The Guncad Digest

Issue 27: Hoffman Trigger Kicker, Stubbs MP5K, DIY Laser Sight, FOSSMG9 in World of Guns

Alyosha K. — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 23:05:26 GMT

Welcome to the Guncad Digest! This newsletter will regularly round up the best and most interesting 3D2A releases, betas and news.

If you want the Guncad Digest delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe to this Substack.

Subscribe now

You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit, where we’ll post notifications when a new issue of the Digest is live!

In this issue:

New Logo

New Releases:

Cool Shit Corner:

New Betas:

Coming Soon:

News:

Other Links

New Logo:

Our logo contest was a success! You may have already noticed the new logo, but if not, here it is in all its glory:

We got so many good submissions, but this one took the winner’s spot. I think you’ll agree, once you read the story behind it, from its designer:

I was inspired by the enormous challenge we face in 3D2A against states like New York and their surveillance. The eye is their dumb but powerful cyclops. The cursor arrow is the spear or wooden stake by which we rebel and blind them.

When they scream out, we say we are nobody!

There’s something powerful, chthonic, at work here. I feel as if the logo adopted me, and not the other way around, and it is now my duty to live up to it.

Thanks as well to everybody else who participated in the contest! All participants will be receiving a discount code as a thanks for your submission - if you sent a submission, check your inbox!

New Releases:

In this section, we cover new file releases that we find notable. If something catches your interest, go download and start printing!

Hoffman Does It Again - Trigger Kicker Released

Once is happenstance. Twice is a coincidence. Three times can only mean we have a bonafide genius on our hands - but we already knew that!

After being hauled into court by the vexatious Rare Breed, Hoffman does not give in but proceeds even stronger by releasing his third original Active Reset Trigger design, his simplest one yet - the Trigger Kicker.

Watch the video:

Here’s the tech specs: the Trigger Kicker is a single piece of metal that replaces your AR-15 disconnector (and disconnector spring). The current version, when installed, provides two-position functionality: safe and active reset.

It is compatible with milspec AR-15 bolts and milspec semiauto AR-15 triggers and, and none else - but Hoffman assures us that the design can be adapted to any platform, and that more versions are coming.

Of course you want one! You can buy them at Hoffman’s website, though they sell out almost instantly with every restock.

Let’s confront the obvious: this design would be very easy to clone, and at some point I expect Hoffman will release files to allow DIYing a Trigger Kicker. In the current moment however, the 3D2A community has shown true solidarity by adopting the position that nobody should clone this, that everyone should buy from Hoffman. I endorse this as well. Support Hoffman.

It cannot be overstated how masterful a stroke this release is. It performs several legal functions all at once. To list them would undermine them, so I won’t, but I invite you to reflect on the implications.

Bravo, Hoffman. Bravo.

Printed Armor Piercing Impact Grenade Releases

The prolific Munitions Group has been dropping quite a few improvised explosive designs over the last months, one of the most interesting ones is this surprisingly large javelin-style grenade.

Not javelin as in missile, javelin as in a literal spear. It’s meant to be thrown like a spear and detonate on impact. A shotgun shell is used to power the actual detonation, and you can judge the size of the thing by comparing it to the shotgun shell in the photo above.

These can also be modified to be dropped by drone. It would be highly illegal to do any of this of course (without proper licensing), but it’s not illegal to read about it, and I encourage you to do so. Knowledge is power.

LOCKJAW - Low-Profile Adjustable Stock from Skum

Developer Skum, one half of the team who released the FOSSMG9, has been dropping accessories lately, most recently the LOCKJAW stock!

The name of the game here is simplicity and low-profile. It’s small, it’s solid, it does what it needs to do, and otherwise it stays out of the way.

I like it! If you’re in need of a stock, give this one a consideration.

Black Lotus Coalition Launches New Website

Black Lotus Coalition, like the rest of the 3D2A space, has had a rough go in the last year. Their Twitter account was purged, and as was their Discord.

Despite these attacks they have not stopped developing or releasing. Mighty things are brewing at BLC. The first of them is the official relaunch of their website, and a beautiful thing it is.

The site lists provides an easy way to view all BLC projects, and to sort by whether the project is released, in beta, etc. And of course, it also provides a very easy link to join BLC.

The target audience for this website is not people already in guncad, but new people entering it. I get people all the time asking me how they can “join guncad” - this website provides the perfect starting point.

Great work gentlemen!

Cool Shit Corner:

There’s a lot of stuff that cross my desk recently that involve guns and 3D printing, but which seem to reflect personal hobbies or experimentation more than the development of a release package. To reflect that, today’s Community Corner has transformed into Cool Shit Corner, where we’ll cover these sorts of projects!

Spread Democracy With This Helldivers AR-23 Liberator

How about a nice cup of Liber-tea? I recently discovered developer BanishedBuilds, whose channel focuses on building functional replicas of guns from popular video games such as Helldivers and Apex Legends. His most recent project: an AR-23 Liberator!

The version in Banished’s video is chambered in .22LR, but he notes he is working on a version in real man’s 5.56 as well. More interesting, and covered at length in the video, is his attention to detail, including attempting to perfectly scale the gun to its in-game size!

Unfortunately Banished doesn’t plan to release his designs, but it’s still cool to see it running! Props to him for the project!

Printed Flechette Penetrates Metal Plate

Developer AndyThingsIDo has an air cannon. He also has a 3/4” aluminum plate. The next step is obvious.

His approach is to take commonly available metal items - nails, punches, drill and router bits - and sheathe them in printed fins and sabots so they can be launched from the air cannon. The engineering here comes in the design of the fins and sabots, and the selection of the metal core.

And he succeeded! The winning combination was a long 1/4” drive phillips-head impact driver bit - giving a new meaning to the term “impact bit.” It was mounted in a printed cone for stabilization, reminding us that 3D2A should involve plastic where you can, metal where you must.

Despite his victory he’s not done, continuing to fine-tune the sabots and fins. Never stop experimenting!

The Flintglock

3D2A has produced true marvels of engineering, true works of art. And then there’s this thing.

The Flintglock is a marriage of old and new. It apparently started as a Traditions Flintlock kit, which provided the barrel and action, but instead of a wooden “stock”, developer Vulpinaut modified a Glock 17 printed frame to mount and hold these items. And then he put a Chinesium red dot and flashlight on it.

And yes, it works.

I always try to find the bright side in things. Truth be told I’ve long thought that we should see attempts at DIY flintlock or percussion lock firearms, as an experiment if nothing else. This isn’t quite that, but it reminds us of this possibility!

New Betas:

In this section we round up recently opened betas. Help support development by joining these betas and testing!

Stubbs SMP5K Enters Beta!

After months of teasing on X by Stubbs, the SMP5K has entered beta! This is Stubbs’ remix of the Yippee-Ki-Yay by Kaewon, the major difference being that Stubbs’ version uses a CMMG bolt instead of a fully DIY one (aww) which makes it far easier to introduce forced reset functionality (yay!)

Unlike the YKY, the current SMP5K beta, as its name implies, only supports the “K” variant currently. That said, Stubbs being Stubbs, the beta package comes with a plethora of recreated obscure furniture and features, so you truly can build your SMP5K as you see fit!

I’m happy to report that I’m in this beta personally. Can’t wait to share my progress as it develops! I’ll keep you posted.

PH4NT0M Needs Devs, Testers!

More video game guns! The PH4NT0M by developer stillhazey is a fully DIY .22LR semiauto rifle, based on a gun of the same name from the game Valorant. It’s working, but stillhazey wants to refine the exterior and is seeking help to do so.

Any devs / Valorant fans out there who wants to try their hand, hit up the dev and help bring this to release!

G17 Pillager Enters Beta

When we last heard from the Pillager, this chassis - originally developed for the TX22 - was adapted for use with the G19. Its adaptations continue with a new beta for the G17 (and 34!)

Developer Ballistic3DSolutions notes that this is entering into beta without extensive alpha testing, but given that the Pillager is twice proven it likely doesn’t require quite as much testing as a totally fresh design.

The Pillager may be the modern Invader - and now that I think of it, perhaps that’s where the name comes from!

Stience 24 Bigpack Brings New DIY Derringer!

We first encountered the Stience design back in Issue 7 at which time we declared it an interesting little fully DIY handgun. Its developer HeavyRainBuilds has continued iterating on it since its first release, and has now put together what he calls his Stience Bigpack.

Originally supporting only DIY ammo in the form of a “12ga liner” (see the Issue 7 writeup for details), the Bigpack begins to introduce a more traditional barrel to support .22LR liners. This brings the design into territory to compete with the Harlot - or Gambino!

I’ll never say no to new DIY derringer designs, and from the sounds of it yet more versions are coming from the developer. Keep it up!

Coming Soon:

This section lists announcements or previews for projects that have not yet hit open beta. Keep an eye out for further news about these projects!

9V Broke Laser - DIY Laser Sight

Ever wonder why you can get a basic laser pointer off Amazon for a few bucks, but a handgun laser often costs half a benjamin? Developer thewayoftoday wondered this too, and the result was his 9V Broke Laser project!

The concept is pretty simple - mount the laser pointer guts inside the printed chassis, solder in a resistor and switch, attach a battery, and you have Laser At Home!

As is often the case, this design could have been made by anyone in the past several years, yet it took thewayoftoday to step up and actually do it. Great work! Looking forward to seeing it set sail.

MinimAR - Bolt Action Lightweight AR-15

Developer BKO2 has been a busy boy! Among the many projects he’s working on, the MinimAR stood out to me as what appears to me to be an attempt to make the most minimal functioning AR platform possible.

In doing so he has converted it to a single shot design, apparently with no magazine, meaning rounds must be loaded into the breech - very historic! Early in development it used a straight pull bolt, now apparently switched to a more “traditional” rotating bolt.

The AR platform is endlessly versatile, powering everything from breechloaders to beltfeds. I love it!

Binary Mac From “Cheesyparts”

Developer Cheesyparts, formerly known as chuckycheesetouchedme (wonder why he changed it) has been working on a mod to his Popillia Mac-11 frame, called the Fromage Deux. Aside from being a Mac That Looks Like A Mac™, this design is special because it supports binary trigger operation, which Cheesyparts has neva been done before!

It’s going out to private beta testers now. I’m excited to see how it goes!

While researching this item I learned that Cheesyparts has a website where you can buy parts for his builds. Go check it out and throw him some love!

News:

In this section we’ll review major news events either originating in the 3D2A space, or particularly pertinent to this space.

New York Bans Printing

Back in Issue 20 we covered the full-court press by blue states against 3D2A. Some of the bills mentioned in that issue have since died, but some have passed, most notably New York’s S. 9005 / A. 10005. This bill does three things relevant to us:

#1: Mandates the installation of censorware on all machines capable of additive and subtractive manufacturing - all machines. Not just 3D printers but CNC mills, CNC lathes, wire EDM machines, etc.
#2: Copies Washington and California by criminalizing the possession and distribution of 3D printed gun files.
#3: Expands language around banning the sale of firearms components into New York

What does the mandated censorware actually do? We don’t know! The bill was passed without the technology actually existing, instead providing a rough description of “something that blocks people from making guns” and ordering the creation of a working group to define standards that putative software should meet. Until that group provides their report, we won’t know how they plan to technically enforce the ban.

The inimitable LoyalMoses breaks it down, and it’s worth watching:

This bill is obviously bad and I’m not going to pretend it’s not. But I’m also not going to throw up my hands and farm fearclicks just yet. This is for two reasons:

No matter what the working group recommends, the technology won’t stop people who are determined to make a gun. This is technologically impossible. As we’ve seen since time immemorial, laws of this nature only encourage the development of clever workarounds.
The purpose of this law, like all laws, is narrative. The goal is to dispirit you, and there’s a sense in which Moses’ video is precisely what New York wants to see. The idea isn’t that you can ignore the narrative and the law will go away - it won’t. But by accepting the New York frame, you accomplish at least half of New York’s goal for them. And you simply don’t need to do that.

As such, for now the move is to wait and see what the working group comes out with. Stand by for more.

Rare Breed Files Lawsuit Over Kabuto

However much you thought you hated Rare Breed, it’s not enough. At the beginning of June they filed yet another intellectual property lawsuit against a reset trigger merchant, this time against a company called 144.1 Recoil Systems.

As per the usual they claim the Super Safety violates their patents, but for the first time that I’ve seen are now making the same claim about the Kabuto reset trigger. Does it violate their patents? Does the Super Safety? Are patents valid? Is intellectual property real? That’s for the judge to decide.

Case number is 5:26-cv-00156-AW-MJF if you want to check it out. Keep an eye out, and make sure you make backup copies.

World of Guns Puts FOSSMG9 To Vote!

I expect that many of my readers will have played World of Guns before, but for those who haven’t, it’s a simulation game that allows you to disassemble, assemble, and simulate operation of a tremendous number of firearms. It’s a great way to learn how guns work, and I actually find it quite relaxing!

Up until now they’ve stuck to commercial firearms, but I am overjoyed to announce that they are branching into 3D2A by adding the FOSSMG9 to the game!

Well, it’s not added quite yet :) New guns are added to the game through a voting process. The highest voted guns get added sooner. That said: the FOSSMG9 was listed at the beginning of June, and it’s already shot to the top of the vote list, so I expect it will be one of the next designs added!

You should show your support for the design by voting for it as well! Voting can only be done from within the game itself, but it’s free to play on Steam, so you can install it at any time.

Seeing 3D2A designs show up in places like World of Guns is a fantastic sign for our hobby. I hope we’ll see even more designs added, and after seeing how well the FOSSMG9 is performing, that seems likely indeed!

About the Guncad Digest:

Thank you for reading this issue of the Guncad Digest! Please send us your feedback and suggestions for improvements on the issue.

The Guncad Digest is sourced using the very excellent Guncad Index, from /r/3D2A, and from readers like you. If you know of a project you think should be featured, send it our way!

This issue was compiled and authored by Alyosha from 3D Print Freedom / 3D2A. We sell high quality parts kits for some of the best DIY guns available - if you’re looking for your next gun build, come check us out!

Issue #26: Fully DIY .380 Pistol, Quokka-15, 4-Axis Desktop Wire EDM, Gun Maker's Match

Alyosha K. — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 19:24:31 GMT

Welcome to the Guncad Digest! This newsletter will regularly round up the best and most interesting 3D2A releases, betas and news.

If you want the Guncad Digest delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe to this Substack.

Subscribe now

You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit, where we’ll post notifications when a new issue of the Digest is live!

In today’s issue:

New Releases:

Updates:

DIY Kriss Vector Ejecting! Beta Coming Soon!

New Betas:

Coming Soon:

News:

Other Links

New Releases:

In this section, we cover new file releases that we find notable. If something catches your interest, go download and start printing!

Quokka-15 Releases - Simplified DIY Bufferless AR Upper

A quokka is a small, adorable marsupial, about the size of a housecat, that lives almost exclusively on a single island off the coast of western Australia. It’s also the name for Wade Robinson’s new release, the Quokka-15!

Like its predecessor, the Marsupial, the Quokka-15 is a DIY bufferless AR system, using a modified AR bolt carrier inside a printed upper. Notably, while the Marsupial required a custom lower, the Quokka-15 will fit on any milspec lower, dramatically expanding its versatility!

The design uses several laser-cut metal parts for the trunnion, bolt and charging handle. DXFs are included so you can get these made yourself, or you can order a parts kit from CipherParts!

It’s extraordinary to reflect on how a DIY AR upper, once considered a dream, is now an accepted reality. This hobby never ceases to amaze.

Maxxed and Sigpilled - 2011 Sigger Edition Releases!

After weeks and weeks of teasing, the printed 2011 from Nightalliance is here! USPSA shooters everywhere, rejoice!

This is actually the first of several planned releases for this project, with each one supporting a different magazine. This is the Sigger edition, because it supports the P320 mag - Para Ordnance and Dawson 2011 mags will also be supported. For those two, the frame will support both 9mm and 45ACP versions, but poor Siggers only get the 9mm option.

Other required parts for the build are a 1911 lower parts kit, a complete 1911 slide, a 2011 trigger and some OK Boomer rails.

Go build one so you can be the coolest kid in the upcoming world war!

Fluted Chamber ECM for 9mm!

Delayed blowback is becoming more and more common in the DIY space - perhaps in light of this, developer Ju5t3nc4s3 has released a new 9mm ECM mandrel that flutes the chamber in addition to cutting the rifling!

This would seem to require chambering the barrel prior to doing the rifling, which is different from standard ECM practice. In any case, it’s an interesting take and I hope to see someone try it out!

Updates:

In this section we will mention updates to major releases - fixes, new variants, etc.

DIY Kriss Vector Ejecting! Beta Coming Soon!

The DIY Kriss Vector is solidly at the top of my list of designs I am excited for, and it progresses ever closer to beta! Developer EfficientRabbit7377 is back with a new update showing the design fully cycling, reporting 10 rounds in a row without a stovepipe.

It sounds like he wants to do one more revision before opening up a beta for it. I’m eagerly standing by!

New Betas:

In this section we round up recently opened betas. Help support development by joining these betas and testing!

ORCBOLG - DIY .380ACP Pistol Enters Beta

I could not be more excited to announce that the ORCBOLG DIY pistol has entered open beta!

This is a fully DIY pistol, much like the SY22 (which it is based on), but with a notable difference: instead of rimfire, this is chambered in a centerfire .380ACP cartridge. This makes the ORCBOLG the very first fully DIY pistol chambered in centerfire, a serious leap forward.

It uses an ECM barrel and a piece of square steel tubing to reinforce the slide. Detailed instructions and several printable jigs and templates are included to assist with building.

I see this design as a leap forward in the same vein as the FGC-9, and its release will be just as significant. Help drive it towards release - join the beta! I’ve already started printing mine!

No Supports, No Hardware - Kabuto K15 Lower Open for Beta

Kabuto Filearms brought a fresh and innovative take to the FRT space with his Reset Assist Device. He now does the same with his newly released K15 Lower Receiver, a new AR lower design that looks quite interesting.

The design is fully printed, and I do mean fully printed - many of the commercial parts, such as the magazine catch, safety selector and safety detent are printed, not just for convenience but for necessity to match this design’s geometry.

More interestingly, the high-stress areas (buffer tower, front pivot) are also fully printed, requiring no external metal reinforcement like U-bolt or hose clamp. The plates meant to reinforce these areas are printable, and while the documentation does note that these can be made from metal, their design seems to clearly indicate that printing was not just contemplated but intended.

Several interesting design elements abound, including a slide-on grip and a trigger cassette. Also, the entire thing can be printed without supports!

The design is fascinating and I look forward to seeing people print it. Let’s see how it performs!

Double Stack Your Mac - Middleton Open Beta

The world eagerly awaits the release of the Mac ‘n Cheese v3, which I am assured is coming very soon! One of the most exciting elements of this platform will be its support for a variety of magazines, including double-feed mags. This will require an upper that differs in a few ways from the standard Mac-11 upper design, and to this end Middleton Made will be releasing a commercial upper.

That said, Middleton has also released printable jigs to help you modify your existing Mac-11 upper, if you so choose. Those who just can’t wait can print them today and get their upper ready!

Middleton wryly notes that by releasing this he’s theoretically undercutting his own profits - but in true FOSS fashion, he’s making the information available regardless. Gentlemen, support this man! He’s one of the best people in guncad.

Yeet Sheet Beta - New Mac FRT Trip from NightAlliance

Speaking of Macs! The prodigious NightAlliance has released his YeetSheet Mac trip as a beta. This trip is a thin shim, inserted between a Mac upper and lower, which interacts with an installed Super Safety to allow FRT functionality. By all appearances, this design is stouter and easier to make than previous trip designs.

You start by getting the laser cut sheet from the usual places, and then bending the two tabs to 90 degrees. You’ll need to cut your Mac upper as well - some instruction and images are provided in the release package, but not enough, and it’s likely you’ll need to check out the Matrix room for guidance.

