Latest Breaking News

brooklynite

(94,609 posts) Thu Jul 25, 2013, 06:41 PM Jul 2013

First 3-D printed rifle fires bullet, then breaks

Source: NBC News

A man who used a 3-D printer to make the first .22-caliber rifle out of largely plastic parts has successfully fired off a shot with the weapon. The homemade rifle subsequently broke, however. Still, the rifle maker — who previously used a 3-D printer to create two ukuleles (yes, ukuleles) — said he will try again.

The rifle creator, named Matt, agreed to a brief interview with NBC News via email but declined to give his last name. The printing of 3-D guns is a relatively new — and controversial — phenomenon, especially in the U.S. following horrific shootings in Aurora, Colo., Newtown, Conn., and Santa Monica, Calif. Some U.S. legislators are pushing laws to ban the printing, and there is software out there aimed at preventing the manufacture of firearm devices.

Matt, who lives in British Columbia, Canada, said he was "inspired" to create the rifle based on the work of Defense Distributed, which last spring released downloadable files for anyone who wants to print its 3-D gun known as the Liberator. Since then, models of the gun pieces have been downloaded more than 100,000 times.

Cody Wilson, the Texas law student who started the non-profit Defense Distributed, shared the video Matt posted on YouTube of the 3-D printed rifle firing on a Tumblr blog. Wilson told NBC News he is "impressed" with Matt's work.

Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/first-3-d-printed-rifle-fires-bullet-then-breaks-8C10752930

On the assumption that one can build one's own bow and arrow, or legally cast their own gun, I'm not entirely clear what the legal basis is for banning the manufacture through 3-D printing.

25 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

First 3-D printed rifle fires bullet, then breaks (Original Post) brooklynite Jul 2013 OP

Plastic guns can get through airport security nt geek tragedy Jul 2013 #1

panicpanicpanicpanicpanic (nt) Posteritatis Jul 2013 #2

So can a bow and arrow... brooklynite Jul 2013 #4

No more or less so than a plastic or ceramic knife. AtheistCrusader Jul 2013 #5

Plastic bullet would be a bigger threat geek tragedy Jul 2013 #6

And do what? AtheistCrusader Jul 2013 #7

'Splosive decomprehension PuffedMica Jul 2013 #9

You need to stop getting physics lessons from spy movies: friendly_iconoclast Jul 2013 #20

And all this time I thought ... PuffedMica Jul 2013 #23

Hmmm what about a plastic grenade? nt cstanleytech Jul 2013 #24

Germs and viruses can be carried more easily. And kill a whole lot more people. n/t jtuck004 Jul 2013 #10

Reminds me of "In The Line Of Fire" jakeXT Jul 2013 #14

That plastic gun would have exploded in his hand. AtheistCrusader Jul 2013 #18

And shoot what out of it? All commercial ammo is metal NickB79 Jul 2013 #15

Yeah. That old urban legend got everyone peeing their pants when Glocks came to the US. geckosfeet Jul 2013 #17

Plus, y'know, the rounds. (nt) Posteritatis Jul 2013 #25

Good. Things like this expediate the reversal of this age of right-wing gun nuttery. nt onehandle Jul 2013 #3

Whatever. eggplant Jul 2013 #8

3D printing guns and car engines ... Lugal Zaggesi Jul 2013 #11

My dream. ForgoTheConsequence Jul 2013 #12

Letting people make their own guns at home - with no licensing etc. - is just a plain bad idea. nomorenomore08 Jul 2013 #13

Legally, people have been able to do that forever NickB79 Jul 2013 #16

Duuude, stop harshing their mellow with reality... friendly_iconoclast Jul 2013 #21

If I ever hit the lottery, I'd get a nice tool shop NickB79 Jul 2013 #22

Welcome to: how things have worked since the nation was founded. AtheistCrusader Jul 2013 #19

geek tragedy

(68,868 posts)

1. Plastic guns can get through airport security nt

Reply to brooklynite (Original post)

Thu Jul 25, 2013, 06:46 PM

Jul 2013

Posteritatis

(18,807 posts)

2. panicpanicpanicpanicpanic (nt)

Reply to geek tragedy (Reply #1)

Thu Jul 25, 2013, 06:56 PM

Jul 2013

brooklynite

(94,609 posts)

4. So can a bow and arrow...

Reply to geek tragedy (Reply #1)

Thu Jul 25, 2013, 07:08 PM

Jul 2013

...it's the metal arrowhead or bullet that will get caught

AtheistCrusader

(33,982 posts)

5. No more or less so than a plastic or ceramic knife.

Reply to geek tragedy (Reply #1)

Thu Jul 25, 2013, 07:13 PM

Jul 2013

geek tragedy

(68,868 posts)

6. Plastic bullet would be a bigger threat

Reply to AtheistCrusader (Reply #5)

Thu Jul 25, 2013, 07:26 PM

Jul 2013

to breach the airline hull.

