3D-Printed Metal Gun Fires Over 50 Rounds

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Of all the 3D printed guns out there, I have to say this one looks mighty impressive.

Solid Concepts has successfully produced what it claims to be the world’s first 3D printed metal gun. And unlike the Liberator before it, this one looks a whole lot closer to the traditional firearms you're used to seeing. According to its creators, the metal gun functions without issue and has already fired off over 50 rounds.
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Not bad, though in the handheld shots the slide did look a little sticky.
 
Quick, call the government!!! Innovation is taking place without their consent! Shut it down for the children!
 
That's great and all, but I'll be more curious how the long-term reliability runs, and whether or not those parts last as long as what we buy from the various gun manufacturers. Then again, it's a 1911, if something doesn't go wrong they'd probably be worried they didn't build it right :D
 
well, it printed a metal gun and not a plastic one so it should be able to handle higher temps.
 
I'm impressed. That's not what SLA parts look like that we get in. Very smooth.
 
jflail2 said:
That's great and all, but I'll be more curious how the long-term reliability runs, and whether or not those parts last as long as what we buy from the various gun manufacturers. Then again, it's a 1911, if something doesn't go wrong they'd probably be worried they didn't build it right :D
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Before, they could barely get 10 shots off before the thing fell apart. That was maybe a year ago. Now, it's 50. Progress is being made.
 
All the government has to do is treat this as they do any other manufacturing process. Laws are already in place to cover every eventual use or misuse of this technology. Of course that means they will panic, form a committee, write a few completely stupid bills, wrangle over it on the floors of the House and Senate. And maybe they will pass a law, but most likely it will be a law that is redundant and simply adds an extra layer to the trial process, an extra count of this and a count of that. Pfahh.
 
My gun:

04297800742-4.jpg
 
schizrade said:
Quick, call the government!!! Innovation is taking place without their consent! Shut it down for the children!
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No need to, because 1) "laser sintering" isn't anything new and 2) the company has a FFL. Reading the article makes dumb comments less likely. ;)
 
Qinsp said:
I'm impressed. That's not what SLA parts look like that we get in. Very smooth.
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They mention doing some "finishing." I can't believe that the work required to "finish" a sintered barrel wouldn't be at least equivalent to or even more complex than just machining a barrel the old fashioned way.
 
LeninGHOLA said:
Huehuehue, no.
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I shoot in at least 1 IDPA competition a month. It seems like a 1911 is having issues every time I'm out there. Hate em or not, the "tupperware" pistols like Glocks and Springfields XD/XDM models never seem to fail out there. YMMV obviously.

And it was all in good fun; one of my shooting buddies will only run 1911's and he's light years faster than me, so if properly cared for your results can be excellent.
 
jflail2 said:
That's great and all, but I'll be more curious how the long-term reliability runs, and whether or not those parts last as long as what we buy from the various gun manufacturers. Then again, it's a 1911, if something doesn't go wrong they'd probably be worried they didn't build it right :D
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Heretic ... BURN HIM!!!!
 
jflail2 said:
Is that a Sako? Buddy of mine at work as one and absolutely loves it. Pricey but very nice indeed.
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Indeed imines a .338 lapua magnum TRG 42. I have been waiting for it to arrive for 8 months :(
 
jflail2 said:
I shoot in at least 1 IDPA competition a month. It seems like a 1911 is having issues every time I'm out there. Hate em or not, the "tupperware" pistols like Glocks and Springfields XD/XDM models never seem to fail out there. YMMV obviously.

And it was all in good fun; one of my shooting buddies will only run 1911's and he's light years faster than me, so if properly cared for your results can be excellent.
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There is something to be said about modern technology, of course. But, 1911s tend to be reliable and well built, depending on manufacturer. I wouldn't use mine in competition shooting, though.
 
LeninGHOLA said:
There is something to be said about modern technology, of course. But, 1911s tend to be reliable and well built, depending on manufacturer. I wouldn't use mine in competition shooting, though.
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Well for one, you're usually guaranteed 1 more reload than the guys shooting the tupperware/ double stacked stuff. At least with stock mags. But that's IDPA, where you can't use extended mags or anything. And at least they're in their own division.

Not hating on the 1911, we just have running jokes about 1911's versus "tupperware" and 9mm (my preferred caliber) versus 40s/45s.
 
jflail2 said:
Well for one, you're usually guaranteed 1 more reload than the guys shooting the tupperware/ double stacked stuff. At least with stock mags. But that's IDPA, where you can't use extended mags or anything. And at least they're in their own division.

Not hating on the 1911, we just have running jokes about 1911's versus "tupperware" and 9mm (my preferred caliber) versus 40s/45s.
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When my friends that are new to guns ask me "what gun should I buy", I tell them "whatever makes the bullets go into the black". People don't seem to realize that, at this point in time, almost all modern pistols are going to be plenty reliable for civilian use and it's now down to preference. I have buddies with Glocks and XD's and my only complaint (aside from not having a decocker), is I don't like the feel of the double drigger. I wouldn't trade my Sig for either of them but I'm sure they wouldn't want to trade either ;)
 
They say they are up to 500 shots now.

Sintering may work well for most parts, but I wouldn't want a sintered barrel. I'd also be skeptical of a sintered slide since slides take a lot of punishment.
 
The technology of 3D printing is really exciting, the desktop shit isn't really where it's at yet though.

As for the gun thing, I would be more worried about a guy who wants to "print" a .22 single use pistol with a suppressor in his basement than someone who is trying to drive an industrial process forward.