Documentation confirms that this trip can be used on both DB Alloy SS lowers and the PWC Full Retard 9mm edition, and it will also be compatible with the Mac ‘n Cheese v3!

Coming Soon:

This section lists announcements or previews for projects that have not yet hit open beta. Keep an eye out for further news about these projects!

Betta Wire 4 Axis Desktop Wire EDM Nears Release

3D2A often focuses heavily on 3D printing, and understandably so, but it is not limited to this technology! Any tech that brings industrial manufacturing capability into the home in a way that is affordable and accessible belongs in 3D2A. This includes ECM, casting, and others - and thanks to Rack Robotics, this will soon include wire EDM!

For those unfamiliar, wire electrical discharge machining (EDM) involves cutting parts out of a block of metal using a thin wire. The wire and part are submerged in a fluid and electrified, and the wire is slowly drawn through the metal, cutting as it goes - see the video above. Using this technique, arbitrary shapes can be cut in the metal stock.

The Betta Wire is a four-axis machine that can be assembled, submerged in a tank, and programmed to perform wire EDM cuts at home. It is four axis because it can not only move the wire in the X and Y dimensions, but it can also skew / angle the wire to create angled or tapered cuts.

This allows not only SCS at home, but possibly even more than what SCS can easily provide. This is a very exciting contribution!

If you’d like to add this to your workbench, preorders are live on the Rack Robotics website. This kit contains all the metal parts required - you’ll have to print the printed parts, assemble, and dunk the whole thing in a fishtank for use.

This is extremely cutting edge stuff, and I’ll admit that it’s not for everyone. But those whom it is for will find great value in it, and will drive the technology forward. We may be on the cusp of something great here, gentlement.

Project Gargoyle - New Production Metal VZ-61 Lowers

Developer Penteona continues to stay busy with his VZ-61 work! Not satisfied with only doing a printed VZ lower, he has struck a deal with a manufacturer to make the first new-production metal VZ lowers we’ve seen since, well, ever!

Dubbed Project Gargoyle, these lowers will be compatible with standard VZ parts kits, but will use an AR-15 FCG just like the printed ones. He’s expecting them to cost a few hundred once they hit the market.

One of the most exciting things for me is when a developer is able to successfully bring a product to market. Major congratulations to Penteona, I look forward to seeing this project hit shelves!

If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It - Predator Laser Project Incoming

What the hell are you? That’s what the fudds at the range will be asking when they see this laser mounted on your gun. It uses the guts of three laser pointers to create a Predator-style laser pattern, which is way cooler than it has any right to be. It fits on standard G19 frames, but of course could be adapted to many other designs.

Developer thewayoftoday expects to have a final build ready soon, so keep a close eye out! Hopefully you see it before it sees you…

BB15 Bullpup Bufferless AR Lower Coming Soon

It’s beautiful. I’ve been staring at this picture for hours. This incredibly clean print is the BB15, shared by sistrum666 aka guttercheese!

I’m less familiar with this but from the pic and commentary around it, it’s a bullpup AR lower meant for bufferless uppers - primarily the BRN-180, but also the Foxtrot Mike FM15 and any AR upper compatible with a handful of bufferless bolts.

We are assured that this will release soon, so keep an eye out!

News:

In this section we’ll review major news events either originating in the 3D2A space, or particularly pertinent to this space.

Gun Maker’s Match 6 Wrapped!

Easily the most important news in the last two weeks - or perhaps the entire year? - is the Gun Maker’s Match! Shot on May 16th / 17th, this was the sixth iteration of the match and it is still going strong.

The match was shot across six stages, with divisions for printed / kit pistol, PCC and rifle. Overall match winner was Pembleton - congratulations!

Another major winner of the match was the Decker 9, which took the People’s Choice award, indicating hopefully a release in the near future!

You may see a familiar sponsor in the photos below :)

If you didn’t attend, you missed out! The next Maker’s Match is already being planned for 2027 - join the email list to stay up to date on it, or watch this newsletter for announcements!

Hoffman Super Safety Lawsuit Update

We haven’t written about the Rare Breed v. Hoffman suit for a while, but that doesn’t mean it has stopped. Hoffman recently shared a video sharing his experiences in and theory of the case. Go watch it!

One of the most interesting updates is the fact that the case was moved out of Tennessee to the Eastern District of Texas, where it was merged with several other of Rare Breed’s lawsuits. As Hoffman notes, this may actually be a good thing as it gets the case away from the obviously biased Tennessee judge.

We’ve seen little action in the new Texas docket to tell us where things might be going. Merging it into a multi-district suit will slow things down considerably, but we’ll keep an eye on it nonetheless.

Rare Breed Sues Pembie

Speaking of Rare Breed: in a move that is somehow shocking and unsurprising, this company continues to terrorize the gun community by filing yet another lawsuit, this time against Pembleton and Sons.

The charges are patent infringement due to Super Safety sales, which is bad enough. Even worse is the charge that, by calling one or more of his products an “FRT”, Pembleton is infringing on Rare Breed’s trademarks.

To be clear, they are claiming ownership of the very term “FRT.”

Note how the base “FRT” trademark was not registered until March 2026, well after Pembleton launched several of his products

By my count, Rare Breed has in the last two years filed patent suits against no less than 27 different companies. It is clear that they are attempting, through patent trolling lawfare, to gain a monopoly in the FRT space. Not just a monopoly in sales, but a monopoly on ideas - they claim ownership of the very idea of an FRT.

Pembleton has opened a GoFundMe to raise money for his defense, which I gladly share.

About the Guncad Digest:

Thank you for reading this issue of the Guncad Digest! Please send us your feedback and suggestions for improvements on the issue.

The Guncad Digest is sourced using the very excellent Guncad Index, from /r/3D2A, and from readers like you. If you know of a project you think should be featured, send it our way!

Issue #25: XM5.7, New Kabuto FRT, DIY Body Armor, Belt-Fed .22LR, FTW Arms

Alyosha K. — Fri, 15 May 2026 14:52:07 GMT

Welcome to the Guncad Digest! This newsletter will regularly round up the best and most interesting 3D2A releases, betas and news.

If you want the Guncad Digest delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe to this Substack.

Subscribe now

You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit, where we’ll post notifications when a new issue of the Digest is live!

In this issue:

New Releases:

Cyclic Corner:

Updates:

New Betas:

Coming Soon:

(Good) News:

(Bad) News:

Dugan Ashley Arrested

Other Links

New Releases:

In this section, we cover new file releases that we find notable. If something catches your interest, go download and start printing!

XM5.7 - Printable XM8 from AWCY Releases!

Tactical Tuna incoming! In a surprise drop with almost no buildup, AWCY developer RustyShackleford777 has released the XM5.7, a printable 5.7x28mm rifle styled after the famous XM8.

Internally this design is very similar to AWCY’s 3DP90, using a fully DIY bolt consisting of a printed shell filled with a low-temp melt metal called cerrosafe, then sandwiched between laser cut steel plates. The extractor and firing pin are also made from laser cut plates, making it fully DIY yet still very easy to assemble!

The design looks incredibly cool and has a lot of configurations, most excitingly an underbarrel 37mm Nameless launcher. The release package and documentation is very well put together, as expected from AWCY.

Complete kits are available from 3D2A.com, including prepoured bolts! Let’s start seeing some fish guns at the range!

DAEDALUS: Fuck You, Bullups Your Glock

The madman actually did it! After years of memes, DB Firearms has made bullpup Glocks real. It’s called the DAEDALUS and it’s available for download now!

It uses a single-piece printable trigger / trigger bar in the front to manipulate a custom trigger shoe, providing a surprisingly effective bullpup experience. Several blast shields are included to help protect your fingies from the spicy air while firing.

Of course within a day of release, someone has already released an FRT for it. Too damn cool. Yeah, I’m probably going to build this one.

Careless Whisper - Integrally Suppressed Lever Action AR!

Shhhhhh - don’t make a sound. One Careless Whisper can cause quite a stir…

From AvieAtrix, the developer of the incredibly popular “TP” Lever Action AR design, comes the Careless Whisper! It’s an integrally suppressed version of the lever action design, featuring a total suppression length of 16”!

The actual suppressor design is taken from a the FTN4.5; instructions and guidance is provided for drilling gas ports in your barrel to increase suppression and lower velocity.

This is a Form 1 suppressor, so Americans will want to register it. Remember, loose lips sink ships!

SendCutSumac - DIY Mac Upper

Whenever I see a release from ArmThyRightHand I always get excited, because I know it’s going to be both very interesting, and very thorough. He’s got a real doozy for us today!

The SendCutSumac is best described as a complete resource for fabricating your own Mac upper from steel plates. That’s right, this is a fully DIY metal Mac upper!

ATRH provides two methods for this: bending a flat, and welding individual flats together. For the latter, he provides guidance on how to properly weld, and for the former, he provides jigs and plenty of information for how to use a press brake to bend your flat into shape.

But that’s not all! These uppers also come with optional add-ons, including a metal magwell, and a sled for FRT operation! There’s also two different versions of everything - one for an OEM-style upper, and one for a DB Alloy style.

Like the Super Swanky, this project is cool for what it produces, but it’s even cooler for the techniques it pioneers. Imagine what we could do if bended or welded flats became a widely accessible skill in guncad? Well, why shouldn’t it be?

DeCBAR-22 - Bullpup DeAR22

I’m a bit baffled by the fact that I’ve never talked about the DeAR22 in the Digest, given that it may be the most popular .22LR project out there, at least if the number of threads about it on /r/3D2A are anything to go by. It’s a rock-solid AR-22 lower with about a million remixes, so no wonder it’s so popular!

That said, the recently-released DeCBAR-22 is the first bullpup DeAR remix I’ve seen, and it looks damn cool! It’s got solid documentation and comes with easy printable templates for creating the direct linkage trigger system.

If you’re looking for a fun .22LR build without too much complexity, this is a good option!

Printable Battle Belt and Mag Carriers

Attention all IDPA gamers! Rob Leatham needs your help. His belt broke and he needs you to print him a new one!

From developer Glockenkemper comes a modular printable IPDA-style belt, so you can look cool at the competition without spending $$$. Print out each link, pin them together, attach a ratcheting system, and you’ve built your own gear!

The same developer has also released some magnetic magazine pouches for both pistol and PCC mags, requiring only a Teklok connector to attach to the belt. Way cool!

Here’s the truth guys: competition shooting is one of the best ways to improve your shooting skills. “But it’s a game, it’s not real combat!” True, which is why you should also attend force-on-force classes - but if you want to get gud at pure shooting, you should be attending comps.

It’s also a fantastic way to spread the signal! Despite what 3D2A fuddlore claims, most shooters are fascinated to see printed guns and gear running on a stage. You have no excuses - go compete!

Cyclic Corner:

Today’s Community Corner has changed into Cyclic Corner, because we are focusing on some new FRT drops from the past few weeks!

R.A.D. - Reset Assist Device from the Kabuto Developer

He returns! Those with long memories will recall that the developer of the famous Kabuto / “T.U.R.D.” trigger reset device pulled his own copy down shortly after upload, feeling that it was unsuitable for release. Every Kabuto iteration out there currently originates with those files, but was modded by other developers.

But now, the OG developer himself has uploaded his own iteration! Now called the R.A.D. (Reset Assist Device), this design simplifies the original Kabuto into a single-pin, three piece drop-in. It can be paired with a two-position AR safety for safe-FRT mode, or a three-position safety for safe-semi-FRT operation.

The documentation is straightforward, simple and clean. I predict this will become a new standard in DIY FRT development, and indeed we’re already starting to see mods of the R.A.D., including one for a CMMG AR22. Expect more to come!

UDIS - Universal Drop In Kabuto

But that’s not all! While the R.A.D. may be the next Kabuto iteration, the original Kabuto has been remixed and remixed again to the point of being its own separate line. We now see the next step in that line with the Universal Drop In Kabuto!

The idea here is to take the Kabuto design and create a true drop-in that will work with all sorts of setups - milspec AR15, aftermarkets, M16 triggers - without requiring any cuts or modifications to your FCG hardware. The release package is essentially a “build a bear” for Kabutos, allowing you to customize it to your particular setup!

The thing about these Kabutos is that they’re fully printable and therefore there’s no reason not to print one of each type and see what works best for you. Give it a try!

Updates:

In this section we will mention updates to major releases - fixes, new variants, etc.

Glarpion - Glock Fed Scz0rpion

Developer SkeleTim continues to iterate on the famous AWCY Scz0rpion, bringing us now a Glock mag-fed, AR15 FCG version called the Glarpion!

This work is being done in pursuit of requiring fewer and fewer hard-to-find CZ components. At this rate, eventually all components will be replaced, at which point we’ll call it the AR9.

Kidding, of course. Nice work, keep it coming!

Reach Around - FossMG9 Updates

Even after release the FOSSMG9 continues to be iterated on! These remixes from ON3251CC introduce several changes, including a modified rear shroud, arch and knob, a more extended mag release, an easier-to-print stock lock, and a carry handle with a pic rail. The primary goal appears to be quality of life improvements.

If you’ve already built a FOSSMG9, consider upgrading it with these remixes! And if you don’t yet have one, consider one of our kits :)

Lever Action AR in Straightwall .350 Legend!

Apparently there are some ~~cucked~~ not very nice states that disallow hunting with normal rounds, instead requiring bizarre straight-wall calibers like .350 Legend? That’s not a problem where I live, but if it is one for you, now you can build a lever action AR modded to work in this straight-wall caliber!

Primary changes are to the magwell, to adapt it to the different round. .350 Legend still uses a standard AR bolt head, so you’re good there, but this release does provide a printed carrier along with a few other quality of life upgrades to the overall design.

We’re seeing a lot of these quality of life upgrades. I’d like to see them rolled into a V2 for this design - we’ll see!

Notachi DIY Revolver Updates!

It’s still alive! Developer clearview4851 has posted some updates on his Notachi DIY revolver project.

What’s new? One of the primary updates has to do with testing a new spring design which ultimately wasn’t adopted. I like updates like this - it’s often just as important to know what not to do. Aside from that, we have a simplified hammer and other small quality of life updates. This produces a revolver which “strikes all primers [clearview] has”.

The updates are available for anyone who would like to try them out!

New Betas:

In this section we round up recently opened betas. Help support development by joining these betas and testing!

Chimera VZ-61 Early Release!

Last announced in Issue 20, the Chimera VZ6 from Penteona has now entered its pre-release phase! This design is a new printable VZ61 lower, with an integrated grip, utilizing an AR FCG. It also features a dovetail mount for the surplus folding stock, which is pretty cool!

Its developer has released this early for “personal circumstances.” Wishing him all the best - stay safe man.

DIY Body Armor Project from BoozeAndBullets

Yep, we’re DIYing body armor now! This release from BoozeAndBullets provides support and instructions for creating handgun-rated soft plates from welding blanket and resin.

How does it work? You cut out pieces of the blanket, place them in the printable mold, fill with a layer of resin, then put another layer on and repeat. Eventually the mold is full, at which point you clamp it as shown in the photo and let it cure.

Should you trust your life to DIY body armor? Probably not - but you should learn about it, you should try it, and you should iterate on it! Modern 3D2A came from people working on stuff like this years ago. Imagine where this could be in a few years time with similar effort!

“X” - Laser-Cut 9x19 Upper Project

I’ve mentioned in the past that, every so often, I like to feature something that is apparently totally untested, just out of sheer novelty and to keep things fresh and interesting. This is one such thing.

This design, apparently called simply the “X”, by developer rolantikush, was recently released in three iterations - V1, V2, V3. Each is a Professor Parabellum-esque design featuring a metal upper paired with a printed lower. Each metal upper - and its bolt - is made from laser cut metal plates, tack welded or otherwise fastened together.

No documentation, no build proof, no testing, no idea if it can work. What I do know is that I virtually never see designs like this, and I’m not sure there’s a good reason why that is. The potential is there guys! We’re just waiting for someone to take it up!

Laser-Cut DIY AR FCG

Testing a totally unknown DIY gun a bridge too far for you? How about an AR FCG? The same developer as above, rolantikush, has released a design for an AR FCG also made from laser cut parts.

Some might argue that laser-cut plates aren’t true DIY, since they rely on a third party service. But with projects like the Betta from RackRobo, the ability to cut metal flats to arbitrary shapes is within reach. Projects like this FCG are worthy ways to explore the potential of this technology.

Coming Soon:

This section lists announcements or previews for projects that have not yet hit open beta. Keep an eye out for further news about these projects!

BFG .22 - Belt Fed Primarily DIY .22LR Coming Soon

We are getting a .22LR Beltfed! The BFG .22 by HammerHead1911 was recently announced and as you can see he’s got a full model built! We’ve also got shooting footage!

He has described the design as “primarily DIY”, with a “hybrid metal / printed bolt”, 50 round ammo box, and FRT compatibility. I am erect.

HammerHead notes that an open beta is coming very soon. I’ll absolutely be jumping into this one as soon as it’s live, and so should you! Keep an eye out!

DIY Kriss Vector Cycling!

The DIY Kriss Vector project continues! As developer EfficientRabbit7377’s latest video shows, it is now cycling. The video shows one complete cycle and one partial cycle, which fails to eject. That’s major progress!

Just from the video it doesn’t seem like the ejection problem will be too hard to overcome - it’s not a fundamental design problem, it’s just about creating a clear ejection path. Once that’s done, I expect this design will enter into open beta!

You know I’ll be all over this one. See you all there!

Halo Magnum Approaching Drop

The Halo Magnum remix, first announced back in Issue 18, is almost ready to drop! Developer Helpful_Spell_5896 notes that he’s got his final prints complete and will be finishing up his own livefire testing. Assuming all goes well, he’ll package it with a README and release it!

As a reminder, this is more or less a Glock 19 mod, so it will be a pretty simple build with familiar parts kits. I’m eagerly awaiting its release!

Has there ever been a good, canon explanation for why would Captain Keyes didn’t keep his gun loaded?

GB11 - Abomination from MPMS Enters Alpha

I have to write about this, and you have to read it, but don’t worry, we’ll get through it together. M-P-M-S’s “GB11” is entering alpha testing. So what is it?

This project started as a C96-looking remix, and I got excited. Now it’s mutated into…god knows what. That’s a 1911 slide on top, hence the “11” in the name, but it also has a sliding brace. And a pic rail for an optic mount.

Knowing you degenerates, this will probably become the most popular design in 3D2A. Well, who am I to stand in the way of progress? Expect to see it drop soon!

Fully DIY .380 PCC with Integral Suppression

Here we have another Prof. Parabellum-esque design, like the “X” design described above! It’s a fully DIY PCC, chambered in .380ACP, using a metal square tube upper and printed components.

This project has some maturity on it, as we’ve actually got shooting footage! Its developer Admirable_Scholar_36 notes that the project can be configured as both an open and a closed bolt. He’s testing it internally right now, but intends to release once he feels it’s ready!

There needs to be a better name for these sorts of designs, that more closely integrate home-DIY metal parts with printed plastic. I like “hybrid”, but that term has been used before in various contexts. I’ll continue to think on the matter.

Upcoming SMGs from Stubbs

My best boy Stubbs, in his ongoing quest to make DIY versions of every SMG ever, has teased three of his upcoming designs! We have, from left to right:

The SMPL / SMPK, a DIY design based on the Walther MP, which uses an AR FCG and optional drop-in FRT
The SMP.44, a true plumber’s pipe gun based on the German EMP44 “Primitiv-Waffen” design. Stubbs notes that his version will be super-safe compatible, and will have versions not just in 9mm but also 10mm, .22TCM, 7.62x25 and “.960”, whatever that is.
The SMP5K, a fully DIY MP5 clone in .22LR, which as with the others will be FRT compatible! There will be four versions of this, each replicating a famous MP5 variant.

