New FIRING plastic firearm now available...

[ClydeFrog]

A R&D firm, Defense Distributed, claims to have produced a firing(able to safely fire ammunition) handgun called the Liberator. The news article is now on http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygree...ed-gun-photos/ .
The company says the weapons contain a metal strip for security exams/X rays but the metal is not needed, . The weapon was designed with 3D printers, CAD etc.

I'm sure more media stories will come out soon about this new process & plastic/polymer weapon.
As posted before on TFL, it's a high tech product that could be very dangerous in the wrong hands.

ClydeFrog
PS; The reporter is Jay Yarow.

[dakota.potts]

If I wasn't worried it would blow up I'd be tempted to print one out myself.

[Dalek]

Considering the rapid developments of technology, it is inevitable that these firearms will catch on and, become higher quality in short order.

I think the company making them was very clever indeed. Naming them after the pistols made for Resistance fighters during WW2.

[ClydeFrog]

I just did a little tech research & found out the cheap metal handguns described above were called The Liberator.
GM & a few other CONUS based plants cranked out these pistols so fighters & Allied troops supporters in denied areas(behind enemy lines) could pop a cap & grab a bad guy's SMG or rifle.

I've heard stories of Russians attacking enemy troops en masse then grab the rifle or weapon. The Chi-Coms did it to US/UN forces in South Korea too.

ClydeFrog

[Rifleman1776]

it's a high tech product that could be very dangerous in the wrong hands.

That is a misleading and emotionally charged rhetorical statement. Anything, from a rock to an Abrams tank can be dangerous in the wrong hands.
The computerized 'printing' of plastic parts is simply an evolution in manufacturing technology. Would you make the same claim for a simple hand file or a milling machine?
Thanks for giving the rabid anti-gun people and media something to scream about.

[Technosavant]

Looks like a single shot thing. Not sure how useful it would be in reality, but I'm sure it's going to get some folks' knickers all in a twist.

[gc70]

All sixteen pieces of the Liberator prototype were printed in ABS plastic with a Dimension SST printer from 3D printing company Stratasys, with the exception of a single nail that’s used as a firing pin.

Really? A barrel made from ABS plastic?

Call me cynical, but if barrels could be made from plastic, I suspect major gun companies might be making them rather than some college student.

[ClydeFrog]

You're welcome.

[Technosavant]

Call me cynical, but if barrels could be made from plastic, I suspect major gun companies might be making them rather than some college student.

Anything can work... once. (Much as the Navy says, any ship can be a minesweeper... once.)

If it's only meant for one or two rounds, sure, you can make the plastic thick enough to withstand the pressure of firing without becoming a danger to the shooter. Looking at the gun, it's not a repeater (the original Liberator wasn't either).

This looks more like a "because we can" type of thing, not a "this is a potentially workable idea." Ultimately, though, this was GOING to happen. If the technology is there, somebody is going to give it a go. It's ludicrous to think that everybody with a 3D printer and CAD knowledge will just refuse to develop such a thing in a gentlemanly manner. One way or the other, that horse was going to leave the barn one day.

[Dalek]

Just wait till folks start playing with carbon fiber and the like.

Considering the advances in polymers, I doubt it will be all that long before a reliable and durable barrel is made in some form of "plastic". Of course, it would be easy enough to avoid the issue for now with some form of sleeve, inside of the barrel. Ceramics strike me as an interesting choice for that element.

[Wreck-n-Crew]

Funny he named it after a ww2 pistol named the Liberator that was made of stamped metal and dropped behind enemy lines in France for the resistance. I think it was in 45 acp.https://www.google.com/search?q=the+...w=1024&bih=636

Kind of has a resemblance in some ways!

[lcpiper]

I don't think it's a stretch to predict a law stipulating that if a gun is manufactured from materials or using a method that makes it undetectable by specific technologies then it's illegal in the US.

And on the surface I don't think I would be against it either.

It doesn't mean they won't be made, but I wouldn't be making them.

