates, so of course Defense Distributed borrowed the term to ruffle feathers.
3D printing guns like the Liberator was more of a statement — it showed that a new era of manufacturing tech is upon us. Of course, no one would ever want to use a plastic gun if given the choice. The Liberator is prone to failure (video below), and usually only manages a few poorly aimed shots. In designing a cheap CNC machine specifically to make gun parts, Defense Distributed is delivering a viable weapon (other CNC mills cost many thousands of dollars). If you can make a lower receiver, all the other parts can be ordered online cheaply and legally.
The Ghost Gunner is capable of making anything that fits in the build envelope, as long as it’s created with Defense Distributed’s Physibles Development SDK (pDev) and distributed as a .dd file. In that respect, it’s not much different than any number of 3D printers. This is an entirely new era in the manufacturing of real world objects, in both plastic and metal. It used to be that you needed training as a gunsmith to make your own firearm, but that’s no longer the case. Whether or not you agree with Defense Distributed on the value of untraceable firearms in a free society, this is happening and regulation is miles behind the technological curve.
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/191388-1200-the-price-of-legally-3d-printing-your-own-metal-ar-15-rifle-at-home