It’s a safe bet that all of these will use common Stubbs design characteristics of an internal metal pipe housing a commercial AR9 or AR22 bolt, making them fairly straightforward builds. I’m excited to see them start to enter beta!

(Good) News:

In this section we’ll review major news events either originating in the 3D2A space, or particularly pertinent to this space. It’s all good news in this section!

Print-A-22 Evolves into FTW Arms!

What? Print-A-22, the premier parts kit supplier for .22LR designs, is evolving! A few days ago the fantastic folks running Print-A-22 launched FTW Arms, a new venture focused on developing and selling affordable Form 4 polymer suppressors.

These suppressors are designed in conjunction with the team behind the famous FTN series, and in fact are an evolution of that series! Unlike the fully printed FTN, the FTW suppressor is a hybrid reinforced design, using internal metal reinforcement. While these suppressors are still consumable, they will last quite a bit longer than a fully printed design. This all allows the FTW to be offered at a very affordable price compared to other commercial designs, while still delivering comparable levels of quality!

At time of writing they are offering their first design - the FTW OG Founder’s Edition .22LR direct-thread suppressor, at an easily accessible $99! This Founder’s Edition design will also come with a unique “Founder’s” reserved serial number, to mark you as a true OG. Only 100 will be sold, and they’re going fast, so go grab one while you can!

What’s going to happen to the Print-A-22 website? It will continue to exist as a reference guide, but its products will be cleaned up and migrated over to the FTW Arms website, which is also where new .22LR kits will be posted as well.

Major congratulations to our friends for their exciting new journey! I’ll follow you with great interest.

PS: shout out to FTW’s lovely wife, who has helped tremendously with bringing this project to its fruition, including building their amazing new website! You can feel good knowing these designs are made with care from a dynamic husband-wife duo!

Convert STLs to STEPs with 2STEP Converter

How many times have you wanted to remix a design, only to find that the dev didn’t release his STEP files? Your best bet is to either do your remix in an STL editor like Tinkercad (ew) or to convert the mesh to a STEP in Fusion, which tends to result in an ugly “solid” comprised of a billion triangles.

Developer YaneonY has a solution! He has developed software to perform a better conversion, not simply creating a solid but properly restoring its original STEP characteristics. This can also run in batch, so you don’t have to convert these things one at a time!

You can download the software from YaneonY’s Github, which also contains thorough documentation for how to use it. See further discussion the matter as well.

NOTE: this is not an excuse for you to not release your STEPs. Every release should include STEPs - that’s the ethos of this community!

Guncad Index 1.10 Adds Advanced Search

The Guncad Index continues to grow even more useful! Developer Shittinator just pushed a new update with two major changes: boolean filters in search, and a new tag page!

The boolean filters allow you to use Google-like text in your tags to filter for specific results - for example, “glock -tag:9x19mm” to show all releases with the word “glock” tagged with the 9x19mm tag. This dramatically improves your ability to find very specific items! Full documentation can be found here.

Paired with this is a tags page, which helpfully shows a full, easily browsable list of all tags on the platform. Use it to browse directly, or copy them into your searchbar for use with the boolean operators.

See a full writeup for this Index update here!

Browsing this tags page floors me for just how much this community has produced over the years. It’s a beautiful thing we’ve built, gentlemen. Major props forever to Shittinator for his continuing work on the invaulable Index!

Guncad Digest Newsletter Contest!

We’re two weeks into the contest to improve the Guncad Digest logo! I need a new logo to celebrate one year of the Digest, but unfortunately graphic design is not one of my strong suits.

Readers: help me design a new logo! I’ll be accepting submissions for new logos through the month of May. At the end of the month I’ll either hold a popularity contest or select my favorites, depending on what we get.

Please email your design to: customersupport@3dprintfreedom.com (or DM them to me here on Substack!) Winners will get the privilege of seeing their logo on the Substack - oh, and any1 free hardware kit you want from 3D2A.com :)

(Bad) News:

I have grown frustrated with the practice of compiling a bunch of bad news in the Digest, especially when it gets mixed in with legitimate good news that should be celebrated. Yet some bad news is worth sharing nonetheless. To this end I have separated the news section into two parts, for this issue at least.

Dugan Ashley Arrested

Terrible news. Dugan Ashley, one of the OG Guntubers, and one of the progenitors of the DIY movement, has been criminally charged by the US DOJ.

The charges originate from Dugan’s videos related to the manufacture of explosives. The feds claim that a terrorist used these videos to build IEDs used in an attempted 2025 attack. As such, Ashley is charged with “distributing information related to the manufacture of explosives.”

That sharing information is a crime in any circumstances is disgusting. Other commentators have noted that the crime requires intent for the information to be used in a violent attack, and foreknowledge thereof, which Dugan certainly did not and could not have possessed.

Beyond this he is charged with unlicensed manufacturing and possession of explosive devices. All in all, it’s bad.

A GiveSendGo campaign has been created to support Dugan’s defense. Please donate. Dugan is a hero to us all - don’t let him slip away into the darkness without a fight.

About the Guncad Digest:

Thank you for reading this issue of the Guncad Digest! Please send us your feedback and suggestions for improvements on the issue.

The Guncad Digest is sourced using the very excellent Guncad Index, from /r/3D2A, and from readers like you. If you know of a project you think should be featured, send it our way!

Excluding the M1337 Complete Kit - sorry - but including the M1337 Advanced Kit!

Issue 24: One Year of Guncad Digest

Alyosha K. — Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:33 GMT

Welcome to the Guncad Digest! This newsletter will regularly round up the best and most interesting 3D2A releases, betas and news.

If you want the Guncad Digest delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe to this Substack.

Subscribe now

You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit, where we’ll post notifications when a new issue of the Digest is live!

The Guncad Digest Turns 1!

Can you believe it, it’s our 24th issue! At two issues per month, that’s means we’ve done one year’s worth of publication.

To celebrate, this anniversary issue will review some of the biggest hits of the last year, as well as rounding up all the designs that I’m excited to see come out in the year ahead! We’ll also review some of the major ways the 3D2A signal grew in the last year.

Reviewing everything we’ve covered in the last 24 issues has reminded me how far we’ve come in just one year. 3D2A is not just growing, it’s exploding. The signal cannot, will not, be stopped.

Make sure to read to the very end - we’re announcing a contest at the end of this issue!

Best Releases Of The Year:

M1337 - Printable Gatling Gun
SMP40 - Printable MP40 SMG
Unseenkiller’s “Mac That Looks Like A Mac”
DIY Lever Action AR
Defiance AR-15 Lower
FOSSMG9 - Folding 9mm PDW
DIY Super Safeties
Kabuto / TURD FRT
L.A.R.K. Printable Multi-Position Selector
DIY Collimator Sights
Yippie Ki Yay - Mostly-DIY .22LR MP5
Menendez Mag V3
DIY Suppressors - FTN5 and OpenPew Series
DIY Claymore and Reference Guide
DIY MANPADS

Upcoming Releases:

In Progress Designs:

Staaker - SCS Bolts and Square Steel Upper .22LR Pistol
DIY Ammunition Counter
Printable Uzi
ORCBOLG - Fully DIY .380ACP Pistol
.22LR ECM
Yamato 20 DIY Shotgun
Printed M3 Grease Gun
Printed Frame for PM-63 RAK
Berd Ninjetics Flamethrower!
DIY MG42
TISM - Printable Artillery

Spreading the Signal - Top Events of the Last Year

Rise of the Guncad Index
New Communities - /r/3D2A and Guncad Index Forum
$0 Form 1s
Flashforge Bends the Knee
3D2A.TV
Gun Maker’s Match

What’s Next for Guncad Digest?

Guncad Digest Logo Contest

Best Releases Of The Year:

In this special section, we’ll review what I think are the best and most exciting releases in the last year.

M1337 - Printable Gatling Gun

There’s no real question what the coolest release in the last 12 months has been - it’s the M1337 Gatling Gun from Nopel! A fully functioning Gatling gun, hand cranked, firing .223 from a printed belt? A fully functioning delinker using entirely printed clockwork? It’s an accomplishment par excellence and it’s the kind of project that breaks out of 3D2A to a wider audience.

Completing one of these builds will truly earn you distinction as a home builder. 3D2A.com sells complete kits to help you with that build, removing a lot of the difficulty but none of the fun :) We’ll be restocking soon, so make sure to join the waitlist!

SMP40 - Printable MP40 SMG

What an exciting release this was! This design from Stubbs allows you to build an MP40 clone gun using an AR9 bolt, an AR9 barrel, and an AR FCG. The upper and all other parts are DIY’d. If you’ve always dreamed of having a cool (and FRT-compatible) MP40, this is the best way to do it!

The fun doesn’t stop with the base SMP40 - shortly after release, Stubbs released several variants if you want to make your SMP40 look like a historic variety of the MP40, like the MP38 and MP41.

We sell kits for this design, including a DLC add-on that allows you to build any variant you desire. We also made a build video, below!

It’s worth noting that aside from the inherent coolness of building your own MP40 clone, this design also introduced a Stubbs design element that I call the “bolt tube.” At the core of the design is an aluminum tube, with sections and notches cut out, but which contains the AR9 bolt. An approach like this could be highly useful for other sorts of designs, and I hope to see more of that in the coming year!

Unseenkiller’s “Mac That Looks Like A Mac”

Longtime readers will recall my interest in “Macs that Look Like Macs” - there’s just something so special and aesthetic about a single-handed Mac-11 design, very Miami Vice. But so few Macs used this design - until this year!

Unseenkiller first released the PWC 5.7 in the single-handled format, followed by the PWC-9 in a much more common and accessible caliber! This was followed with a DLC pack to expand magazine compatibility, because no Unseenkiller design would be complete without a million variants.

God bless the man. God bless America.

DIY Lever Action AR

When this design dropped, I knew it would be popular, but I don’t think I could have predicted just how popular it would get! Since its release, 3D2A has been embracing its inner cowboy and showing off dozens of remixes and beautiful builds.

And indeed, what’s not to love? Reject modernity, return to cowboy. Print a lever action today - grab one of our kits to make it easy!

Defiance AR-15 Lower

Developer Proof was already well respected due to his airgun, but I’m not sure anyone expected him to come out of nowhere and drop an AR lower that is a serious contender for “best lower in 3D2A.” And yet he did, with his Defiance Lower!

The Defiance Lower requires no U-bolt, no hose clamp, just a printed buffer tower oriented for maximum strength. Does it “replace” the Hoffman Super Lower? Not necessarily, but it’s increasingly the lower that I recommend to anyone who asks.

FOSSMG9 - Folding 9mm PDW

One of the most anticipated 3D2A releases ever, and one of my personal favorites, it’s the FOSSMG9! The folding suitcase PDW that we’ve dreamed of ever since Magpul previewed their version in 2008, developers GreenWhiskey and Skum succeeded where Magpul failed.

At its core it’s a Glock 19 riding on familiar FMDA rails, so the build is actually pretty straightforward. Grab one of our kits to make it even easier and go live out your cyberpunk dreams!

DIY Super Safeties

The Super Safety is not just one of the greatest innovations in 3D2A of the last several years, but one of the greatest inventions in the firearms space generally. It wasn’t the first FRT, but it’s by far the most popular, and rightfully so.

Up until recently most Super Safety users have bought their SS cams from various suppliers. But what happens if those suppliers disappear? A few innovators have developed DIY versions of the Super Safety cam.

The No-Drill SCSS uses laser-cut parts for the most wear-prone parts of the super safety cam, and is printed otherwise - a great option for a cheap, easy to build cam. I fully recommend this design as your first DIY SS cam.

The Super Swanky on the other hand is a different beast altogether - this super-detailed release package describes how you can cast your own cam using a backyard forge setup costing no more than a few hundred dollars. With this project, not only will you gain a very solid DIY cam, you’ll also gain a lot of knowledge, which is always the underlying goal of guncad. Learn more in the official video!

Kabuto / TURD FRT

Another design that came somewhat out of nowhere when it dropped, the Kabuto / TURD is a DIY FRT design that functions on a totally different principle from the Super Safety. Since its initial drop, it’s been remixed and iterated dozens of times, which only indicates just how interesting a design it is.

Current state-of-the-art would appear to be the sqweee variant, although given the disparate branch of development it’s hard to keep track. I’d imagine in the coming year one of the many different designs will be selected as the standard, but until then interested developers should play with a few of the remixes and see which ones work best. Very exciting!

L.A.R.K. Printable Multi-Position Selector

In January a three-round safety called the CARL released, and my first question was: how long until 3D2A finds a way to DIY this? Not very long it seems! By the time of the very next issue, the L.A.R.K. had its first release. This design is a four position modification of the aforementioned Kabuto, which supports not not just semi and super-safe, but three-round super safe. Wow!

The design has since had a series of updates, including one as recent as April 20th, working its way towards its final form. 3D2A always provides!

DIY Collimator Sights

For a brief moment in fall 2025, collimator sights took over 3D2A. A “collimator sight” is basically an optic with a bright piece of fiber acting as the “dot”, but with no actual window to look through - to use it, you keep both eyes open and superimpose the dot on your target.

I like these designs because they are represent DIY optics, an area of 3D2A that is crucially neglected. Every gun should have a proper optic - print a collimator so you don’t need to spend money on one! These sights are available in both rifle optic and pistol optic form factors.

Yippie Ki Yay - Mostly-DIY .22LR MP5

When this first came out I knew it would be popular, but it wasn’t obvious to me just how popular it would be come. The Yippie Ki Yay by kaewon is a gun with an MP5-inspired aesthtic, and while it’s still technically in beta, I see new builds of this design several times a week.

Join in the fun, print one and get the fun experience of a fully DIY build! Or, make it a little easier on yourself and buy the hardware kit from Print-A-22.

Menendez Mag V3

This Gatalog release takes me back to the early days of guncad, when we were innovating with printed mags. The biggest problem with printed mags - a major factor in why they seemed to have died off - was the inherent weakness of printed feed lips. This problem was solved in the Menendez Mag v3, which uses a DIYable bent metal insert to reinforce the lips!

You really should DIY these feed lips, because that’s a cool thing to do and will expand your skillset - but in case you can’t, Riptide Rails sells them premade / prebent as well. Go get some and celebrate Bob Menendez’ prison sentence!

DIY Suppressors - FTN5 and OpenPew Series

One of the most notable news events in the last 12 months is $0 tax stamps for suppressor, a subject we’ll cover more later. What we’re focusing on here is one of the most exciting consequences of that legal change, which is PLABoi’s temporary return and release of the FTN5 series!

The FTN is not just a printable silencer - it led the movement to promote mass printing of suppressors, making them so common as to be impossible to ban.

As of today the FTN5 is considered the premier DIY suppressor for rifle calibers. The OpenPew series, released around the same time, is considered to be a competitive or even better option for pistol calibers.

If you haven’t printed one of these yet, the time will never be better - so get to it!

DIY Claymore and Reference Guide

“So you want people to print their own guns? What, do you want them to build their own landmines too?” Absolutely.

And now I can, with the DIY Claymore project from Remnants! As noted in our initial release, this is far more than just a printed Claymore body - it’s a complete guide to the history, theory and use of the famous Claymore mine. It gives you the resources to build the design, but it also shows you how to do so legally.

I’m so proud to see this project release. It’s one of the best examples of guncad all year.

DIY MANPADS

“Okay, fine, landmines, but surely you don’t support 3D printed missiles?!” Boy do I have bad news for you.

If you haven’t already, you should absolutely check out the “Experimental Counter-UAS Interception Platform” from Machinic Desire. This project consists of a a DIY launcher, a DIY rocket, DIY guidance boards, and a DIY vision system to help triangulate the guidance. Review our writeup on the matter to really dig into the project.

To be clear, this project is not “complete” in the sense that the FGC-9 was “complete” upon its first release - it is much closer to a proof of concept combined with a political statement. But that is how all great things start - with one voice demonstrating that it can be done. In terms of spirit, I can think of nothing more 3D2A.

Upcoming Releases:

Above we listed some of our favorite projects that released in the last 12 months. Next we’ll list many of the projects that we promoted in the last 12 months which have not yet released.

We call these “Upcoming Releases” because we’re fairly confident they will reach a release state - either because they’re being developed by a known developer or dev group with a good release track record, or because they’re nearly done already!

We promote them here to build hype and solicit testers. Keep an eye out for them and join the betas if you can!

“Dirte Dozen” JD12 Shotgun

I continue to feel that there aren’t enough 3D printed shotguns. JoeDirt from Black Lotus Coalition is helping to fill that gap with the fully DIY Dirte Dozen! It’s a single shot break action and the beta is going on now - join the BLC Matrix space to help teste!

Speakeasy - DIY Thompson from AWCY

AreWeCoolYet continues to plug away at their designs, and the Speakeasy from Sheridan is one of the most interesting ones to my mind. Obviously it’s a DIY Thompson, but it also is nearly fully DIY, using a totally custom stacked plate bolt reminiscent of the 3DP90.

The beta is being run in the AWCY Matrix space - message the mods if you want to join in!

Halo Assault Rifle and Magnum

Every man dreams of traveling the stars and xenociding aliens. These designs bring that dream a little closer to reality!

First, the printed MA40, pictured above, is a visual and functional clone of Halo’s famous assault rifle, even incorporating its ammo counter! The cool factor is enough to make me overlook the fact that it’s .22LR.

A different developer has also been hard at work building a Glock 19 mod to turn it into Halo’s famous magnum pistol!

Neither of these projects have reached beta stage yet, but their developers have been promoting them with regular posts long enough that I’m confident they’ll make it to release. I need a weapon indeed!

STGV - Updated Sturmgewehr 556

The Sturmgewehr 556 was quite a hit when it released, and why not - just look at it! Its possible downside was its relatively weak printed upper, but this is solved in the in-beta STGV! This design adopts the aluminum “bolt tube” used in the SMP40 to dramatically improve strength and performance.

I’m helping with this beta, so you know it will release! We’re targeting fall 2026, so stay tuned!

VSG2 - Updated VolkStubbsGewehr

As with the STG, so with the VSG! Stubbs has also been working on several improvements to the popular VolkStubbsGewehr printed bolt-action rifle which will make it stronger, safer and easier to build. Stay tuned for the beta!

Decker 9 - Fully DIY 9mm Carbine

Among Black Lotus Coalition’s pending designs, this one may be the most anticipated. The Decker .380 was an overwhelming hit when it first released, and rightfully so, being a radically simple yet strong and reliable fully DIY design.

The only complaint about the original Decker is its .380ACP ammo, and that is resolved with the 9mm-chambered Decker 9. It’s in active beta as we speak, so if you’d like to help test, volunteer and join in!

EBT-9/380 - Printed Hipoint That Works

What’s old is new again! The EBT-9/380 is a printed frame for the Hipoint C380 / C90 kits, and it doesn’t suck! Somehow these kits are still going for affordable prices, and once this design drops you’ll want to be stocked up.

It’s being beta’d at AWCY - jump on and join in the fun!

PWC DIY from Unseenkiller

There was a time when Mac upper assemblies were unobtainable. That time has passed, and yet the pursuit of DIY continues. Here we have unseenkiller and friends developing a fully printed Mac upper, eliminating one of the bottleneck items.

You’ll still need a commecial bolt, but all DIY is good DIY! Really looking forward to seeing this one drop.

Super Safe PWC by NightAlliance

Speaking of the PWC, developer nightalliance has been making steady progress towards a new and improved trip to super safe your Mac! The internal design consists of a metal flat bent into the proper shape, which anyone can do!

NightAlliance 2011 Frame

Muh two world wars! If you’re building a 1911 in 2026, you should probably build a 2011, which is far more popular than the original 1911. Thanks to nightalliance, you’ll soon be able to print a 2011 as well!

nightalliance has been teasing this design hard, so I expect it’s pretty close to release. Count the days!