[JD0x0]

I can't wait for Lego to come out with suppressors for this

[Plumbnut]

How would they make a spring that would last out of plastic and small enough to be used in a small handgun? I bet thats tricky.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

1. The original Liberator was designed to be used only few times in order to get real firearms from the occupying powers during WWII.

2. It was never really used in any theater.

3. It was quite small and concealable. This isn't.

[Ambidextrous1]

Quote:
/"Call me cynical, but if barrels could be made from plastic, I suspect major gun companies might be making them rather than some college student."

Oh, yeah, and if it were practical to live in a thatched hut in the flatlands, why would 99% of us still be living in caves?

[gc70]

Originally Posted by lcpiper

I don't think it's a stretch to predict a law stipulating that if a gun is manufactured from materials or using a method that makes it undetectable by specific technologies then it's illegal in the US.

The Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988 covered that issue.

Interestingly, the most recent 10-year renewal of UFA88 sunsets in December of this year. A new all-plastic gun seems like the perfect basis for renewing the Act.

[Pond, James Pond]

I was listening to the radio as I walked home tonight. The BBC World Service has a programme about that time called World Have Your Say, and it is an open discussion forum to talk about the main issues being covered that day in the social networking sites.

Today was this gun, and Cody Wilson was invited to talk about it live, as well as someone from the 3D print industry as well as an callers, tweets, emails, texts from the public around the world.

I must say that Cody defending his position very well: clearly a really smart young man and very well able to express himself. It all made for an interesting walk home.

If you want to listen you can use the replay features on the BBC World Service website. Just look for a listen again link for W.H.Y.S.

[Double Naught Spy]

1. The original Liberator was designed to be used only few times in order to get real firearms from the occupying powers during WWII.

2. It was never really used in any theater.

3. It was quite small and concealable. This isn't.

I think it was more hoped that the original Liberator was only used a few times in order to procure better guns. Structurally, they could be used lots of times.

It was used in both theaters, though on a limited basis (~50,000 units) including being used in primarily Greece and China.

As for the new plastic version not being concealable, that is just a matter of time, design, and technology. Had the design been done as a squeeze box design instead of putting a very large grip on it, it would be much more concealable.

I am curious about the notion of the barrel. The current version appears to have virtually no barrel (or very short) beyond the cartridge itself. My guess is that it is smooth bore.

[ClydeFrog]

I saw the online Youtube.com clip with Liberator designer Cody Wilson & from what it looks like, the firearm can only fire a single round. In the media interview, it was a .22LR but with some T&E Im sure it can safely fire a .50AE or .454 Casull, .

I have serious doubts about this firm & it's designs but time will tell.

ClydeFrog

[orangello]

The Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988 covered that issue.

Interestingly, the most recent 10-year renewal of UFA88 sunsets in December of this year. A new all-plastic gun seems like the perfect basis for renewing the Act.

I thought I remembered them passing some law about "plastic guns" when the Glock 17 became popular.

I don't see this ever becoming very widespread so long as the feds don't try to make conventional arms too much more difficult to get. I see this more as a poor substitute for the home defense shotgun when those aren't allowed.

[pgpipefitter]

Simple guns can now be printed I look for a quick and easy STEN MG as the next evolution.

[Pucketson]

This is my first post on these forums.

My question for more informed members is about the alleged plastic receiver for the Ar 15. He has claimed to have printed a complete receiver with his 3d method . Are there any springs, spring clips, bushings or other hard use parts in the receiver, or did he just print the outside cover for it?

This whole thing raises my skeptic side.

Dave

[Polinese]

I would think that as pointed out before, this gun wouldn't quite be legal even with the metal strip. I remember they had to cut up the polymer gun from In the line of fire because of legal issues.

[Wreck-n-Crew]

The first plastic gun to fire a cartridge was never intended to shoot a bullet i memory serves me well they were the tear gas guns of the 70's. Wonder if anyone ever saw one.

Kind of looked like the one John Malkovich used in the movie where he was trying to assassinate the president. Anyone remember those?