AtheistCrusader

(33,982 posts)

7. And do what?

Reply to geek tragedy (Reply #6)

Thu Jul 25, 2013, 07:30 PM

Jul 2013

You know the FBI tested frangible munitions extensively (and at great cost) when they started arming air marshals in the wake of 9/11. The general idea was, they thought Glaser safety slugs and the like wouldn't penetrate the aircraft skin while it was pressurized at high altitude.

Problem is, it goes right through. But the effects are less catastrophic than people thought.

These are single-shot, low power, highly likely to malfunction toys and will remain so until there are serious advances in the strength of available polymers. This is practically a non-issue. No I would not want to be shot with one, but I'd much rather be shot with one of these than a full frame, metal pistol operating at full pressure.

PuffedMica

(1,061 posts)

9. 'Splosive decomprehension

Reply to AtheistCrusader (Reply #7)

Thu Jul 25, 2013, 08:37 PM

Jul 2013

One shot and [font size =6]BOOM[/font] - right out the window.

friendly_iconoclast

(15,333 posts)

20. You need to stop getting physics lessons from spy movies:

Reply to PuffedMica (Reply #9)

Fri Jul 26, 2013, 03:27 PM

Jul 2013

http://www.airspacemag.com/need-to-know/Need-to-Know-Cabin-Pressure.html

“Reality simply does not work that way,” explains Lombardo. “A bullet hole in a cabin wall would have no perceived effect on cabin pressure…. A bullet hole is far smaller than the opening of the outflow valve [through which cabin air escapes during routine depressurization]. In fact, such a hole would account for less air leakage than what is normally lost around door and window seals.”

That’s not to say sudden decompression isn’t a danger. The FAA (in its Advisory Circular 61-107A) provides a helpful chart showing just how long crewmembers are able to perform flight duties with an insufficient supply of oxygen. In an aircraft at 22,000 feet, passengers and crew would have 5 minutes of “useful consciousness” after rapid decompression. But at 43,000 feet, the time drops to a mere 5 seconds, hardly long enough to don an oxygen mask. (The same circular notes “One pilot does not need to wear and use an oxygen mask if both pilots are at the controls and each pilot has a quick donning type of oxygen mask that can be placed on the face with one hand from the ready position and be properly secured, sealed, and operational within 5 seconds. If one pilot of a two-pilot crew is away from the controls, then the pilot that is at the controls must wear and use an oxygen mask that is secured and sealed.”...

...On July 13, 2009, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300 (Flight 2294) depressurized after a one-foot hole appeared in its upper fuselage (an accident investigation is under way). The aircraft, en route to Baltimore from Nashville, was diverted to Charleston, West Virginia, where it landed safely. The cabin depressurized about 30 minutes into the flight at 34,000 feet, and no injuries were reported, although the NTSB noted “The damage left a hole measuring approximately 17 inches by 8 inches.”

PuffedMica

(1,061 posts)

23. And all this time I thought ...

Reply to friendly_iconoclast (Reply #20)

Fri Jul 26, 2013, 06:06 PM

Jul 2013

All this time I thought Goldfinger was an adventure movie.

As incredible as it may seem, that seen from 1964 has molded the way people think about pressurized air craft for almost 50 years. Nobody stops to think that the Boeing B-29 had a pressurized flight deck, but the Army had few concerns about flying it in combat.

cstanleytech

(26,299 posts)

24. Hmmm what about a plastic grenade? nt

Reply to friendly_iconoclast (Reply #20)

Fri Jul 26, 2013, 07:41 PM

Jul 2013

jtuck004

(15,882 posts)

10. Germs and viruses can be carried more easily. And kill a whole lot more people. n/t

Reply to geek tragedy (Reply #1)

Thu Jul 25, 2013, 09:00 PM

Jul 2013

jakeXT

(10,575 posts)

14. Reminds me of "In The Line Of Fire"

Reply to geek tragedy (Reply #1)

Fri Jul 26, 2013, 06:26 AM

Jul 2013

AtheistCrusader

(33,982 posts)

18. That plastic gun would have exploded in his hand.

Reply to jakeXT (Reply #14)

Fri Jul 26, 2013, 11:05 AM

Jul 2013

Not enough material, even with today's stronger polymers to pull that shape off. Not with enough pressure to throw a bullet hard enough to penetrate a human. The walls of the cylinder are as little as 1mm thick in some places. You need steel to resist that.