DIY Kriss Vector

I am perhaps unreasonably excited for this one, but just look at it! It’s a nearly fully DIY Kriss Vector, being developed before our very eyes! Its internals are either printed or SCS’d, and the only firearms part is the barrel.

The developer is inching towards reliable functionality, at which point he’ll open the beta. Stay tuned!

Modelo Polylactico Factory Calibers

The Modelo Polylactico is a very cool platform, but it’s the ammo that matters with this project! The design was originally released supporting only its .43R DIY caliber, but developer bushworked711 has been continuing to plan out and adapt the design to factory calibers like .327 magnum or even shotshells!

His latest update mentioned a “precision caliber” that he’s working on - once that’s ready, expect a new release pronto!

PROOF Fully DIY AR FCG

Announced only a few weeks back, this nonetheless shot up to the top of my list of interests! Despite earlier attempts like the CSGCG, a reliable and widely adopted DIY AR FCG remains an unachieved feat.

Proof’s drop-in approach to this challenge appears new and fresh - perhaps it could be the DIY FCG we’re looking for? I’m eagerly standing by for more!

Black Lotus 5.56 Beltfed

I’ve saved the best for last. BLC has been working for nearly a year now on a DIY beltfed design in 5.56! It’ll feed from printed belt links and at this point has had its first shots fired through it!

This is in active beta at Black Lotus, although it’s not clear they’re accepting new testers. When this project drops, it will make a huge impact - I’m deeply anticipating it!

In Progress Designs:

Having covered the Upcoming Designs, we will now look at more designs that we promoted over the last year that I’m excited about. I call these “In Progress Designs” because, while they were being worked on at one time, I haven’t seen updates on them in a while and I’m less sure about their path to release.

Will they release someday? I hope so, and by including them here I hope to draw attention back to them! Reader, if one of these designs is yours, please reach out to me and let’s discuss it!

Staaker - SCS Bolts and Square Steel Upper .22LR Pistol

Starting with one of our earliest issues, the Staaker is a printed .22LR pistol similar in form to the VZ61, with an upper cut from square steel tube and a bolt made of stacked SCS plates, and using more SCS cuts for the extractor and firing pin.

We were getting regular reports on this design for a while, most of which were lost with FOSSCAD. Where does the design sit now? I hope to see it, or something like it, someday!

DIY Ammunition Counter

Running low on ammo during a firefight is inconvenient, so an ammo counter would be a useful concept - plus they look really cool! This design provides a display tied to some electrical engineering magic to count rounds as they are fired. It’s advertised as being for the SF5, but is also noted to be generic and adaptable to other designs too.

Unlike some of the other “In Progress” designs, this ammo counter actually got a beta release, but its developer notes that he’s pausing the project for a while. Might anyone want to come in and revive it?

Printable Uzi

Printable. Uzi. It’s a printable Uzi! The concept sells itself. It was originally developed by StolenBoiStudios who, perhaps understandably, did not finish it - but fortunately its in-progress files were posted for someone else to take up.

So far nobody else has. Might that change? The power is in your hands, developers!

ORCBOLG - Fully DIY .380ACP Pistol

I really want this one. We’ve seen several fully DIY pistol designs, like the NULL-22, but they’re all .22s - not uninteresting, but it’s been done before! A DIY .380 pistol on the other hand, now that’s something new!

It looks like it’s actually only been two months since the last update, so perhaps this project is still being worked on? The developer can be found on the Guncad Index forums - if you’re reading this, friend, please let me know where this project stands!

.22LR ECM

ECM for 9mm is well established, but ECM for .22LR has not really solidified. There are a few attempts at it, but none that I understand to be definitive. Everyone who wants something like this ends up buying a barrel liner.

The last attempt was by R_Weapon, and despite its release I have seen very little about it. Let’s see some movement on this, gentlemen!

Yamato 20 DIY Shotgun

This is another design that I was really excited for. It’s a fully DIY pump action shotgun using a combination of printed and SCS parts, plus it’s got a cool name - what’s not to love?

There was an upload for it, still visible on the Index, but now inaccessible. Has the Yamato, like its battleship predecessor, sunk beneath the waves? Or might we still see it emerge from the mists someday? We can only hope!

Printed M3 Grease Gun

While I’ve rarely seen public commentary on it, I’m aware of at least two attempts at making a printed M3 Grease Gun, both by devs associated with BLC. Neither has seen the light of day yet, but I feel it’s surely only a matter of time before one of these projects, or a yet undreamed third one, reaches release.

Printed Frame for PM-63 RAK

The DIY PM-63 RAK was making great progress for a while, but updates seem to have slowed. I recognize it’s a challenging design, but I’d love to see some updates on it someday!

Parts kits for this design are plentiful and cheap - it’d be a sin not to reactivate them!

Berd Ninjetics Flamethrower!

Black Lotus has been working towards a printable flamethrower almost since their inception. For very understandable reasons, this has proved a challenge, and up until recently the beta room for this project has been inactive.

Yet I’ve got good news! No more than a few days ago, activity picked back up in that room, and the problem is being tackled once again. The eternal human dream of not needing to walk up to something to set it on fire remains viable - stay tuned!

DIY MG42

This is another concept that sells itself. We’ve already mentioned a DIY beltfed above, but what about a DIY MG42?

Its developer is active on the Guncad Index, and the project does have an initial model, but in order to make this dream come true I’ll want to see more updates and a bigger testing pool. The power is in your hands, people! Get to it!

TISM - Printable Artillery

Look at this beauty. It is a printed. 37mm. Artillery piece. When completed, it would be roughly the size of a motorcycle. You’d need a full size pickup just to haul it to the range. It’s beautiful.

The dev group for this design is still around, but I’m sorry to say I’ve seen little activity there recently. Perhaps it’s waiting for you - yes, you, reader! - to join and get to testing?

Spreading the Signal - Top Events of the Last Year

That’s quite a collection of designs! But there’s still more I want to review - namely, the major news and events of the previous year.

There’s no doubt that the last year had some bad news, but it’s far too easy to focus on that and not the tremendous amount of good news that happened as well. For today, we’ll only focus on the good stuff - now celebrate with me the incredible advances made in 3D2A!

Rise of the Guncad Index

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Guncad Index is the most important thing to happen to 3D2A since 2020. This is not just a resource, it is the resource for 3D printed guns, and it’s hard to imagine 3D2A without it - especially in a post-/r/fosscad world.

The index is, as of writing, tracking nearly 12,000 releases with a fantastic search and sort functionality. Project lead and main developer Shittinator (who you should subscribe to on Substack) also maintains the Guncad Mirror, software that allows you to run your own LBRY node and support the file hosting infrastructure.

You can also download the entire Index using another bit of third party software!

I’ve listed above the many big ways that the Index has built the community, but there’s uncountable small things about the Index worth celebrating as well, with more being added all the time. Shittinator, from one 3D2A guy to another - thank you for all you’ve done.

New Communities - /r/3D2A and Guncad Index Forum

Yes, we lost /r/fosscad in 2025, and this was a sore blow. But looking back, the story there is not that we lost a community - it’s that we rebuilt so quickly. The subreddit /r/3D2A is just as active, if not more, than the original /r/fosscad - proving once again that trying to mute the signal only makes it stronger.

The loss of /r/fosscad also motivated us to diversify off Reddit, and once again Shittinator came to the rescue with the Guncad Index Forums, hosted on Lemmy, which now serves as a home for all the more interesting stuff that Reddit is afraid of.

Speaking of Lemmy, another major victory this year was reproducing all /r/fosscad posts on that platform. The years of knowledge that the fosscad sub represented was preserved, thanks to the dedicated efforts of hogleg and others.

All readers of this newsletter had better be subscribed to these communities! I aggregate this stuff, but we need participation too!

$0 Form 1s

Yes, I already included this image in this issue. It’s important enough to post again.

Surely the biggest news in the last 12 months was the removal of the fee for Form 1 tax stamp for suppressors and SBRs. This was accompanied by a massive flood of applications, and it is now apparent that the number of Form 1 holders in this country has multiplied severalfold!

3D2A contributed tremendously to this, since we’re the only ones offering these items in a manner that is affordable and accessible to everyone. I don’t know how many of the newly registered suppressors are DIY’d, but I know it’s not a small number.

If you still haven’t made one yourself, what are you even doing? Get on it!

Flashforge Bends the Knee

While at the time this event looked bad, we can look back on it now as one of our finest hours. For those who don’t recall, back in November Flashforge posted the threatening image above to their social media. We speculated at the time what their motivation was, but in retrospect the most interesting part of this story is the reaction.

Long story short, Flashforge lost this battle dramatically. The 3D printing community - not just 3D2A, but the community at large - exploded in opposition, destroying them on every social media front. Within days - hours! - they walked back their statement, and we haven’t heard a thing from it since.

Sometimes it feels like there’s no way to fight the forces arrayed against us. When I feel that way, I remember events like this, and know that we are not powerless. You should too.

3D2A.TV

The health of its community can often be inferred by its media and cultural production, and by that standard, 3D2A is doing just fine. Aside from the already-mentioned items, another new production in the last year is 3D2A.tv, a monthly variety show covering new builds, news, interviews, roasts and much more!

They’ve done four episodes so far, all of which are available on Odysee. The next episode is coming on May 24th, and it’s sponsored by yours truly :) Make sure to tune in!

Gun Maker’s Match

Given its proximity, I’m happy to wrap up this section by once again promoting the Gun Maker’s Match, returning in just a few weeks for its sixth time!

The Maker’s Match is now the longest-running guncad meetup. All the cool kids are there, so if you’re not, what does that make you? You’ve still got time to sign up!

What’s Next for Guncad Digest?

This is the part of the newsletter where we switch from reflecting on the past to planning for the future. But the truth is - I think what we’re doing right now is exactly what we should be doing, and I don’t really intend to change it!

My commitment to you is that I will keep rounding up all the interesting designs I see and all the newsworthy events that you should know about, publishing them every two weeks. I’ll promote things that are worth promoting, and I’ll contribute back in all the ways I feel I can.

Well, there is one thing I’d like to change - I’d like to engage in a broader spectrum of educational content. Not just “what are the new guns this week”, but perhaps “what are the best guns of this particular type”, or even “how should I get into printing these designs?” Education is what grew this community, and more education will help it grow more.

If, in May 2027, If I can look back on the upcoming year and feel that I helped add to our educational resources, then I think I’ll feel like I did my job well.

That’s my plan. Keep watching this space!

Guncad Digest Logo Contest

I wish I could claim there was some great story behind the Digest’s Oregon Trail logo, but the truth is that back when I started this newsletter, it said I needed a log, so I grabbed the meme out of my 3D guns meme folder without really thinking about it. Now that we’re a year in, I think it’s finally time for something better.

Start designing!

About the Guncad Digest:

Thank you for reading this issue of the Guncad Digest! Please send us your feedback and suggestions for improvements on the issue.

The Guncad Digest is sourced using the very excellent Guncad Index, from /r/3D2A, and from readers like you. If you know of a project you think should be featured, send it our way!

Excluding the M1337 Complete Kit - sorry - but including the M1337 Advanced Kit!

Issue 23: DIY Claymore, Suppressor Tests, DIY AR FCG, New Bambu

Alyosha K. — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:15:37 GMT

Welcome to the Guncad Digest! This newsletter will regularly round up the best and most interesting 3D2A releases, betas and news.

If you want the Guncad Digest delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe to this Substack.

Subscribe now

You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit, where we’ll post notifications when a new issue of the Digest is live!

In this issue:

New Releases:

Community Corner:

Updates:

Crank Up the Noise - Nopel Developing M1337 Planetary Gear

New Betas:

Coming Soon:

News:

Other Links

New Releases:

In this section, we cover new file releases that we find notable. If something catches your interest, go download and start printing!

Front Towards Enemy - DIY Claymore Releases

3D2A, at its best, is about sharing information. Part of that means providing a good release package for a specific build, but some of the truly great releases - the AR-15 Reference Model, the BLC Reference Project - provide a wealth of information that goes well beyond just “here’s a new printed gun.”

The DIY M18A1 Claymore from developer Remnants is a release in the vein I’m describing. To be clear - this is a DIY Claymore mine. Excellent documentation is provided to build every component - the mine itself, the M57 firing device (the “clacker”), an M81 mechanical igniter, and even an M40 circuit test unit. The only guidance not provided is how to create the C4 explosive (and wouldn’t you know it, this newsletter contains a separate resource even for that) and the blasting cap.

But this is more than just a DIY mine. What Remnants has created may be the most complete reference guide to the Claymore mine, its construction and its use, ever compiled. The documentation is 67 pages long!

This is an excellent release and I’m very happy it’s seen the light of day. Fantastic work!

New 15mm Launcher - Baby 203

We’re a few months out from Independence Day, which means you need to start building your launchers and ammo now. With that in mind, gunder_mifflin’s new release, the Baby203, arrives just in time!

The Baby203 is a remix of the PEN15 launcher that switches from a screw-in barrel to a sliding one evocative of the famous M203. That’s damn cool aesthetic!

Gunder has chosen to release this design in an interesting way - the “reference model” can be found on Odysee, and this contains the STEP, the documentation, the README - everything except the STLs. Those STLs can instead be found on Makerworld - or you can just export them from the STEP.

This design is the first iteration of the Baby203, but is presumably not the last! On his Makerworld, Gunder shares a gif showing a breechloading version being loaded with a self-contained cartridge version of a 15mm shell, a feature not included in this initial release, which only supports muzzleloading barrels.

Hopefully the cartridge version - and the cartridges to support it - will be released soon! In the meantime, you’d better start prepping for your 4th of July fireworks show!

Hybrid Shells and Metal Barrels for 15mm Rounds

Speaking of 15mm rounds, here is a release that expands the functionality of these shells considerably! From developer GrixxlyPrints comes a pack of 15mm Mini Shells and Barrels. What’s inside?

The main purpose of the pack is the introduction of a traditional cased ammunition for 15mm, just like what we’ve had for 37mm and 26.5mm since forever. These new 15mm rounds have a case in which a 209 primer is mounted, and a pusher / nosecone to serve as the actual projectile. There are both fully printed shells and a hybrid version using an aluminum tube!

Speaking of tubes, this release also includes barrels for the most popular 15mm launchers (PEN15, Baby Nameless, Projectile Dysfunction) to support these cased shells.

Also included is a metal barrel for the Projectile Dysfunction! Is this necessary, given that we’re not using lift charges for these 15mm shells anyways? Maybe not, but since when was any of this about necessity?

These are more great candidates for your 4th of July extravaganza, so get on it!

Beecher Tactical Releases Printable Kit

Here is another example of a theme I often return to: the most interesting releases in guncad often aren’t guns at all. From a practical point of view, accessories and kit are often where DIY makes the most sense!

Beecher Tactical appears to have been founded with this in mind. Their Printables store lists three products available so far - a pistol mag pouch, a rifle mag pouch and a trauma kit pouch. Of course what caught my attention is an upcoming design, a printable plate carrier, pictured above!

Beecher’s business model appears to be selling prints (along with files to print more) on his webstore, while making the files alone available for sale on Printables. I wonder if, over time, he might consider open sourcing some of these designs, as new ones come out?

He’s also got a Patreon, which appears to grant full access to all models. If you like this kind of thing, consider signing up!

Nearly-Complete Ragnar Benson Collection

You young whippersnappers grew up in a world where DIY gun instructions are a few clicks away. Back in the 90s it wasn’t so easy! You had to buy them, physical books, either in person from scruffy Vietnam vets at your local gun show, or through a mail order form in the back of Soldier of Fortune. How things have changed!

One of primary authors of these old school DIY guides was Ragnar Benson, a pseudonymous survivalist who wrote nearly 40 works on subjects from homemade C4 to fake IDs to wilderness medicine, and everything in between. @PiZLe has gathered 35 of these books, plus some media, into one convenient package.

Are Ragnar’s works still relevant today? Were they any good back then? Who knows, man - all I can say is they’ve stuck around when many other goofy works in the same vein have disappeared into the trash heap. Glance over them and see what catches your fancy - you might learn something.

Community Corner:

In this section, we’ll focus especially on a particular community-oriented subject. We’ll interview developers, review parts kits and help promote things I believe are deserving of your attention!

Open Pew Project Dives Deep into Sound Levels

How well do printed suppressors actually work? I don’t mean, how well do they hold up - we know they do - but how much do they actually suppress noise? How good are they compared to commercial suppressors?

Our boy OpenPew has finally done the hard work of diving into this subject scientifically, and has produced a fantastically written article detailing his process, using the FTN5.1 as a testbed. You should go read it!

What’s the conclusion? By the numbers, the FTN5.1 performs similarly to mid-tier cans that are 20 times more expensive - quite a conclusion! OpenPew notes that this does not mean that the FTN5.1 is “hearing safe”, and still recommends hearing protection when shooting them - but again, that’s true even of commercial cans.

It’s an impressive result, but also an impressive methodology that OpenPew intends to keep using for future tests. Want to support his testing? He’s taking donations to fund more work!

MetallicFOSS Explores Desktop CNC, Cuts Slide

Have you been following MetallicFOSS over at the Guncad Index Forum? If not, you should be - he’s been doing some very impressive work with desktop metal CNC!

The basic problem of at-home CNC is the same problem we had with desktop printing before the advent of the Ender, which is finding a machine that is affordable, reliable and accessible.

The Ender (and later the Bambu) solved this problem for printers; MetallicFOSS believes he may have found a similar solution for CNC with the Anolex 3030. On both the GCI Forum and his Youtube channel he’s been demonstrating this mill by cutting an LCP slide out of 17-4 stainless steel!

MetallicFOSS’ goal isn’t just to prove it can be done - it’s to develop awareness, education and resources so that others can do it as well. He’s been working consistently towards this, so I think his work is definitely worth a follow! I’ll be keeping an eye on this one.

Updates:

In this section we will mention updates to major releases - fixes, new variants, etc.

Crank Up the Noise - Nopel Developing M1337 Planetary Gear

When most people see an M1337, their first thought is: that’s fucking awesome. Their second thought is inevitably: how do I make it shoot EVEN FASTER? (Either that, or something to with drills.)

Nopel, developer of the M1337 and one of the best guys in guncad, provides! He’s developing a new kind of planetary gear crank that increase rate of fire by 2x to 2.5x, by his calculation. Here’s a video showing more details, and firing tests - look at that thing brrrt!

This isn’t actually released yet, but once it is it will theoretically be a drop-in replacement on an existing build, although Nopel suggests some parts may require reinforcement to handle the awesome power this upgrade will provide.

Obviously this will be featured in the newsletter once released, so keep an eye out!

New Betas:

In this section we round up recently opened betas. Help support development by joining these betas and testing!

MP5 Mag DB Alloy Enters Beta

Our man DBFirearms moves so damn fast. We announced the DB Alloy MP, a DB Alloy that could take MP5 mags, back in Issue 20; just a few weeks later, it’s already in beta!

As noted in our initial announcement, you’ll need to modify your Mac upper to accommodate the wider double-stack MP5 mag, but otherwise this should be just like building a normal Alloy!

There’s a dedicated Matrix space for the beta, so check that out if you want to participate.

Careless Whisper - Integrally Suppressed Levergun Enters Beta

AvieAtrix, developer of a certain DIY levergun that we all know and love, is working on an integrally suppressed version called the Careless Whisper! Avie has shared a video showing the design shooting.

We announced the Whisper back in Issue 19, and are now happy to announce that the design is open for beta testing. This will require a stamp, but they’re $0, so you have no excuse!

DM AvieAtrix at the Gatalog Rocketchat if you want to join the party!

Coming Soon:

This section lists announcements or previews for projects that have not yet hit open beta. Keep an eye out for further news about these projects!

