Posted on 03/17/2025 6:57:31 PM PDT by ammodotcom
“Undetectable”? Invisible guns?
It is easier to buy one than make one.
• Selling or transferring an unserialized 3D-printed firearm is illegal in all 50 states.
As I recall, once you have owned a homemade gun for more than a year, you can sell it and it does not require a serial number.
Not that it would matter much. Put any number you want on it.
I could go to Lowes or Home Depot, purchase the parts, and put together a firearm in less than an hour. It would be more durable, accurate and lethal than anything that I could print on my 3D Printer. This is a joke.
A lot of the information is just wrong in that article. 80% lowers are still legal at the federal level. 80% frames are in legal limbo but I believe will become legal again with the new ATF.
And the term “ghost gun” is not generally referring to 3D Printed firearms. These are guns where the receiver is either machined completely at home or made by finishing a partially made kit.
It used to be possible to purchase a specially designed CNC milling machine that can turn a piece of aluminum into a receiver blank. You can buy the rest of the parts already made and put the gun together.
3d firearms have come a long way. A reasonable firearm can be built with the right design, caliber, and filament. Furthermore, there is always the lost wax casting method.
Like classic car parts, there is definitely a market for replacement parts for classic firearms. The demand is low so it's not worth tooling up but 3D printing, either for a single part itself or for a mold to cast, is a viable option.
Unless you can't take it past a checkpoint. Retrieve the code on the other side of the checkpoint and print the parts you need.
Not everyone can get through Customs like Charlie Wax. If you haven't seen it, here's three minutes of an over-the-top exchange with Customs in "From Paris with Love". (language not safe for work):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwFothlExJI
Hey now .......x-spurts and stuff.
It’s ok, I printed my permits.
I have been using 3D printers for many years. It is an enjoyable hobby for me.
I admit that I have not kept up with the latest 3d printed gun developments. But I am somewhat skeptical that the designs have come a long way since I looked into what was available previously. And yes, I have cast parts from 3D printed pieces using several different types of products and processes. It is a good way to get pieces that do not have some of the weaknesses and disadvantages of the original 3D printed part.
I downloaded some files long ago and concluded that the Liberator and other firearms designs available at that time were proof of concept and not worth the effort.
There were files for 3D printed parts that were worthwhile for some guns, but none which I owned. The worthwhile gun projects that I found were for building and/or finishing receivers with CNC milling machines.
The state I am in has some very restrictive rules, but the primary requirement at that time was that you had to insert some type of metal piece within your print to make it detectable. And I believe that they also wanted some type of number stamped or molded into the receiver. I would have to research this again if I decided that I wanted to take on such a project right now.
My wife and I have owned a collection of mostly vintage firearms for many years. My primary interest for a long time has been reloading cartridges because some of the guns that we own have hard to find ammo.
The most successful designs are hybrid designs which use commonly available pre-shaped metal parts, and use 3D printing to make some harder to machine parts.
3D printed guns require steel parts. Those won’t go through a checkpoint.
Yes... as I said, you "Retrieve the code on the other side of the checkpoint and print the parts you need."
I go through the checkpoint with no weapon. I download the code for the 3D printer. I print the weapon parts. I now have a weapon on the other side of the checkpoint.
https://markforged.com/materials
I just don't fly. I bring nice stuff along with me in the vehicle.
The real issue is simpler than people are making of it. It is not difficult to obtain a manufactured firearm. It does take time, effort, and knowledge to print one. A 3D printer costs more than a firearm, especially if you print the metal parts. 3D printed firearms are NOT going increase violent crime, just administrative crime.
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