NickB79

(19,253 posts)

15. And shoot what out of it? All commercial ammo is metal

Reply to geek tragedy (Reply #1)

Fri Jul 26, 2013, 06:36 AM

Jul 2013

Even if you used an all-plastic bullet (good luck with that), the casing used to hold the powder is made of metal.

geckosfeet

(9,644 posts)

17. Yeah. That old urban legend got everyone peeing their pants when Glocks came to the US.

Reply to geek tragedy (Reply #1)

Fri Jul 26, 2013, 09:55 AM

Jul 2013

I suspect that at least the firing pin and some other small parts (ejector perhaps) are metal.

Posteritatis

(18,807 posts)

25. Plus, y'know, the rounds. (nt)

Reply to geckosfeet (Reply #17)

Sat Jul 27, 2013, 01:11 PM

Jul 2013

onehandle

(51,122 posts)

3. Good. Things like this expediate the reversal of this age of right-wing gun nuttery. nt

Reply to brooklynite (Original post)

Thu Jul 25, 2013, 07:07 PM

Jul 2013

eggplant

(3,911 posts)

8. Whatever.

Reply to brooklynite (Original post)

Thu Jul 25, 2013, 07:31 PM

Jul 2013

It's the nut that's the problem, not the plastic. Maybe he can whittle one out of oak next. It's not like everyone can do this themselves, and selling them (and even giving them away) would still be illegal.

Oh, and by the way, 3d printers give off all sorts of nasty nanoparticles. So breathe deep when you make them.

Lugal Zaggesi

(366 posts)

11. 3D printing guns and car engines ...

Reply to brooklynite (Original post)

Fri Jul 26, 2013, 12:51 AM

Jul 2013

not so smart.

But 3D printing a nylon bikini based on a person's exact measurements ?
There ya go - it won't blow up, at least:

http://www.policymic.com/articles/25011/9-seriously-mind-blowing-things-you-can-make-with-a-3d-printer

Shapeway's first 3D printed clothing line is called the N12 Bikini (N12 stands for Nylon 12, the material it’s made of). The bikini is formed with an equation called circle packing; in other words, it’s made entirely with small connected circles that an algorithm adjusts based on the curvature of the shape—the larger the curve, the smaller the circles. The entire design is based on a body scan so that the final product perfectly fits the wearer.
http://listverse.com/2013/06/02/10-incredible-things-you-can-make-with-3d-printers/

ForgoTheConsequence

(4,869 posts)

12. My dream.

Reply to Lugal Zaggesi (Reply #11)

Fri Jul 26, 2013, 02:44 AM

Jul 2013

I've always wanted to put on a new pair of underwear and socks everyday.

nomorenomore08

(13,324 posts)

13. Letting people make their own guns at home - with no licensing etc. - is just a plain bad idea.

Reply to brooklynite (Original post)

Fri Jul 26, 2013, 03:57 AM

Jul 2013

NickB79

(19,253 posts)

16. Legally, people have been able to do that forever

Reply to nomorenomore08 (Reply #13)

Fri Jul 26, 2013, 06:48 AM

Jul 2013

Per the ATF:

Does the GCA prohibit anyone from making a handgun, shotgun or rifle? [Back]

With certain exceptions a firearm may be made by a non-licensee provided it is not for sale and the maker is not prohibited from possessing firearms. However, a person is prohibited from assembling a non-sporting semi-automatic rifle or non-sporting shotgun from imported parts. In addition, the making of an NFA firearm requires a tax payment and approval by ATF. An application to make a machine gun will not be approved unless documentation is submitted showing that the firearm is being made for a Federal or State agency.

[18 U.S.C. 922(o) and (r), 26 U.S.C. 5822, 27 CFR 478.39, 479.62 and 479.105]

So long as you don't make a sawed-off shotgun or machine gun, you can make a gun at home for personal use. The difference now is that the 3D printing machines take much of the work out of it.