Maelstrom - Delayed Blowback Mac-11 Upper from Riptide Rails

The Mac platform is the gift that keeps on giving! Riptide Rails, one of the premiere manufacturers of metal 3D2A parts, has announced a new Mac-11 upper called the Maelstrom, which will feature a bearing delay system!

As detailed in the tweet comments, the upper will be available in both 5.5” and 8” barrel configurations, and in both 9mm and 5.7x28mm calibers (with 9mm to release first.) While not explicitly stated, I assume that the upper will be compatible with all standard Mac builds, including the DB Alloy, Mac n Cheese, PWC-9 and more!

Notably, the bearing delay feature is handled entirely by the upper, with no modification required for the bolt - meaning you can use your existing bolt in the new upper!

Pricing will be $400 for the 5.5” version, $500 for the 8” version. It’s expected to drop in May, so jump on the waitlist and get notified when it releases!

100% Printed AR FCG by Proof1447

For all that we DIY, one gun part that continues to pop up everywhere is an AR FCG - and no wonder, it’s fantastically versatile and reliable. But it’s still a gun part!

Every so often someone takes a stab at DIYing one, but none have really caught on as a true replacement yet. Developer Proof1447, of the P.R.O.O.F. airgun and Defiance Lower fame, is now attempting his own take on it!

Unlike previous attempts, this one is uses a drop-in format, and apparently uses only a single extension spring. The video shows it working dry, so the next question will be how it performs in a real build!

This design has tremendous potential and I’m deeply excited for it. Stand by for more!

SSCZAR SBR Remix by MostlyPeacefulMachineShop Coming Soon!

The SSCZAR is, as the name implies, a super safe remix of the CZAR. Developer MostlyPeacefulMachineShop is now teasing an SBR remix of the SSCZAR - which appears to mean in practice modifying the printed tower to accept the surplus wire stock, and reinforcing it with a metal plate!

MPMS notes that it’s been resized to allow the stock to rotate up and over the upper for storage, just like the real thing, which could not be cooler. Once it releases, I’ll print one - or perhaps two?

DIY Kriss Vector Achieves First Shots

This issue’s “Coming Soon” section is incredible, and we’ve saved what may be the best for last. The DIY Kriss Vector, last mentioned in Issue 19, has achieved its first shot!

Unfortunately it didn’t cycle, but developer EfficientRabbit7377 notes that this is just a matter of adjusting slider weight and geometry.

As a reminder, this is meant to require zero Kriss parts. The image above appears to show a commercial AR9 barrel and Glock mag, both of which are commonly available - if these are the only commercial parts required, then this will be a very accessible design!

All other parts are intended to be printed or SCS’d. The current bolt design is milled, but is intended to be replaced with an SCS version before launch.

Keep an eye out for this guy to enter beta! I’ll be one of the first testers in there.

News:

In this section we’ll review major news events either originating in the 3D2A space, or particularly pertinent to this space.

Bambu X2D - Dual Nozzle Heated Chamber for $649 $629!

Let’s start off with some good news! Bambu appears to have just released their next flagship product, the Bambu X2D, at a starting price of just $649! This is being advertised as the successor to the Bambu X1C, which for many years was the best consumer printer available. How does the X2D compare?

This new printer offers several very exciting upgrades:

Let’s hit the most exciting up front: it features a dual nozzle system, allowing you easily perform dual-filament prints without constant flushing / reloading. Use cases include multi-color prints, but also multimaterial prints, such as printing the main part with one filament while printing the supports in another.

I’ve never seen a dual nozzle system anywhere close this price point before. That alone makes it exciting, but there’s more!
The X2D features a heated chamber, critical to achieving reliable nylon prints without warping. Its build plate can also heat to 120 degrees, higher than their previous midline printers. This is clearly a printer intended for nylon work.
Bambu advertises several other hardware changes, including a servo extruder for smoother feeding into the main nozzle, dual intake cooling to better help maintain chamber temperature, and several other calibration and print monitoring improvements for better part quality.

With this feature list it’s hard to believe the X2D is only $649. Or is it $629? Because we love you so much, you can purchase the printer from 3D2A.com for a slight discount. :)

Go get printing!

Details and Updates on Ze Carioca Arrest

Image credit: @vega_holdings

We announced the arrest of Ze Carioca, developer of the Urutau, in Issue 21, about a month back. At the time the news was fresh and information was scarce, but since then a whole host of details have emerged.

Carioca’s lawyer, @victorcmarsico, has posted updates on Twitter about the situation. His update is worth a read for those looking to familiarize themselves with the case. For those too lazy to read, a summary:

The three major charges are “illegal firearms trade”, “money laundering” and “participation in a criminal organization”
The only identified “illegal arms trade” identified by prosecution so far is the sale of “firearm accessories”, apparently primarily 30 round Glock magazines.

In other words, despite the videos released when the arrests were reported showing several firearms, including Urutaus and other Carioca designs, the allegations do not claim that Carioca sold any firearms.
Marsico argues that the magazines were legal to possess and sell, and further argues that the other charges are frivolous elaborations on innocuous behavior

Many of the claims by Marsico paint a nefarious picture of the prosecution - the most notable being the claim that a doctored photo was provided by the prosecution team.

It is heartening to feel that Carioca, a well-respected member of the community, is not guilty of the crimes he is accused of. Yet this should perhaps make us feel even worse, as it confirms an innocent man is being railroaded by a corrupt, antigun regime.

Marsico has shared donation information for those who would like to support Carioca’s family. If you can, consider donating, and follow @victorcmarsico for further updates.

California Sets Hearing for Preliminary Injunction in Gatalog Case

California is advancing its lawsuit against The Gatalog, scheduling a hearing for a preliminary injunction against the defendants.

If the PI is granted, Gatalog would be required to cease “distributi[on], or causing to be distributed” all “digital firearms manufacturing code”, as well as “aiding, abetting, promoting, or facilitating the unlawful manufacture of firearms.”

Gatalog naturally opposed the scheduling of the PI hearing, arguing that the court lacks personal jurisdiction over the defendants, and that in any case the State’s delay in moving for a PI and lack of evidence that the defendants’ action caused or is causing irreparable harm defeat the PI.

These arguments were unsuccessful - the PI hearing was set for July 28th, later continued to August 14th to present time for further briefing.

It is hard to offer commentary on the likelihood of success or failure at this hearing. Our previous news item discusses a corrupt, third-world state acting extralegally in pursuit of a political agenda - one cannot help but notice that California’s actions here can be described in exactly the same way.

Maker’s Match One Month Away

The Sixth Annual Gun Maker’s Match is almost exactly one month away! This match, hosted by Guns for Everyone, is now the main yearly meetup for the guncad community.

It’s also your chance to show off how the builds you work so hard on all year perform! Surely you aren’t just building the guns and then stashing them in a safe, right maker?

Tickets are $75 for the first division and $50 for each additional division, plus $25 more if you want to run the 22LR side match. Divisions include Pistol, PCC and Rifle.

Never attended a shooting match before? This is a great way to get started! Go register now!

About the Guncad Digest:

Thank you for reading this issue of the Guncad Digest! Please send us your feedback and suggestions for improvements on the issue.

The Guncad Digest is sourced using the very excellent Guncad Index, from /r/3D2A, and from readers like you. If you know of a project you think should be featured, send it our way!

Issue 22: Fully DIY .22LR Bolt Action, Halo AR Update, DIY MANPADS Launcher

Alyosha K. — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 20:10:55 GMT

Welcome to the Guncad Digest! This newsletter will regularly round up the best and most interesting 3D2A releases, betas and news.

If you want the Guncad Digest delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe to this Substack.

Subscribe now

You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit, where we’ll post notifications when a new issue of the Digest is live!

In this issue:

New Releases:

Community Corner:

Updates:

Coming Soon:

News:

Other Links

New Releases:

In this section, we cover new file releases that we find notable. If something catches your interest, go download and start printing!

SR-722 Fully DIY Bolt-Action Rifle

Mr. Snark, the author of the popular SY22 is back with a new release! The SR-722 is a a bolt action rifle chambered in .22LR, and like its handgun predecessor it is fully DIY!

Every part of the SR-722’s bolt is DIY - the firing pin, the bolt body, the breech face, and optionally some sheet metal reinforcements to strengthen it. The barrel is intended to be a liner, which is common for these fully DIY builds, but I have seen discussion about remixing it to use 12mm tube!

Reports are that this design is surprisingly accurate for a fully DIY build - it’d make a great varmint gun. If you’re a .22LR fan, go get building! And as usual for all things .22LR, kits are available at Print-A-22!

DIY MANPADS - First Iteration Releases

This certainly caused a stir. Back in early March, developer Alisher Khojayev / MachinicDesire released a video demonstrating a DIY guided rocket, launched from a man-portable launcher and built using entirely off-the-shelf consumer electronics and 3D printed parts. Even the rocket motor itself is DIY’d from a mixture built and poured at home.

The video describes the basis of the guidance technology. The launcher, and two ancillary camera nodes, identify and triangulate a target and deliver its data to the rocket, which corrects its flight path to intersect with the target. Each of these elements - the tracking system, the guidance system, the rocket body itself - was DIY’d by MachinicDesire, which is simply extraordinary.

The project is intentionally political. The project website contains a manifesto (his label) describing his goal as “diffusion of strategic power”, and his video contains imagery of government tyranny at Waco and elsewhere. Its low cost (quoted at $97) and accessibility (using only commonly available electronics and 3D printed parts) were chosen specifically to this political end.

As soon as it was released, the debate started: is this legal? The claim is that 18 US 2332g explicitly criminalizes the construction or possession of any rocket capable of being guided to an aircraft. A counterclaim is offered that there is an exception for rockets not designed to be weapons; the response is that the developer’s website explicitly describes the project as “counter-UAS.”

You can find the project on Github, backed up to Odysee, and you can support the developer on Patreon. Amazingly, these resources have not yet been taken down - for now.

This is pretty heavy stuff. For a palate cleanser, learn more about how rocket guidance works here.

Scz0rpion and Bullpup Mac from SkeleTim

We’ve got a somewhat new developer on the scene making some interesting work! SkeleTim Productions began releasing mods for the CZ Scorpion about a month ago, but dropped his first two designs within the last week.

First up is the Ez Scz0rpion, a mod for the classic AWCY Scz0rpion that replaces the Evo fire control group with an AR fire control group and knocks about $225 off the build price. The scarcity of parts was always the difficulty with building the Scz0rpion, so it’s great to see an iteration that improves that situation!

In addition to that we have the S R Who?, a bullpup M11 frame. What the fuck? Yes, really - although regrettably, this only fits a preban open bolt .380ACP Mac upper from RPB Industries. Who’s going to be the first one to adapt this for Velocity uppers?

It’s always good to see new designers pumping out extra designs. Keep it up!

Purge the Unclean with the Imperium Bolter Receiver

I’m shocked that I’ve reached 22 issues and still haven’t mentioned Laffs Dynamics yet. Let’s correct that now by covering his Imperium Bolter Mac 11 lower!

This is a remix of the old M20 Torrent lower from ProSpaceDog, with an awesomely blocky WH40K bolter aesthetic applied. Like the Torrent, this takes Sten mags, or printed variants such as the Sten Tor.

+Thought For The Day+: an open mind is like a fortress with its gates unbarred and its walls unguarded.

DIY Chamber Heater Mod for Bambus

I love Bambu printers, and regularly recommend the P2S as being capable of printing nylon out of the box. And it can! But not all nylons are the same - PPA-CF benefits tremendously from a heated chamber, which the less expensive Bambus do not have.

But now they can! MediocrePugilist has developed a mount to attach a cheap Chitu heater to your Bambu printer and heat the chamber to nylon-friendly temperatures. You will need to drill some holes in the side of your printer, but other than that it’s a pretty simple upgrade. Well done!

Community Corner:

Filament Matrix - Reference Guide for New Printers

Tired of endless questions about filament choice? Sick of seeing people print their Glock frames in Silk PLA? Send them to the Gun Print Matrix!

This community resource from Alen Knight provides a useful table for new printers - or really, anyone who wants to experiment - for what materials are useful for what parts. He even included a section on suppressors - very nice!

BRB, putting this in the sidebar on /r/3D2A.

WeTalkShit Show Returns April 10th!

The OGs are coming back! Serialless / WeTalkShit has been a mainstay in the 3D2A space for years now, and after a break they are returning in April! Tune in to see some builds get roasted - submit your own, if you are brave enough!

First guest of the return will be P80Ralph. Oh boy. Tune in anyways!

Updates:

In this section we will mention updates to major releases - fixes, new variants, etc.

FossMG9 Gets Picatinny Carry Handle

The extremely cool FOSSMG9 comes by default with an iron sight built into its carry handle, and it’s adjustable for both windage and elevation. But wait a minute, iron sights? What year is it, 1990?

Get with the times with this picatinny rail carry handle from ViperSoss. Put a red dot on your suitcase gun and embrace the cyberpunk aesthetic!

Trash Panda Cheek Riser Remix Adds TPU Buttpad

The Trash Panda genuinely feels like a precision gun to me, so it deserves some precision parts. It already ships with an adjustable cheek riser, but what if you don’t want to scratch your delicate face on hard PLA?

Developer ano has risen to the challenge and split the riser into two parts, to allow you to use a TPU pad. Nice and comfy!

Coming Soon:

This section lists announcements or previews for projects that have not yet hit open beta. Keep an eye out for further news about these projects!

.43R DIY Ammo Update In the Works

The Modelo Polylactico from BLC is an extremely cool, fully DIY rifle, and is the first design to utilize the .43R DIY ammo round!

Co-developer bushworked711 has not been idle since releasing the gun - he’s continued to work on variants of the .43R. He recently showed these off and described two new slugs - one, a precision load made using .177” BBs, the other an anti-wasp round firing 50 grains of white rice (!?!).

He claims to have achieved consecutive hits on steel at 100 yards using the high velocity slugs! DIY ammo is advancing all the time - if you want to help, it could really use some testers. Sign up at Black Lotus!

MA-40 Assault Rifle Continues Development

We announced this back in Issue 16, and it’s still going! The MA-40 is a .22LR rifle styled after the Halo gun by the same name, and in his latest update mamahler tells us that the firearm portions themselves are working very well!

What remains is to fine tune the electronics, which will consist of a flashlight (cool) and an ammo counter (WAY cool!) Once those are ready, I hope he will contact me first, because I’ll be beta tester #1.

“Lament” Mac PDW from Skum In Development

Now that’s a teaser! Developer skum, notable for codeveloping the FOSSMG9, has teased a “Mac-based PDW” called the “Lament”.

What does it look like? What will it do? Nobody knows! I DM’d skum to learn more but he’s playing it pretty close to the chest so far. Normally I don’t promote designs this early, but I’m so impressed by skum’s work on the FOSSMG9 that I think we can trust this to be a good one.

Keep your eyes peeled!

News:

In this section we’ll review major news events either originating in the 3D2A space, or particularly pertinent to this space.

Guncad Index 1.7.0 Releases!

It’s been a while since I’ve written up a Guncad Index update, but that doesn’t mean Shittinator has been idle! We’ve had consistent updates since then, but the latest 1.7.0 update is a real doozy.

Why is it so exciting? We’re ingesting more than just Odysee now! 1.7.0 adds support to index other websites, and Printables.com is the first. While adding support for other sites may sound easy, a tremendous amount of effort went into decoupling the Index from Odysee / LBRY - reaching this point is truly something to be proud of.

Want to learn more? Guncad Index now has their own Substack! Go subscribe and read about it in far greater detail.

Washington Bans 3D Printed Guns

Back in Issue 20 we listed out all the anti-3D2A bills that we were tracking. Of these, the one we thought most likely to pass was Washington’s HB-2320, and mournfully it has done so.

HB-2320 bans not the distribution of 3D printed gun files into Washington state, but the possession of these files “with an intent to distribute…[or] to manufacture.” Blatantly unconstitutional, yes - but who will stand up and fight it?

Not all news is bad. Washington’s HB-2321, which would have forced 3D printers to implement antigun malware, is dead - perhaps allowed to die given the passage of its sister bill.

Interestingly, Colorado’s HB26-1144 has been modified to remove language that bans the possession or distribution of 3D printed gun files, apparently to avoid a veto by the Democrat governor Jared Polis. Perhaps he fears a 1A challenge in a way that Washington does not? The bill still bans making a 3D printed firearm, so this isn’t much of a victory, but it is interesting nonetheless.

All other bills being tracked remain unpassed and in committee. Situation continues to be monitored.

Another Free / Open Source EFT Generator

We are several months into the world of $0 suppressors and SBRs, and the tools for this are only getting better! We previously noted the Open Pew EFT tool, which we can still recommend, but another one has popped up and we want to share that too!

The EFT Generator by cryptopig takes a scanned FD-258 card and generates an EFT file right in the browser, for free. It’s entirely open source, a major plus!

There’s some further discussion of tools like these on Reddit, so go check that out if you want to learn more.

About the Guncad Digest:

Thank you for reading this issue of the Guncad Digest! Please send us your feedback and suggestions for improvements on the issue.

The Guncad Digest is sourced using the very excellent Guncad Index, from /r/3D2A, and from readers like you. If you know of a project you think should be featured, send it our way!

Issue 21: FossMG9 Release, GhostBolt Update, Printable MG42, 10,000 Guncad Releases

Alyosha K. — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 16:42:26 GMT

Welcome to the Guncad Digest! This newsletter will regularly round up the best and most interesting 3D2A releases, betas and news.

If you want the Guncad Digest delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe to this Substack.

Subscribe now

You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit, where we’ll post notifications when a new issue of the Digest is live!

In today’s issue:

New Releases:

Updates:

New Betas:

Coming Soon:

News:

Accessory Corner:

Other Links

New Releases:

In this section, we cover new file releases that we find notable. If something catches your interest, go download and start printing!

FossMG9 - Folding Suitcase Gun Releases!

Starting off with what may be the most exciting release of 2026 - the FossMG9 by GreenWhiskey and Skum has released!

People have been attempting a DIY version of the FMG9 pretty much since the beginning of guncad. I can recall at least two prior attempts that failed to exit beta - and of course, I must tip my hat to Unseenkiller’s UFG9.

That said, the FossMG9 is the first proper realization of the folding gun idea to actually reach release, and it works! It uses easily available Glock parts and FMDA rails, and the build process is well documented and straightforward. There’s even a build video!

You should build one of these! Of course 3DPrintFreedom is offering complete hardware kits - make it easy on yourself and grab one. :)

Major congratulations to GreenWhiskey and Skum for this incredible 3D2A achievement!

VS-22 - New .22LR Semiauto with DIY Bolt

Following in the footsteps of notable designs such as the HD22 or the MP22K (or pretty much any Kaewon design), the VS-22 from Liberty3DPrinted is a .22LR semiauto with a DIY bolt. The only commercial gun part is a Rossi RS22 barrel.

This design is interesting to me because it was developed outside of the standard channels - I saw most of the development and discussion of this design on Facebook! The developer claims it has been in development for many months and has gone through 12 revisions to reach release. For this reason I’m comfortable listing it as a New Release.

It’s a cool looking design and I’m always in favor of more DIY. Now let’s see some of these get printed!

Reload your Trash Panda Fast with this Speedloader

The Trash Panda is extraordinarily cool, but it has one potential downside - like a true lever action gun, you have to load rounds one at a time. Or at least, you used to, but not anymore thanks to this Trash Panda speedloader from @TheArtithrifter!

The functionality is self-evident from the picture above, but I’ll explain it anyways - load up the speedloader, insert it into the loading gate of the Trash Panda, then press in the pusher to load up your mag all in one go!

A DIY solution to a DIY gun. I love it.

Hook Tuah - Print On That Thang

The second I saw this I knew I had to feature it in the Digest. It’s a 3D printed fishhook from Pembleton!

