Geeks and gun control

[slackerisme]

I built a 3D printer last year. Crazy fun. There is a forum dedicated to the open source community around them. There is a disscussion going on about the removal of the 3D files needed to print an AR from a popular file depository. You can read/post/pound these euro-trash ***tards into the ground here.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

According to my aerospace / structural engineer cousin and his boss there isn't any feasible way to get any kinds of plastics tough enough to withstand cartridge detonation anyhow.

Sure, go ahead and print all the firearms you want. You'll just have cool non firing replicas.

 

[Ian]

Yes, but those with CNC machines and some welding knowledge would be able to make a chamber that could. The only part that is really hard to make is a decent barrel. Buy one online or from a manufacturer, or even pull one off an old rifle. The 3d printing gives the consumer the ability to make plastic things that previously required molds and injection machinery not available to consumers. It was never proposed to print a fully functional plastic only gun, just the plastic parts. Combined with CNC and a barrel, one could make a functioning gun. The only way to control it would be to ban barrel sales, until the metal working technology to rifle a hardened barrel becomes cheap and accessible.

 

[CathyInBlue]

It would take a major breakthrough in polymer science to be able to constructively cast a firing chamber in polymer. And even then, it would require a deposition head hotter than the chamber could possibly get to melt the plastic feed stock for deposition in the first place, far hotter than any 3D printer gets today.

Deconstructively milling a firing chamber from a block of metal alloy, however, that is entirely doable on a hobbyist milling machine. Right now, the stumbling block is the level of precision a hobbyist machine is capable of. Right now, it would take at least $2,500 to be able to autonomously mill a firing chamber from a block of steel using a computer. When that's possible for even $1k, then you'd be able to build an AR from billet for as little as you could buy the same gun.

THAT will make the home gun smithing/manufacturing movement into a critical mass. People would have the option of jumping through the government hoops to buy a gun, or placing an order for equipment and raw materials to build the same gun without government interference for the same price either way. $$$ + government interference = $$$, ergo, government interference = 0.

 

[slackerisme]

According to my aerospace / structural engineer cousin and his boss there isn't any feasible way to get any kinds of plastics tough enough to withstand cartridge detonation anyhow.

Sure, go ahead and print all the firearms you want. You'll just have cool non firing replicas.

He is wrong. not completely but in theory. 3-D printed gun fires 6 shots — then falls apart - FutureTech on NBCNews.com

 

[slackerisme]

It would take a major breakthrough in polymer science to be able to constructively cast a firing chamber in polymer. And even then, it would require a deposition head hotter than the chamber could possibly get to melt the plastic feed stock for deposition in the first place, far hotter than any 3D printer gets today.

Deconstructively milling a firing chamber from a block of metal alloy, however, that is entirely doable on a hobbyist milling machine. Right now, the stumbling block is the level of precision a hobbyist machine is capable of. Right now, it would take at least $2,500 to be able to autonomously mill a firing chamber from a block of steel using a computer. When that's possible for even $1k, then you'd be able to build an AR from billet for as little as you could buy the same gun.

THAT will make the home gun smithing/manufacturing movement into a critical mass. People would have the option of jumping through the government hoops to buy a gun, or placing an order for equipment and raw materials to build the same gun without government interference for the same price either way. $$$ + government interference = $$$, ergo, government interference = 0.

For an AR all one needs is a lower receiver, the rest becomes completely recyclable. Since the lower is the actual registered firearm... printable guns for all. Lol

I get your point, although if a few people chipped in on a used cnc mill, using the files available on the interwebs, those individuals could be cranking out 10 full autos a day, they would have to buy barrels, and lower parts (building the full auto-ey bits).

 

[CathyInBlue]

Pretty sure if you had a CNC Milling Machine Club and sold people 80% lowers and time on your milling machine running your software with the lower completion CNC code you downloaded off the Internet to complete them... the ATF's gonna notice eventually. I like the plan in theory, but the scale (and illegal drone missile strikes on domestic soil) make it impractical.

 

[rugertoter]

Pretty sure if you had a CNC Milling Machine Club and sold people 80% lowers and time on your milling machine running your software with the lower completion CNC code you downloaded off the Internet to complete them... the ATF's gonna notice eventually. I like the plan in theory, but the scale (and illegal drone missile strikes on domestic soil) make it impractical.

I agree. I have been running/setting up Swiss Lathes and running/setting up/& programming CNC Mills for twenty-two years now, and pulling this off without being noticed would be the tough part. I think if one was found out, you would disappear into some dark remote location for a long time.

 

[actaeon277]

While 3d printers are not able to do the job NOW, technology progresses. Bombs originally couldn't sink ships. Planes couldn't fly more than a few miles. No one could break the speed of sound, etc.
.
Look at technology changes in the last 15 years.
Now apply the same thought to 3d printers.

 

[briand212]

there are 3d printers that print in metal.. it may not be ready to build guns just yet but ...
my bet is it will eventually be possible