It will be interesting to see what happens when someone starts printing knock-off Glocks though, the companies that more or less own the NRA might suddenly get very interested in limiting 3D printing.
 
Cool and all, but a CNC'd 1911 will do half a million rounds with spring changes. So...eh. Keep at it fellas.

Just to wade into the 1911 vs Glock thing...yeah, Glocks work. My first gun was a Glock 19 and I regret selling it, I didn't know what I was doing. But I have a Kimber 1911 now and I will never sell it, it's a beautiful piece of machinery and I just love shooting it. Once you get good mags (my favorite are Chip PowerMag+) the reliability is tops.
 
Twisted Kidney said:
The technology of 3D printing is really exciting, the desktop shit isn't really where it's at yet though.

As for the gun thing, I would be more worried about a guy who wants to "print" a .22 single use pistol with a suppressor in his basement than someone who is trying to drive an industrial process forward.

It will be interesting to see what happens when someone starts printing knock-off Glocks though, the companies that more or less own the NRA might suddenly get very interested in limiting 3D printing.
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They aren't that complex. Any gun you can make with a fancy metal 3D printer you can do with a CNC machine or other metal working equipment for far cheaper with equivalent levels of required skill. I don't know why people expect high quality 3D printing is suddenly going to be a cheap consumer product. High precision complex industrial machinery usually stays expensive. The same thing that makes a CNC mill or a six axis lathe expensive will keep 3D printers like this expensive. The idea that you are going to have something like this on your desk is just silly.
 
Obi_Kwiet said:
They aren't that complex. Any gun you can make with a fancy metal 3D printer you can do with a CNC machine or other metal working equipment for far cheaper with equivalent levels of required skill. I don't know why people expect high quality 3D printing is suddenly going to be a cheap consumer product. High precision complex industrial machinery usually stays expensive. The same thing that makes a CNC mill or a six axis lathe expensive will keep 3D printers like this expensive. The idea that you are going to have something like this on your desk is just silly.
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It's not about complexity, every machine can be broken down to simple components, it's about the progress of the 3D printing process. If you don't think that being able to fabricate your own components on site isn't going to stand industry on its head you're nuts. That's a long way off though, especially at the cost of these high end printers, but think of the implications of being able to manufacture your own components for the cost of living in remote regions of the planet? What about space exploration? The real jump will be a 3D 'printer' that can mix a wide array of materials to generate a single component, that's probably even farther away though.
 
Cool. Glad to see them be successful at it, but, I still like machined parts myself.

BTW, I will trade my 1911 for a Glock when Glock celebrates 100+ years of any single design or model and makes an appearance in at least 5 American military actions...until then, I will keep on keepin on with John Brownings oft imitated, workhorse....
 
BodyBagz said:
Cool. Glad to see them be successful at it, but, I still like machined parts myself.

BTW, I will trade my 1911 for a Glock when Glock celebrates 100+ years of any single design or model and makes an appearance in at least 5 American military actions...until then, I will keep on keepin on with John Brownings oft imitated, workhorse....
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You can own both, no reason to be snobbish.
 
I love the 1911. I was in charge of the Ordnance section and the precision maintenance for a while. The Marines still have 1911's in service where the frames are stamped 1911-1920. That gun can be used as a hammer and still drill holes at 25m. Refining the manufacturing to become cheaper is only natural for one of the first reliable repeating pistols.
 
jflail2 said:
Well for one, you're usually guaranteed 1 more reload than the guys shooting the tupperware/ double stacked stuff. At least with stock mags. But that's IDPA, where you can't use extended mags or anything. And at least they're in their own division.

Not hating on the 1911, we just have running jokes about 1911's versus "tupperware" and 9mm (my preferred caliber) versus 40s/45s.
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i havent had that much chance to use and feel guns.. I shot some before i did a small military stint. I shot the 9mm in military, and got to shoot my brothers .40. I believe when i go to buy my first pistol, it will probably be the 40. It looks to be a nice blend of a little more power with just slightly less clip.
 
GaryJohnson said:
They mention doing some "finishing." I can't believe that the work required to "finish" a sintered barrel wouldn't be at least equivalent to or even more complex than just machining a barrel the old fashioned way.
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I can ask actually. I know one of the guys working there personally.
 
techrat said:
Not bad, though in the handheld shots the slide did look a little sticky.
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Looked to me like the feed ramp might just need a little polishing. I've been shooting and working on 1911's for many years, this is not bad at all for a made from scratch gun.
 
Seventyfive said:
When my friends that are new to guns ask me "what gun should I buy", I tell them "whatever makes the bullets go into the black". People don't seem to realize that, at this point in time, almost all modern pistols are going to be plenty reliable for civilian use and it's now down to preference. I have buddies with Glocks and XD's and my only complaint (aside from not having a decocker), is I don't like the feel of the double drigger. I wouldn't trade my Sig for either of them but I'm sure they wouldn't want to trade either ;)
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Depends on where they live. If they need a gun for self defense concealed carry, I say anything bigger than 9mm (being shot with a 9mm tends to make thugs more pissed off than actually stopping them). If they use it in the woods mostly, .45 1911 wins hands down, who cares if it gets wet or dirty, it still shoots and will take down a wild boar charging at you.

In fact, the whole reason the .45 caliber was chosen by the Army was to take down jungle fighters high on coco leaves (.30 cal would not stop them with one shot).
 
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