There was actually a small debate over whether this counts as 3D2A, but to me it’s quite obvious. 3D2A is not solely about guns - it’s about making useful tools for defense, sport and recreation. Humans have been making fishhooks for thousands of years, so of course we should explore printing one!

Will it work? I don’t know, let’s find out! If someone actually catches a fish with this thing, you’d better send me a picture. Triple bonus points if you are wearing this shirt in the photo.

Updates:

In this section we will mention updates to major releases - fixes, new variants, etc.

Yet Another L.A.R.K. Update

I hope you like L.A.R.K. updates, because we’ve got another one! In previous issues we’ve discussed how this design appears to require an M16-style trigger with two disconnector slots. Developer StealthTheUnknown has now released a version that does not require this unusual trigger, instead using a takedown pin detent spring to trigger the second disconnector.

This will make the design much more accessible to most developers - so what are you waiting for? Go print and test!

GhostBolt Hits Version 2.0

The GhostBolt has been around for quite a while now, and I’ve always been surprised it doesn’t get more attention. Like the Apple Pie and Monarch, this project allows you to make a DIY straight-pull AR-15 upper, although unlike those projects the GhostBolt is designed to be mated with any milspec upper or lower, DIY or commercial.

What’s new in version two? As noted by the developer, the charging handle is now directly connected to the bolt, and there is now a left-handed version for all you sinners out there.

Nice to see this project continue! Never stop developing.

SFFA V3 - DIY Machinegun AR FCG Goes Gold

Here’s another project that’s been around for some time - from S3igu2, it’s the Select Fire Full Auto v3 fire control group! Long in beta, it’s now reached release status, with a final version ready for download.

S3igu2 is at pains to note that this is a machinegun and should be treated as such. It provides strong and reliable three-position operation in any milspec AR lower, without requiring modification to any trigger parts.

S3igu2 is one of the undisputed kings of full auto. Very cool work man!

New Betas:

In this section we round up recently opened betas. Help support development by joining these betas and testing!

Printable MG3 / MG42 Entering Beta

I was serious when I said previously that 2026 is going to be the year of the beltfed. Another very interesting DIY beltfed project is entering beta - it’s an MG3 / MG42 design from developer Nope!

Now this is confusing, so stay with me - Nope and Nopel are two different people, despite both working in the field of DIY mounted beltfeds. The actual design is at a very early stage but is soliciting beta testers - if you want to check it out, DM Nope on the Guncad Index forum!

DB Alloy MP Enters Beta

My man DB Firearms moves so fast - we only just announced that this design was being worked on, and already it is entering public beta. Excellent work!

For those who missed it, this is a lower for the DB Alloy that allows the use of MP5 mags. This is interesting because Mac uppers were designed for single feed mags - adapting the upper for double-feed MP5 mags is an impressive feat!

I’m firmly in the camp that prefers the MP5 mag aesthetic to Glock mags, so this beta particularly has me excited. If you’re interested too, jump in and test!

FrictionLock Beta - Collet-Based Suppressor Mounting System

Suppressors remain one of the major focuses of 3D2A lately - years of ideas are flooding out now that the tax stamp is zero. This is one such idea - a new way to mount a suppressor on a barrel without threading it!

How does it work? Developer michael-lenz explains that it uses an ER25 collet to mount a base for a muzzle device like a suppressor directly onto the barrel. Cool!

No “official” beta has started yet on any of the platforms, but Michael is seeking collaborators and asking them to email him. His email address is in the description of this thread, so if you want to help out, here’s your chance!

Coming Soon:

This section lists announcements or previews for projects that have not yet hit open beta. Keep an eye out for further news about these projects!

M249 FRTs On The Way!

Everyone should know about the M240 FRT project being developed by the aptly-named @M240 FRT Dev. One of the most common questions in reaction to this project is - what about the M249?

Happy news - he’s started work on an FRT for that platform as well! Both projects will run simultaneously, and I look forward to watching both!

This is a good opportunity to mention that an apparently separate dev has also released his own take on a 249 FRT. No idea on the testing status of this, but if you’ve got a 249 and feel like playing around, consider trying it out!

Super Safe PWC Mac from NightAlliance

The PWC platform continues to bear beautiful fruit! Friend of guncad Nightalliance has demonstrated a new trip of his own design to enable super safe functionality on the PWC.

Nightalliance confirmed to me that this design uses a sliding trip that is cut and bent from metal, but which is more robust and easier to make and tune than the ealier SS Mac designs we discussed way back in Issue 2. That sounds like progress to me!

More details will be revealed with time, so keep an eye out!

Sten Eleven Test Fire Coming Soon

I am perhaps unreasonably excited about this design, but what can I say, I love Stens! The Sten Eleven design that we announced in Issue 20 is near to test fire status.

We learn some interesting things in this Reddit thread, including the fact that the developer intends to include a spicy version. Are we talking full spicy or super safe spicy? We’ll find out!

News:

In this section we’ll review major news events either originating in the 3D2A space, or particularly pertinent to this space.

Ze Carioca Arrested

We open with bad news yet again. Ze Carioca, developer of the Urutau, was arrested in Brazil as part of a nationwide enforcement action against the “production and sale of weapons manufactured with 3D printers.”

People on Twitter are digging deep into how this may have happened and what’s going to happen to him next - go check it out there if you want to learn more. It breaks my heart that he was arrested, but at the very least I’m glad he’s still alive.

It’s tempting to offer lessons in the aftermath of something like this, but for me at least, it’s too new and fresh to do that yet. Others have offered commentary to this effect that I don’t disagree with, and I may add my own thoughts on it later. For now, pray for Ze, and for all other international 3D2A devs. Stay safe guys.

DIY Chassis Developer Hit with Flux C&D

Moving back domestically, the antigun fight against 3D2A is proceeding not solely through government-led efforts (though they do their best) but also through backbiting intellectual property disputes.

Everybody knows about Rare Breed’s suit against Hoffman; not to be outdone, now Flux Defense has threatened suit against developer SumOne for a printable Glock-style chassis, claiming it violates their Raider design.

This has not yet transformed into an actual suit, but a threat is a threat - one Flux can withdraw. Addressing Flux: your reputation is, compared to Rare Breed, relatively undamaged. You can preserve it by simply not proceeding with this idiotic, destructive IP suit. The choice is yours.

Guncad Index Tracks 10,000 Releases

Can we finish up with some good news? The Guncad Index is now tracking 10,000 3D2A releases! (Actually more now - 10,023 at time of writing!)

Every time I write up bad news for the Digest it depresses me, and it probably depresses you to read it. But stats like this really help me look at things in a different way.

Despite it all, we’re putting out more releases than ever. The genie is permanently out of the bottle and the signal cannot be stopped. With every release you put out, that becomes even more true. Never stop developing, friends.

Accessory Corner:

This corner has pretty much turned into a space where I can yammer about whatever subject I want that doesn’t fit anywhere else. Today’s theme is accessories - they’re a few steps removed from being a defensive tool, but they support these tools in various ways!

Printable Taco AR-15 Mag Pouch

Printable guns are cool, but if we focus too much on just the “gun” in guncad, then we miss out on a tremendous amount of potential - and actual - other cool DIY Defense related projects. Case in point - here is a printable taco-style mag pouch for AR-15 mags by developer QwermMakes.

These cost over $40 commercially, whereas with this you can print enough to fill an entire battle belt for $10 in materials. I’m no economist but that makes sense to me!

Printable Portable Target Stands

If you’re lucky enough to have land to shoot on (this meme made by #WesternStatesGang) then these will be of interest to you. These are printable bases for 1” x 2” furring strip. You can hang a single cardboard target on one, or a double up with two - why not because, once again, when you DIY them you can make as many as you want!

Speaking of cardboard targets, how about a printable stencil so you can spray paint your targets with various details?

Rattler Innovations Mini Camouflage Stencils

Speaking of spray paint, I’ve been following Rattler Innovations for some time now - they are true friends of 3D2A, sponsoring the Guncad Index and now offering miniature versions of their printable camouflage stencils for free download!

The idea behind these is that you can place each stencil on top of your project - a gun, a magazine, whatever - and hit it with the right color spray paint. For multilayer camouflage designs, multiple stencils are included for each layer!

Rattler sells full-sized versions of these stencils on their website, and I think it’s cool that they are offering a free sample version to help get people interested. Nice work guys!

About the Guncad Digest:

Thank you for reading this issue of the Guncad Digest! Please send us your feedback and suggestions for improvements on the issue.

The Guncad Digest is sourced using the very excellent Guncad Index, from /r/3D2A, and from readers like you. If you know of a project you think should be featured, send it our way!

This issue was compiled and authored by Alyosha from 3D2A / 3D Print Freedom. We sell high quality parts kits for some of the best DIY guns available - if you’re looking for your next gun build, come check us out!

Issue 20: New DD19.2 Chassis, DIY RPG, Side-Feeding Mac, Anti-3D2A Bills

Alyosha K. — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 19:47:08 GMT

Welcome to the Guncad Digest! This newsletter will regularly round up the best and most interesting 3D2A releases, betas and news.

If you want the Guncad Digest delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe to this Substack.

Subscribe now

You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit, where we’ll post notifications when a new issue of the Digest is live!

In this issue:

New Releases:

Updates:

L.A.R.K. Gets Updates

New Betas:

Coming Soon:

News:

Other Links

New Releases:

In this section, we cover new file releases that we find notable. If something catches your interest, go download and start printing!

Pillager Chassis for DD19.2 Releases

In Issue 18 we shared a TX22 chassis called the Pillager and noted that a version for the DD19.2 was in the works. That version is now released!

The creatively-named DD19.2 Pillager Chassis from Ballistic 3D Solutions gives you a cool new option for turning your Glock into a PDW, complete with a sliding brace and spare mag holder / foregrip. Kits are available at the developer’s webstore!

There was a time in guncad that these sorts of chasses were fairly popular (the most famous being the Invader) but they’ve somewhat died down. It’s nice to see the Pillager come in and revitalize this space.

DS27 Pull Tab for your Belt Fed

Beltfed designs are becoming more popular with the release of stuff like the LimaSix beltfed upper or the eagerly anticipated Black Lotus DIY beltfed. As such, we’re starting to see cool accessories to work with these guns!

Today’s find is a printable pull tab that you can clip onto a belt to assist you in pulling it into the loading port. This allows you to avoid opening the top cover, so if you really really need to swap that belt super fast, you’ll be covered!

Updates:

In this section we will mention updates to major releases - fixes, new variants, etc.

L.A.R.K. Gets Updates

In the last issue we discussed the L.A.R.K. fire control system, which introduces three-round super safe functionality and in general is really fucking cool. It’s got some updates available!

First we have the L.A.R.K. Simplex, a three-position version of the L.A.R.K. (safe, 3-round and full) which functions with a standard single-slot trigger. This is likely the more accessible version of the L.A.R.K. for most people, so if you haven’t tried building one yet, this is where you should start.

We also got a 2-Round Cam for any L.A.R.K. variant which reduces your burst from three to two. Why? Why not? Apparently the dev is thinking about making a 5-round cam as well - obviously I’ll feature it if he does.

I feel like I should be seeing more discussion of this than I am. Let’s get on it guys!

New Betas:

In this section we round up recently opened betas. Help support development by joining these betas and testing!

RPM-85 85MM Launcher Enters Beta

We’ve featured developer PracticalTactical before, but this design takes the cake! It’s an electrically-fired rocket-fired 85mm launcher. Wow!

PracticalTactical notes that the projectile is sized to be used with a 29mm rocket motor. The printed parts sleeve over a length of 85mm ID steel tube (available from McMaster) and the entire thing is wired up to fire via pushbutton.

This project is a true beta and does not appear to actually be complete yet - from the current release I don’t see any details about how to actually ignite the rocket motor (if I’m wrong, please correct me!) Interested parties should join on and build along, adding on new parts as they release.

Note that, if it wasn’t already obvious, there are legal complications with building this project, so make sure you’re aware of that!

.410 Kurt-Go-Bang Shell Enters Beta

DIY ammo always gets a shoutout from me, and that is certainly the case here. Our boy Booze and Bullets has modified the Kurt-Go-Bang printable shotgun shell for .410 gauge.

The description notes that the projectile can be either a .308 bullet or a ball bearing. Remember that this is a beta, so if you do play with it, start with small powder loads and work your way up.

Project Chimera (Modernized CZAR) Enters Beta!

I like it when a project graduates from Coming Soon to Beta - it’s like watching a child grow up. For those who missed it the first time, Project Chimera is a printable lower and chassis for a VZ61 by developer Metalhead Twink / Penteona.

Aside from the coolness of a new VZ61 project, the developer for this project has intimated that he plans to take it further all the way to a DIY VZ61 upper, which would really be a step forward! I will watch this with great interest.

If you want to check this out, join Penteona’s Matrix space at the link in the forum post!

“AR-9 RU” - Fully DIY AR9 from the Motherland

Every so often I feel like I should include something in the Digest that’s totally out of left field, just to keep things interesting. That is certainly the case for this design.

The designer, modestly titled “The Best Handmade Guns Channel Ever”, has recently been releasing a series of fully DIY designs for various platforms. This AR9 RU design is the latest of those. Yes, it features printed parts, but it also leans very heavily on metalwork, lathe work and other fairly advanced operations. It reminds me of Professor Parabellum’s work, which is a good thing.

This is not just an alpha but a pre-alpha - despite that it actually has some fairly decent documentation. I would genuinely like to see more developments of this sort, and not just because any new designs are good designs. Imagine a world in which metalworking skill was made as ubiquitous as printing and CAD skill? What could we accomplish in such a world?

Coming Soon:

This section lists announcements or previews for projects that have not yet hit open beta. Keep an eye out for further news about these projects!

Feed Your DB Alloy with MP5 Mags

DB Firearms reminds us why he’s king of Mac designs with yet another new DB Alloy mod - this one is a lower which allows the use of metal MP5 magazines, which are universally accepted as far cooler looking than Glock mags. Yes, DB has found a way to use the single-feed Mac bolt to feed a double-feed MP5 mag.

This “DB Alloy MP” will require modifying the Mac upper somewhat, so be prepared for that. An open beta is coming soon - keep an eye out!

Bullpup MP5 Design On Its Way!

The Twink delivers! Continuing the 2026 theme of “bullpup everything”, Metalhead Twink / Penteona has announced a Bullpup MP5 lower is in progress.

Details are scarce but it looks damn cool. If you want to learn more and participate in development once he opens it up, join the Matrix space in his forum post!

Sten Your Mac - Side-Feeding Mac 11

Gentlemen, take notice: this is what guncad is all about. From developer SkeleTim561 comes a side-feeding, bottom-ejecting Mac-11 that takes Sten mags and uses an AR FCG. Fucking. Cool.

This is all pretty new so nothing has been revealed, but even money is that he’s simply turned the Mac bolt 90 degrees. Longtime readers know I’m a sucker for weird shit like this so I fully support it and will almost certainly print one once it releases. Nice work!

Orcbolg Fully DIY .380 Pistol Gets a Refresh

We first promoted this design back in Issue 11, and I’m happy to see that it’s still going! According to the developer, he’s overhauling the design and hopes to have a new version ready within a couple of weeks, at which point he’ll open the beta back up.

This is a fairly novel leap, as we haven’t seen a fully DIY semiauto pistol in .380 yet - as such I’m not surprised that we had to go back to the drawing board. It’s still proceeding and that’s what matters! I look forward to seeing more.

News:

In this section we’ll review major news events either originating in the 3D2A space, or particularly pertinent to this space.

Anti-3D2A Bills on the March

As predicted, following the introduction of California’s AB-1263, several other states have followed suit, introducing their own bills meant to combat 3D2A. It is worth our attention to review them, so here is a roundup of all the bad bills working their way towards passage:

California AB-1263: the first of these bills to be introduced, this is the bill that bans distributing 3D printed gun files in California as well as “facilitating” the manufacture of an unserialized firearm. This bill is passed and is what the Gatalog is being sued under.

California AB-2047: mirrors Washington’s HB-2321, requires 3D printers install gun blocking technologies in order to be sold within the state. This bill has been introduced but has not advanced anywhere.

Colorado HB26-1144: similar to many of the other bills here, prohibits printing or milling a firearm by non-FFL holders, and prohibits possession of CAD files. Also prohibits distribution of CAD files. This bill has passed the Colorado house.

Minnesota HF-3407 / SF 33661: bans all firearms manufacture by non-FFLs, full stop (no ability to make your own and serialize). Bans the distribution of CAD files / STLs / gcode that “may be used to…manufacture a ghost gun” - a mirror of California’s AB-1263. Also bans the possession of any unserialized firearm. This bill is in committee.

New Jersey S-3894: this may be the worst of the batch. This bill makes it a third degree crime, punishable by up to five years in prison, to simply possess a 3D printed gun file. Those with long memories will recall that New Jersey was the first state to introduce legislation to ban distribution of 3D printed gun files (New Jersey S-2465); it is this statute that Defense Distributed sued New Jersey over. As such it is not surprising that NJ is leading the way with the worst bill. This bill has been introduced but has not advanced anywhere.

New York S. 9005 / A. 10005: copies Washington HB-2321 and California AB-2047 by requiring 3D printers install malware to detect and block firearm prints. This bill is under review and is accepting public comment.

Washington HB-2320: mirrors California’s AB-1263 by banning the distribution of 3D gun files and the “facilitation” of making a firearm by an unlicensed person. Goes one step further and bans the possession of 3D printed gun files “with an intent to distribute the code…[or] to manufacture a firearm”. This bill has passed the House and the Senate and is on its way to being signed.

Washington HB-2321: the famous bill that requires malware to be installed on a 3D printer to block gun prints, in order for that printer to be sold in Washington. Currently in committee.

That’s the roundup. What can men do against such reckless hate?

It should be noted that many of these bills may not pass. Those who advanced them are riding a wave established by California’s passage of AB-1263; but many of these states have introduced similar bills before, which went nowhere. It is not guaranteed that these will all pass either.

Still, it is likely some of them will. We can only advise what we always advise - turn to technical solutions. Create technical workarounds. Fight on, and remember your forefathers - in Germany, in Brazil - who built guncad in far worse circumstances.

The Great Discord Purge of 2026

With all the sturm und drang in our last issue, we somehow completely forgot to mention yet another crackdown - Discord went on a binge and purged two of the largest 3D2A Discord servers, Black Lotus Coalition’s server and Guncademy.

The purge seems to have abated, and FOSSCAD’s server seems to have survived. Still, backups and alternates are being established, which you should pay attention to:

Guncademy has been reproduced on Matrix
Black Lotus Coalition recommends joining their public Matrix space
FOSSCAD, despite not actually being banned, still set up their own Matrix space as well.

For every head you cut off, we’ll grow two more.

About the Guncad Digest:

Thank you for reading this issue of the Guncad Digest! Please send us your feedback and suggestions for improvements on the issue.

The Guncad Digest is sourced using the very excellent Guncad Index, from /r/3D2A, and from readers like you. If you know of a project you think should be featured, send it our way!

Issue 19: Three-Round Super Safe LARK, FTN5.1 Update, Legal Future of 3D Guns

Alyosha K. — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 17:08:14 GMT

Welcome to the Guncad Digest! This newsletter will regularly round up the best and most interesting 3D2A releases, betas and news.

If you want the Guncad Digest delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe to this Substack.

Subscribe now

You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit, where we’ll post notifications when a new issue of the Digest is live!

In today’s issue:

New Releases:

Updates:

Coming Soon:

News:

Other Links

New Releases:

In this section, we cover new file releases that we find notable. If something catches your interest, go download and start printing!

L.A.R.K. - Four (!) Position Selector w/ 3-Round Super Safe

No sooner did we announce the CARL three-round super safety in our last issue did someone DIY it. Developer Stealth The Unknown has released the L.A.R.K. - Limited Assisted Reset Kabuto - a modification of the Kabuto FRT.

