3D-Printed Gun May Be Unveiled Soon

colinneagle writes "A 3D-printed gun capable of firing multiple rounds may be unveiled soon. Cody Wilson, the 25-year-old founder and director of nonprofit organization Defense Distributed, recently told Mashable that the end product of Wiki Weapon, the initiative to create an operational 3D-printed gun, may soon be ready to unveil to the public. In a March interview with CNN, Wilson said he hoped to have a printable gun ready by the end of April, so his most recent comments suggest that he may fulfill that promise. While Wilson was sparse with details, he did tell Mashable that the prototype would be a handgun consisting of 12 parts made out of ABS+ thermoplastic, which is known for its durability and is commonly used in industrial settings. The firing pin would be the only steel component of the 3D-printed gun, which will be able to withstand a few shots before melting or breaking. Wilson reportedly anticipates making an official announcement soon."

Re:Barrel and slide/bolt too?

[jamesh]

If the barrel and/or the slide is made of even the best plastic, I wouldn't trust it to take the 35ksi of a normal 9mm round even once. That application requires properly heat treated 4130 or 4140 steel (or 316 stainless).

I don't really see a problem. It just needs a label like "Warning: This item is not a weapon and is for novelty purposes only. Aim away from face".

Part of me likes the idea of a handgun that only lasts 3 shots and on any of those 3 shots may explode and remove the face of the person holding it.

3D-Printed Gun May Be Unveiled Soon 33

[jandersen]

- accompanied by the words "Give your fucking wallet..."

I know what I'm thinking.

[WinstonWolfIT]

I know what I'm thinking. "Did I fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is plastic gun, and if it backfires it will likely blow my head clean off, I've got to ask myself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do I, moron?

I want a 3D printING gun

[wonkey_monkey]

I want a 3D printing gun. *pow* Hoberman sphere! *pow* Strandbeest! *pow* 3D printing gun!

Re:Barrel and slide/bolt too?

[DrXym]

A militia armed with AR16s wouldn't get very far either. Remember those videos from Desert Storm showing Apache helicopters mowing down Iraqi soliders from 3 miles away? That's your militia, excepting that their enlarged girth would make them explode in a more amusing fashion.

Re:Cody Wilson can go fuck himself

[c]

He's pushing into a gray area and setting a very early precedent that will impact the availability of 3D printing for the rest of America.

What he's doing doesn't really matter. It could just as easily be someone printing dildos in Alabama or cloned Games Workshop miniatures. At some point, someone is going to use 3D printing to do something the government really doesn't like, and... well, I'm not sure anyone really knows what's going to happen.

Personally, I'd prefer that the government gets a bloody nose going after the second amendment nuts than quietly shutting down sex toy creators.

Re:Barrel and slide/bolt too?

[pnutjam]

I want the 3D printed Abrams battle tank.

This reminds me of a story:

Lev was drafted into Russian army and sent out to fight on the front lines. The man in front of him was handed a rifle and Lev was handed afew bullets. They told him to wait until someone died and take his rifle.
So Lev made his way to the front line knowing that if he retreated, he would be retreating into a hail of bullets from the political officer. As soon as he crouched down in a handy shell hole a major attack commenced, Nazis were shooting at him and charging towards him. A comrade yelled out, "Just point your finger and say "Bang!"
With no gun, and no other hope, Lev pointed his finger at a Nazi running towards him and yelled "Bang!" The Nazi fell down, dead.
Lev was impressed and gunned down more Nazis with his finger, "Bang! Bang! Bang!".
Then he saw one Nazi headed straight towards him, moving in a jerky manner. He pointed his finger and yelled "Bang!" Nothing happened. He did it again, "Bang!" Again, nothing.
As the Nazi drew closer he continued to shoot ineffectually with this finger, "Bang! Bang! Bang!" Until the Nazi reached him and stomped him into the ground.
As Lev died, he heard the Nazi saying, "Tank, Tank, Tank, Tank, Tank, Tank...."

(better joke in person>

Re:Barrel and slide/bolt too?

[CanHasDIY]

The current President is in fact the holder of the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to him because he was not George W. Bush.

That's a pretty good reason.

Then where the fuck is mine???