In addition to the expected safe, semi and super safe positions, the L.A.R.K. also supports a three-round super safe mode! As demonstrated in the video below, the selector for this mode sits in an interesting 45 degree position between the semi and super safe modes.

The three-round super safe functionality uses an interesting ratcheting pawl design which requires some custom fabricated springs. Details on how to make these springs are in the Odysee description (move them into the included documentation please!) as well as a video.

This Odysee description also notes certain special requirements for the AR FCG, namely a trigger with two disconnector slots and apparently two disconnectors. This is a characteristic of milspec M16 triggers, but it’s unclear to me if this is exactly what is required, and if so what parts. If anyone knows, ping me so I can update this!

If you want to have the most accurate Vietnam larp, a three-position (safe / semi / three-round super safe) model also exists. I’d love to see some of these get printed!

FULL-NULL - Stripped Down NULL-22

The terse and mysterious ju5t3nc4s3 has released an iteration on his earlier NULL-22 design, which he calls the FULL-NULL.

As per the usual there’s no documentation, which is frustrating and I wish it would change. The description indicates that this is a simplified and beefed up version of the NULL, which sounds cool. Just please tell us how to build it!

Updates:

In this section we will mention updates to major releases - fixes, new variants, etc.

FTN5.1 Update - New Options, Improvements, Baffle Coating

PLA+boi returns with what will sadly be his final update to the FTN series - the FTN5.1 update. So what’s new?

Readers will remember that the original FTN released not entirely untested, but perhaps less tested than otherwise preferred. The 5.1 release consists primarily of adjustments from testing performed post-releases. These include adjustments to several models, correcting some small CAD errors and a few useful models.

A particularly interesting addition is instructions for a baffle coating process. In a writeup, PLA+Boi notes that while his baffles are designed to resist permanent deformation (heat resistance), no design can totally resist erosion forever. But, by coating the baffles with a heat-resistant enamel, erosion can be significantly reduced. Check the writeup to learn more!

PLA+boi notes that this will be his final writeup and that he is stepping away again, having completed what he set out to do. We wish him the best in his future endeavors!

M4gery Gets an Update

It’s always nice to call attention to a kaewon design. The M4gery, first released in 2024, received an update recently to add a Mk18-style barrel with special threads to allow direct mount of the FTN.5. Very good!

Want to build one of these? Print-A-22 has you covered!

3DP90 Shortened Stock End - P90s that Look Like P90s

I love the 3DP90 (and I sell kits for them!) but 300blkFDE makes a good point when he notes that the 3DP90 is way longer than a real P90. This mod fixes that by shortening the stock end.

Interesting theme we have here with mods that make guns look more like their real-life counterparts. May it continue!

Coming Soon:

This section lists announcements or previews for projects that have not yet hit open beta. Keep an eye out for further news about these projects!

Careless Whisper - Integrally Suppressed Trash Panda

Careless talk kills, and so does this remix from TheAvieAtrix - silently and precisely. It’s an integrally suppressed Trash Panda!

Avie is waiting on his Form 1 to come in to finish out the build, but she expects that an open beta should follow pretty quickly upon receiving it. The Trash Panda has been a pretty popular build, and this will only make it cooler!

3DP Kriss Vector In Progress!

We’re working towards another one! From developer EfficientRabbit7377 comes a DIY Kriss Vector that appears to be almost fully DIY!

Details are very scarce but the dev notes that it uses SCS parts for rails and slider, as well as a custom bolt which he intends to make DIY. Now you particularly have my attention!

This has apparently been in progress for 8 months now and is “almost ready.” I’m staying tuned!

News:

In this section we’ll review major news events either originating in the 3D2A space, or particularly pertinent to this space.

Today’s news is all bad and I’ve spent considerable time thinking about how to present it (this is why this issue is late.) My dilemma: is it better to speak optimistically to maintain community morale, or to speak realistically?

I’ve decided to be realistic. We should face the coming threats with open eyes and proceed in spite of them. Read on.

The Legal Future of 3D Guns: One Case Closes, Another Opens

Let’s discuss two legal events from the last two weeks. The first, from New Jersey, ends an old case. The other, from California, begins a new one. The two suits cover the same subject: the state’s ability to control the distribution of 3D gun files online.

The California case alleges that the major players of the Gatalog are civilly liable for violations of California’s anti-ghost-gun laws. Matt Larosiere (Fuddbusters), a defendant in the case and the main counsel, estimates the fines California is seeking against the defendants amount to $8 million.

Online reaction in the 2A community has been tremendously supportive of the Gatalog, and a victory is assumed. But the arguments for this victory are that California can’t sue out of state defendants, that the suit is “harassment”, that “code is free speech”, and that California’s laws obviously violate the First and Second Amendments.

I’ll be blunt here: the first two points are the legal equivalent of “plastic guns always blow up.” These are cliches adopted in order to avoid engaging with the reality of the situation. States regularly sue out of state defendants, and lawsuit are by definition “harassing”. Comforting ourselves with these cliches will not protect us from this reality.

The latter two points are closer to genuine legal arguments, and here we come to the New Jersey ruling. This Third Circuit ruling terminates a suit brought by Defense Distributed almost ten years ago. DD used the same legal arguments being cited here, and in the court’s final opinion they are definitively rejected.

The more painful and thorough rejection is of the 1A argument. The Third Circuit reviews the history of “code is free speech” cases and sidesteps them all. 3D gun files are suggested to be functional and not expressive, and purely functional “communication” is not 1A protected.

The Third Circuit ruling was timed to perfection to cut the legs out from a meaningful defense in the Gatalog suit, before it can even get off the ground. This is not a coincidence. It becomes more evident by the day that we are witnessing the resumption of the multi-state efforts to attack your ability to build your own firearms.

Fuddbusters has not yet answered the California complaint, electing instead to countersue in Florida. I don’t know how he ultimately will answer the California suit, but the Third Circuit opinion shows what won’t work. Will he come up with a better argument that will win the day? We can hope, but we cannot assume that he will win.

Once again being blunt: it is very likely that no lawyer, no argument, no matter how good, can win this one. California will do what California will do, which will result in some form of limitation on distribution of files via the clearnet. Websites dedicated to listing file links will be similarly restricted. These are the minimum consequences for the community, and they may be worse.

And so we must prepare. Resources must be created to help inform and direct those behind enemy lines. Accessible file collections must be uploaded and shared to places which cannot be touched by California tyranny. Culture must be built to support these efforts.

It may be that, despite my cynicism (for that is what we call realism that turns out to be incorrect), we will win this case. If we do, I’ll celebrate with everyone else. But in the event that my realism (for that is what we call cynicism that turns out to be correct) proves prophetic - let us be prepared.

Hoffman Loses PI, Court Heavily Sides with Rare Breed

The bad news continues with an update on Hoffman’s Super Safety case. We had hoped that the long three-day PI hearing meant that the court was deeply considering Hoffman’s argument - instead, they seem to have fully accepted Rare Breed’s position, and they have granted the preliminary injunction.

The court claims that Hoffman “failed to raise a substantial question of either infringement or validity of the asserted patents”, and insofar as he did raise questions of infringement, he “mischaracterized the…784 Patent and how the claimed inventions operate.” Hoffman is no dummy, so I don’t believe this, but the judge does and that’s what matters.

The judge also happily repeats the ATF’s arguments about Hoffman “t[aking] no precautions to prevent the export of the files to China”, and fully accepting the ATF argument that granting the PI will limit the use of FRTs “in service of the public interest.”

We can only shake our heads in bitter disbelief when Rare Breed admits that they profit $350 to $425 per FRT sold, for a product that retails at $450 to $525. With margins like these, the court notes that Hoffman’s gross will not cover Rare Breed’s lost profit.

Overall, this is about as bad as it can be. Hoffman has created a GiveSendGo fundraising page which has, as of writing, raised nearly $100,000 - a tremendous outpouring of community support, and a good proxy for the ubiquity of the Super Safety. This support will allow Hoffman to fight - but once again, we would be naive to assume that he will win.

The Super Safety has been mirrored a million times, but as noted before, nobody is making these in their garage. Super Safety cams are universally purchased from vendors that will soon begin shutting down. What will we do in their absence?

I suggest that the community begin investigating and iterating on underserved projects like the SCSSS or the Super Swanky, which do provide effective ways to make your own Super Safety cam at home. Develop them, perfect them, get them out there.

Ten years of legal battles have demonstrated that the courts are simply not a good venue to advance our cause. On the other hand, in that time we have made extraordinary progress by simply making things. I suggest the lesson of today’s news is to continue, and to redouble, this approach.

About the Guncad Digest:

Thank you for reading this issue of the Guncad Digest! Please send us your feedback and suggestions for improvements on the issue.

The Guncad Digest is sourced using the very excellent Guncad Index, from /r/3D2A, and from readers like you. If you know of a project you think should be featured, send it our way!

SPECIAL ISSUE: State of California v. Gatalog

Alyosha K. — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 18:22:23 GMT

NOTE: this is a breaking story. Additional details will be added as they become available.

The Facts

On February 6th, 2026, the state of California filed suit against the Gatalog, accusing them of violations of California’s Civil Code 3273.61 and 3273.625, with an additional alleged violation of California’s business and professions code.

These Civil Codes, recently amended in California’s AB-1263, prohibit both “distribut[ing]…any digital firearm manufacturing code to any other person in this state who is not a federally licensed firearms manufacturer” and “knowingly, willfully, or recklessly aid[ing], abet[ting], promot[ing] or facilitat[ing] the unlawful manufacture of firearms”.

The specific defendants of this suit are Matthew Larosiere, IvanTheTroll and CtrlPew, as well as their corporations Gatalog Foundation and CtrlPew LLC, which California identifies as the collective leadership / owners of The Gatalog. Particularly concerning is the additional naming of 100 “John Doe” defendants, meant to serve as placeholders for other members / agents of The Gatalog.1

The specific plaintiff is “The People of the State of California”, represented by the California Attorney General Rob Bonta, and San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu. It is highly likely that “The People” should be read as Giffords, who is the usual originator of these sorts of suits.

The relief sought by California seems focused primarily on enjoining The Gatalog from distributing 3D printed gun files to California persons via the Gatalog website and the CtrlPew website, along with penalties and fees adding up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Commentary

This suit represents the resumption of a state-run2 legal offensive against the unrestricted distribution of 3D printed gun files that was last meaningfully fought around Defcad in 2018 / 2019.

Since that time we have seen enforcement efforts against specific individuals accused of illegally printing guns (the source of the frequent “evidence table” Twitter threads) but virtually no meaningful large attempts to ban the actual distribution of files. With California’s suit against the Gatalog, this interregnum has come to an end.

Why is the Gatalog the main target here? The complaint makes it clear that the Gatalog has been under investigation by California since at least June 2024, and likely earlier. Any commentary about their selection as the target of this suit would be speculation on my part, but I suspect it is a combination of their popularly perceived preeminence in the 3D gun space, and their relatively advanced organization (viz. the Gatalog Foundation).

Perhaps more puzzling is the absence of Odysee, the actual file distribution platform, as a defendant. I interpret California’s decision not to name Odysee as an indicator of the true purpose of the suit. This is not really an attempt to stop the distribution of 3D gun files into California - it is instead an attempt to “cut the head off” of online 3D2A culture.

For me the most troubling aspect of the suit is the identification of the Gatalog and CtrlPew homepages as violating websites. These places do not offer guns for download - they instead offer links to Odysee. Yet this is sufficient for California to identify them as “facilitating” the production of firearms in California.

This presents a very concerning precedent, should California succeed on that argument.

What Next?

Defendants must now select counsel and respond to the complaint. Online commentary has unsurprisingly identified Larosiere as the likely counsel for the defense, although this is complicated by him being a named defendant.

California’s first act will almost certainly be to move for a TRO, which will likely take the form of blocking Gatalog files from download in the state of California. It is unclear how this can be accomplished without removing them from Odysee entirely, which again is likely the actual intent.

This state-led approach to controlling files allows for significant flexibility and experimentation - they may act as “laboratories of tyranny.” This means that, should California gain traction with this suit, we should expect to see other states replicate their laws and participate in similar actions. We may even see several other states join this action.

It is disconcerting, to say the least, to imagine a California victory here. But I invite you to remember that the desire to demoralize you underlies everything else in this action.

California wants you to fear this action, but consider also that California can also lose. Every challenge is an opportunity, and this action also represents the first bite at the legal apple 3D2A has had since 2019.

From the greatest challenges come the greatest victories.

Defeat is never guaranteed.

Never despair. Never surrender. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever give up.

The number 100 here is likely not intended to literally mean 100 defendants, but instead serve as a placeholder for the entire Gatalog membership, whatever California thinks that means.

The state-run offensives represented a transition from the federal actions against 3D printed gun distribution online, which ended with Defcad’s 2018 settlement with the US State Department, and have not meaningfully resumed as of this writing.

Issue #18: Lever-Action AR Release, DIY Mac Uppers, Three-Round Burst Super Safety, Hoffman Update

Alyosha K. — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 16:24:20 GMT

Welcome to the Guncad Digest! This newsletter will regularly round up the best and most interesting 3D2A releases, betas and news.

If you want the Guncad Digest delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe to this Substack.

Subscribe now

You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit, where we’ll post notifications when a new issue of the Digest is live!

In this issue:

New Releases

Commercial Corner

Updates

New Betas

Coming Soon

News

Other Links

New Releases:

In this section, we cover new file releases that we find notable. If something catches your interest, go download and start printing!

“Trash Panda” Lever-Action AR-15 is Live!

Saddle up! Developer AvieAtrix has released the long-anticipated Trash Panda, a printable lever-action rifle composed of AR-15 parts. It supports multiple intermediate calibers, including 5.56, .300BLK and more!

At its core is a modified AR-15 bolt that has been chopped in half and tapped to connect the lever. The lever itself is printed but is reinforced with custom-cut carbon plates. Ammunition is stored in an internal box magazine, loaded through the ejection port. What a cool approach!

I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. Want to build your own? 3D Print Freedom has complete kits available - go snag one!

Open Pew Project Goes Gold - OP9 / OP22 Release

After a year in beta, the OP9 and OP22 DIY suppressors have released, adding another fantastic suppressor design to the ecosystem!

The design philosophy behind the OP9/22 emphasizes simplicity and lighter weight. As the name implies, these are designed primarily for pistol and PCC use - they require no booster and they cycle regularly.

How do they compare to the FTN series? Developer OpenPew notes that their simplicity and lighter weight may be preferable for pistols, whereas for rifles FTN remains the preferred option.

Tax stamps are $0, so I expect all of you to build one of these. The same developer built a very useful Form 1 EFT tool, so you have no excuse not to build one. Get on it!

PDW Your TX22 with the Pillager

We teased this in Issue 14, and now it’s live! The Pillager Chassis from Ballistic 3D Solutions allows you to turn your TX22 pistol into an Invader-style PDW, with a dual spring-assist brace deploy, a tower for an optic and a foregrip / spare mag holder.

Interested? The developer sells complete kits on his website!

New Signal Launcher! 38DD Introduces New Ammo Spec

Like a flashbang in the night, this came out of nowhere! Developer HDL_Werx just dropped a new break-action signaling device, the 38DD.

He describes his goal with this project to “bring 40mm hi/lo performance to the 37mm smoothbore community.” As such, the 38DD is designed to withstand the pressure of military 40mm rounds, and the developer claims to have proof tested it as such.

Another notable innovation is the rejection of the classic 1-5/8” fencepost barrel in favor of a 41mm OD seamless tube, meant to provide an easier build experience (no need to sand off a weld) and a tighter gas seal. HDL_Werx has released a new kind of launcher round, the 38HDL, to fully take advantage of this new seamless tube.

This is a neat design and I expect to see further discussion and development of it in the next several months! Keep your eyes peeled!

DPX-9 - DIY Mac Upper Carbine Releases!

Back in 2023 / 2024, several people were working on DIY uppers for Macs - a project which, if successfully realized, would be a big step towards DIYing Mac designs. The Carbon Alloy released in 2024 but since then these projects have all stalled - until now!

From durbanpoisonpew comes the DPX-9, a Mac PCC with a printed upper! It uses SCS plates to help secure upper / trunnion to the printed lower, and threaded rods to reinforce the unit sufficiently for use. Regrettably it’s not fully DIY, utilizing a Velocity trunnion, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.

The 9mm version is available now, but I am told that a .45ACP version is in the works, as well as a non-PCC “Mac that Looks Like Mac” design! I am deeply excited to see this platform develop further - to support this kind of work, print this out and give feedback!

Download the Signal - Guncad Index Bulk Downloader Available

Wrapping up our New Releases, we have here a highly useful piece of software by developer ThePaulestPaul that allows you to download the entire Guncad Index to your local hard drive!

This is more than just an Odysee scraper: this system uses the Index’s tags to help organize the files into a comprehensible folder structure, as demonstrated in the screenshot above. It also produces an “Excel Master Index”, a spreadsheet representation of the downloaded files, allowing you to easily search for a particular design.

The software even allows you to re-run to catch new releases, to retry failed downloads and more!

Data preservation is critical for our hobby, and this software is a fantastic tool to that end. Fantastic work!

Commercial Corner:

What happened to the Community Corner? It’s taking a break in favor of the Commercial Corner, a section for me to talk about products of a less DIY and more commercial nature.

No, I’m not turning into a gunslop newsletter, but there are some items I wanted to mention that I couldn’t fit anywhere else.

CARL - Three-Round Burst Super Safety Available Now

Is the quartermaster riding your ass about grunts wasting too much ammo? Now there’s a solution! The CARL from Stuff and Things dropped during SHOT show and helped me realize just how badly I needed three-round burst in my life.

What’s the story? The CARL parts interface with a Super Safety (either traditional Hoffman pushbutton design or an AS Designs ARC-FIRE system) and provides three-round burst functionality - more specifically, it cuts off super safe functionality after three rounds until the trigger is reset.

Naturally these sold out instantly, but there’s a waitlist for the next batch. Of course this also has me thinking - could this be DIY’d? Who is brave enough?

M240 Super Safety Functionality Demonstrated!

Followers of gun twitter likely know that the aptly-named M240 SS Dev has been developing a Super Safety for the M240 for some time. As the video above shows, he’s got it functional and running!

To be clear, the part being developed here is the super safety - there is no DIY M240 (yet!), so you’ll require an Ohio Ordinance Works M240-SLR to use this design. The hefty price tag on that limits this SS to a fairly small audience - but that doesn’t make it any less cool! I’ll continue to watch this with interest.

Training Grenade Using Firecrackers and Capgun Caps

This was posted on Reddit shortly before publication and I found it interesting enough to include. This is a printed training grenade that uses a capgun cap and a firecracker to simulate detonation. The intent seems to be to use this in law enforcement / military style training scenarios such as room clearing.

The grenades themselves are being sold at the developer’s website. Photos make it clear that the grenades are printed, but it’s not clear whether he intends to release design files for them or not. I hope he does!

Updates:

In this section we will mention updates to major releases - fixes, new variants, etc.

Yippee Ki Yay Gets Suppressors

The Yippee Ki Yay DIY .22LR MP5 beta is screaming along - this is one of the most popular betas I’ve seen in a while. Developer kaewon just gave it an update, adding an FTN.5-based suppressor along with some other improvements.

As always, you can find kits for the YKY (and any other printed .22) at Print-A-22.com. Grab a kit and join the fun!

Three-Position Kabuto “Sqweee” FRT Updates

The Kabuto TURD variants continue! This one from developer @Sqweeeeeeee (hope I got the number of “e”s right) is a remix of work from @Fl-Eggs’s work, utilizing SCS plates and a three-position safety.

Functionality was recently demonstrated on Reddit. This design may become increasingly pertinent depending on the results of the Rare Breed lawsuit, so I’m glad to see development continue.

Yuna 4.4 Update - 100% Printable TURD

Speaking of TURDs, here’s another update on a different design. This one, the Yuna by herpy derpy derp, is advertised as the “strongest 100% printable FRT on the market for the AR-15”.

The latest update improves its functionality with nylons. Give it a try!

MP5 Flat Bending Jig

Developer @Forbidden_Code has remixed a bending jig for the CETME into one compatible with MP5 flats! You can refer to the original CETME jig documentation for details on how to use this.

Stuff like this has always struck me as a fundamental but neglected aspect of 3D2A. Bending jigs are useful not just for stamping receivers, but many other parts - rails, magazine feedlips and more!

New Betas:

In this section we round up recently opened betas. Help support development by joining these betas and testing!

EBT-9/380 - Printed Hipoint that Works!

A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one - AWCY’s LukeWarmDesigns is building a new printed frame for the Hipoint, and as his video shows, it works!

The original LoPoint is notable for being not just the first printed Hipoint but one of the earliest printed guns ever. Having noted its significance, I’m also comfortable saying that as printed guns go, it’s pretty bad by modern standards.

As such, the humorously-named EBT-9/380 is a welcome retake on the printed Hipoint. Its tolerances and fittings are improved, it adopts modern safety standards, and it runs well. Join the beta at AWCY!

The Twitch - MPA Defender Mac-10/11 FRT Beta

Macs that Look Like Macs™ fans keep winning - there’s an FRT for us now! Or at least partially - The Twitch from ToadLicker556 is a beta FRT for the Masterpiece Arms Defender series.

This is a true beta - not only is the design not fully tested, it has known issues, including OOB detonations and poor longevity. The Toad Licker is releasing this to hopefully allow someone else to finish it up while he steps away, and in his README he details his ideas for improving it.

I’d love to see this become the first step towards FRTs for other MLM designs, like the PWC and the Scarab! Who’s willing to make my dreams come true?

SuomAR - AR9 Magwell for Suomi Drum

It’s a good day when you see zer0fux pop up to drop some CAD! Here we have an AR9 upper and lower that allows the use of a Suomi drum magazine, which makes any build approximately 3x cooler.

This is another true beta - zer0 notes that he hasn’t personally tested this design (though another person has) and simply wants to release it for someone else to work with. Hopefully someone will finnish it up! (See what I did there?)

Coming Soon:

This section lists announcements or previews for projects that have not yet hit open beta. Keep an eye out for further news about these projects!

Unseenkiller Developing DIY PWC Upper

There must be something in the air, because we’re covering not just one but two DIY Mac uppers in this issue! Unseenkiller is extending the PWC platform to incorporate a DIY upper, requiring no custom trunnion.

Unseen’s design is currently in closed beta, which you can join by messaging him. The more DIY uppers, the better!

Printed 2011 Frame from nightalliance

I’m not sure how I haven’t yet written about this, given that nightalliance has been posting about it nonstop - but his posts are well earned! What you are looking at is a a printed 2011 frame, with options available for both 9mm and .45ACP.

At this time he is stacking rounds and completing private testing. No word yet when it should drop, but I’m certain that you’ll hear about it on Reddit!

Halo Magnum Glock-19 Project Resumes

I’m pretty excited for the printed MA40 and I’m not the only one. Developer Helpful_Spell_5896 stopped work on his Magnum G19 last year, but after seeing the MA40 he decided to pick it back up!

He’s hoping to complete the project in the next few months. I hope so as well!

Remix of the Maverick Fully DIY Pistol

Old hands will recall the PilotGeek Maverick, a relatively early fully DIY .22 short pistol in the style of the Washbear. What’s old is new again - developer akw76 is remixing and modernizing the design!

Little info is available at this time, but I’m excited to see more!

News:

In this section we’ll review major news events either originating in the 3D2A space, or particularly pertinent to this space.

ATF Weighs In on Rare Breed v. Hoffman

The Rare Breed v. Hoffman patent lawsuit (technically ABC IP, LLC et al v. Hoffman, case number 1:2025cv00389) carries on. The Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against Hoffman was extended, and the Preliminary Injunction (PI) hearing has dragged on for three days. The length of this PI hearing is intriguing to me, indicating that the judge may be considering the controversy more seriously than I had expected.

The more interesting update is that, prior to the PI hearing, federal attorneys acting on behalf of the ATF filed a Statement of Interest on Behalf of the USA, throwing their weight behind Rare Breed and advocating for the PI. It is worth reading the Statement of Interest in full.

In what is nominally a civil case regarding patent infringement, the ATF’s attorneys baldly state that they have “an interest in limiting the sale and distribution of FRTs” and portraying ATF’s settlement with Rare Breed as being motivated by and structured toward this particular end.

This is of course a longstanding theory regarding the Rare Breed settlement - that it was an intentional choice by ATF to get Rare Breed to limit FRTs on ATF’s behalf. A counterpoint to this theory is that ATF would not have settled if they felt they could have won outright, meaning that any settlement would have been negotiated from a position of some weakness.

In any case, ATF makes it clear that their desired outcome in this case is a Rare Breed victory, which they believe will stop not just the sale of Super Safeties but also the “intentional distribution of infringing 3D print files to encourage widespread copying, distribution, [and] experimentation…of the design by the public”.

While such a victory could never truly scrub FRT files from the internet, it would be disastrous for the space nonetheless - it is not inconceivable that it would destroy the major public SS communities on Odysee, Reddit and elsewhere. It is to be expected that this is what ATF wants, but Rare Breed’s behavior in the case so far does nothing to indicate that their goals are any less terrible.

At times, Rare Breed has tried to portray themselves as simple capitalists trying to protect their intellectual property, but otherwise being on the side of gun owners, having fought valiantly against the ATF in their own suits. If there is any truth to this, it is time for them to prove it. ATF is trying to swerve this case towards disasterous ends. Rare Breed has the power to stop this.

How to Support Super Safety Vendors?

This is the question on everyone’s mind, including mine. I was recently alerted to one such option, a Super Safety Legal Defense Fund running on GoFundMe.

I do think this fund is a worthy place to donate, but it’s also worth being clear what this is. Hoffman is not involved in this fund, and none of the proceeds are (at this time) going to him. Instead, this fund is being preemptively set up by a coalition of other SS vendors (like Stark80 or Z3 Productions) for future litigation involving their products.

At time of writing there remains no official way to support Hoffman in this suit. If an avenue to support him arises, I’ll do a special issue on the matter, so please keep an eye on your inbox.

3DP Professor Breaks Down Washington 3D Printer Malware Bill

You may have heard about the recent Washington state bill HB2321, which attempts to require any 3D printer sold in Washington State to install “blocking technologies” to prevent them from printing 3D printed guns.

We wrote about the dubiousness of these “blocking technologies” previously, and the 3D Printing Professor has made a video weighing in on the same subject. He makes many of the same points we did, along with some new ones. I particularly like the point about how, even if this technology did work, it could be trivially defeated by simply putting a vase over your design.

At the moment the correct reaction to HB2321, which remains in committee, is what we always counsel - to laugh at its absurdity, and to ignore it. These sorts of bills are narrative fights, not factual or legal ones. The purpose is for its sponsors to claim they are “doing something”; if the bill passes, they can campaign on it, and if it fails, they can campaign on its failure. The winning move is not to play.

About the Guncad Digest:

Thank you for reading this issue of the Guncad Digest! Please send us your feedback and suggestions for improvements on the issue.

The Guncad Digest is sourced using the very excellent Guncad Index, from /r/3D2A, and from readers like you. If you know of a project you think should be featured, send it our way!

Issue 17: Franken-9, Massive Unseenkiller Dump, Helical Mag Mac, Hoffman Loses TRO

Alyosha K. — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 17:48:04 GMT

Welcome to the Guncad Digest! This newsletter will regularly round up the best and most interesting 3D2A releases, betas and news.

If you want the Guncad Digest delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe to this Substack.

Subscribe now

You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit, where we’ll post notifications when a new issue of the Digest is live!

In this issue:

New Releases:

Updates:

New Betas:

Coming Soon:

News:

Rare Breed Forces Hoffman to Delist Super Safety

Other Links

New Releases:

In this section, we cover new file releases that we find notable. If something catches your interest, go download and start printing!

Franken-9 Lives!

Under development for quite some time at Black Lotus, the Franken-9 by Corbat67 and unseenkiller has released!

What is this monstrosity? It’s a 3011-style frame for Glock 19s, utilizing an AR FCG and feeding from a Sten magazine. If you’re asking “why” then you’re not deep enough into guncad. “The question is not who will let me, but who will stop me?”

The build is quite easy, so if you’re looking to do something fun with your Glock 19 slide, this is a good option!

Sidebar: something else cool about this design is its particular path to release. Like many designs, this one had stalled a bit after its successful alpha. Unseenkiller asked permission to join the beta and bring it over the finish line, which Corbat67 graciously accepted.

I really like this story. Early guncad culture often identified a design very strongly with its designer, creating an observed preference to let a design die in beta vs. allowing another designer to step in and help finish up. Modern 3D2A has become more comfortable with developer collaboration, producing success stories like this. Well done gentlemen!

Unseenkiller Releases Pt. 1: Mac-11 Updates

Unseenkiller released a truly massive trove of gifts for Christmas - so many that we have to split it up into three different sections! Our first section will cover his Mac releases.

First we have the DB Alloy PCC mod, creates an extended handguard for your DB Alloy! This handguard is held in place by new versions of the famous DB Alloy plates, DXFs for which are included in the release. This mod likely should be used with an extended barrel, although it does not appear that it strictly requires it.

Next, the PWC Full Retard Edition reconfigures the original 5.7 PWC to the more familiar PCC style, thereby ~~removing everything that made it charming~~ giving a another option for people who want to build a 5.7 Mac.

The PWC 9L adapts the PWC 9 to use a Lage Max-11S Mk2 upper, so if you want to make a more tacticool PWC9, consider this!

Finally we have the PWC DLC, which provides a gaggle of accessories for the PWC 5.7 and PWC 9, including new textures for various lowers, telescoping stock / braces, printed mags and much more.

That’s part 1 of 3! Keep reading…

Unseenkiller Releases Pt. 2: Jalapeno Popper

With this one Unseen returns to a topic we haven’t seen from him for a while, launchers! The Jalapeno Popper is a remix of his earlier Cherry Popper. The original is a 37mm signal launcher in a flare gun form factor; the Jalapeno Popper sizes it up to a full launcher, with a longer barrel and stock!

Unseen’s readme notes that the larger size makes this a far stronger design than the original Cherry Popper as well, which is appreciated. If you want a cool looking launcher, consider this one!

Unseenkiller Releases Pt. 3: Everything Else

Finally we have a catchall category for whatever other random stuff our boy has put out. What have we got here?

First the Honey Gripper, a neat series of interchangeable foregrips developed in conjunction with nightalliance. I’m not sure I’ve seen an interchangeable design like this before, I think it’s pretty cool!

Second is the Tor Mag STEN Pack, which is not so much a remix of the original Tor mag as it is a remix of the DMB Sten Mag which applies Tor Mag concepts, most notably using the Riptide Rails feed lips. Those are quickly becoming a standard in printed mags!

Next, the Block Slim V2, a dev pack for single-stack Glock frames (43, 43X and 48). Like Unseen’s other Block releases, the idea here is to provide a “minimum feature set” for this series of Glock frames, for other people to remix or use in their own designs. Versions are included for SS80, FMDA and PY2A rails!

Finally, the Muzzle Device Creator Kit performs a similar service for muzzle devices. The included STEP files contain known-good thread patterns for common muzzle threads (1/2-28, 5/8-24, 3/4-10) so that you can simply design your solid muzzle device and then use Unseen’s steps to “cut out” the threads.

I couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas present. Unseen - you may be the most generous man in 3D2A. Thank you for all that you do.

Signal in Comfort with Launcherpope Shock Stock

King of signalling devices Launcherpope has released a new stock design that uses two RC car shocks to help absorb recoil. Fucking cool! The obvious use case is for launchers, but this can theoretically attach to any firearm with a 1913 rail on their endcap.

Normally I’d make a smartass comment about real men tanking the recoil instead of mitigating it, but I’ll hold my tongue. Print this stock and dial up your loads - your shoulder can take it!

UR-38 - Printable 38mm Rocket w/ Folding Fins

Developer PracticalTactical has been quietly amassing quite a corpus of interesting designs, most of them involving DDs and other fun NFA items. This one in particular caught my attention - it’s a printable 38mm rocket, powered by a modular rocket motor section, with folding, stabilizing fins.

PracticalTactical has not yet released a launcher design specifically used to fire this projectile, but his documentation does provide suggestions on how such a launcher could be built.

It’s not clear to me how much the UR-38 has actually been tested. That said, this same developer has a video page on his Odysee detailing some of his other work, including a printable smoke grenade. This indicates a certain seriousness to his work, and I’m excited to see how it continues to develop!

Updates:

In this section we will mention updates to major releases - fixes, new variants, etc.

Popillia 1.5 Release Brings Another Mac that Looks Like Mac

Back in Issue #4 when discussing the PWC, I noted that this was the first Mac That Looks Like Mac™ I’d seen since the Scarab. It was pointed out to me that I had missed the Popillia from the worryingly-named chuckycheesetouchedme. I issued a correction in Issue #9, but the recent v1.5 update to the Popillia gives me a chance to properly do it justice!

It appears that the actual update here may have more to do with file organization than the model itself. Regardless, this is a cool looking Mac upper and it’s certainly worth your attention. Go check it out!

Bolt-Through Decker Remixed for Upper Decker

Back in Issue 6 we shared a remix of the venerable Decker that improved the way its reinforcing threaded rods were secured (instead of threading the entire rod into the plastic, the remix secures it with nuts.)

The only downside to this remix was that it only supported the side-loader. Now, thanks to developer ATFAgent, the Upper Decker (top loader) now supports the bolt-through remix as well!

If you’re building a Decker, I highly recommend using the bolt-through remixes. Our kits support these remixes too!

New Betas:

In this section we round up recently opened betas. Help support development by joining these betas and testing!

Helical Mag Mac-11 Entering Beta

With dozens of Mac remixes out there, how do you make yours stand out? How about by adding support for a DIY helical mag?

The MAT-11H from developer Lars.Industries does just that! I’d imagine that the “beta” here is mostly for the mag, with the Mac just acting as a testing platform. Perhaps, upon release, the mag could be adapted to other platforms as well!

Testing is at the Gatalog - DM the normal people to sign up!

New VZ61 Project from Penteona

A developer named Penteona recently announced that he is seeking alpha testers for his new VZ61 printed lower. Despite being such a popular build there are surprisingly few designs for these, so it’s neat to see a new one!

From the screenshots we can see that this lower uses an integral grip, which is novel, as well as a neat attachable (optional) foregrip! Even more exciting, the Metalhead notes that he’s working on a fully printed upper for the VZ, which would be a first if completed.

Want to help develop and test this design? The Metalhead links his Discord server in the forum post - go check it out!

Wayfaring Stranger - Integrally Suppressed Hitchhiker Beta

A second new beta from the Gatalog, the Wayfaring Stranger from YZYPrints converts the Hitchhiker to a handgun form factor and adds an integral suppressor!

The finer details on this design haven’t yet been released, but from the render one can see an attempt to mimic the Luger’s design aesthetics, which is always a cool idea. If you want to help test, DM YZY or the Gatalog admins!

Glock “Creep Killer” Trigger from PrintMoreGuns

This Christmas drop from PrintMoreGuns claims to eliminate creep in Glock triggers, both standard versions and gspot-style FRT versions. A tall claim!

How does it work? Documentation is sparse but it appears it uses, in part, a set screw to help you precisely tune your trigger’s travel.

It’s an interesting idea that likely needs further testing and experimentation, which is why I’ve put it in the beta section. If you try this out, let us know how it goes!

Coming Soon:

This section lists announcements or previews for projects that have not yet hit open beta. Keep an eye out for further news about these projects!

PM63 Printed Frame Now Range Ready

Last mentioned in Issue 12, developer StreetSweeper_Arms has announced that his printable PM-63 RAK is range ready and is nearing beta!

Parts kits for these are tremendously cheap - consider grabbing one so you can be ready for the beta!

Three RPGs are Better than One

For as long as I’ve been in this space you’d think I’d have seen it all, but you guys still manage to surprise me. This is the AGI 3x40 by developers Sk191234 and HankTheShank, an electric ignition RPG!

Believe it or not, this is based on a real design! The DIY version is of course a DD and will require a tax stamp. It’ll be entering beta soon, so keep an eye out!

News:

In this section we’ll review major news events either originating in the 3D2A space, or particularly pertinent to this space.

Rare Breed Forces Hoffman to Delist Super Safety

The Rare Breed v. Hoffman super safety case, first announced in our last issue, is moving very quickly. On January 13th arguments were heard on Rare Breed’s Motion for Temporary Restraining Order (TRO); this motion was granted only a few hours after the hearing.

Under the terms of the TRO, Hoffman is enjoined from “making, using, selling, offering for sale or importing” the super safety, as well as from posting it anywhere, sending it to anyone, or licensing it to anyone. He is also ordered to remove his existing Super Safety postings from Odysee and all other websites.

Concerningly, this injunction applies not just to Hoffman but also to his “principals, agents, attorneys, servants, affiliates, employees, divisions, branches, subsidiaries, parents, and all others acting in active concert therewith.”

Who might this language apply to? Realistically, the answer is “anyone Rare Breed can successfully argue it applies to”, for example a fellow developer who has reposted the SS files. These developers will likely only become aware that RBT considers them an “affiliate” when they receive a takedown notice.

This is a very bad start to the case. The strong signal is that the judge is sympathetic to Rare Breed’s patent arguments. A hearing for a full Preliminary Injunction is scheduled for January 27th, the result of which will further indicate the judge’s sympathies. It’s not impossible that, upon deeper investigation, the PI request will be denied - Hoffman’s attorney is now tasked with arguing that the judge’s first impressions were wrong.

In the meantime what does this mean for the community? Hoffman’s own Super Safety file uploads will be taken down, but they’re rehosted in a million other places and won’t realistically disappear. As previously noted however, almost nobody is building their own SS. (Perhaps that should change?)

Most people are buying their SS cams. It is very unlikely that a TRO or PI in this case will affect your favorite SS manufacturer. However, an ultimate Hoffman loss will empower Rare Breed to meaningfully threaten said manufacturers and shut them down. This TRO is the first step towards that loss.

The wind’s direction is becoming clear. The community should prepare accordingly.

3D2A.TV Episode 1 Drops Sunday!

If you’ve been on 3D2A twitter lately you’ve likely seen our boy 3D2A.TV announce the first episode of his monthly show! This show will feature a variety of content, all meant to celebrate and amplify the 3D2A community. This will include a new design showcase, contests, a roast and much more!

The first episode will drop this Sunday, January 18th at 8PM EST. Make sure to tune in on X! There will be several cool prizes for the first episode, including something from yours truly! :)

About the Guncad Digest:

Thank you for reading this issue of the Guncad Digest! Please send us your feedback and suggestions for improvements on the issue.

The Guncad Digest is sourced using the very excellent Guncad Index, from /r/3D2A, and from readers like you. If you know of a project you think should be featured, send it our way!

Issue 16: FTN.5 Release, $0 Form 1, Hypervelocity Rockets, Rare Breed Sues Hoffman

Alyosha K. — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 22:53:26 GMT

Welcome to the Guncad Digest! This newsletter will regularly round up the best and most interesting 3D2A releases, betas and news.

If you want the Guncad Digest delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe to this Substack.

Subscribe now

You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit, where we’ll post notifications when a new issue of the Digest is live!

This is the third Digest in a row that has been released late - in this case, by nearly a week! Blame it on the holidays. I intend to get back on a proper schedule now that the holiday season is over. In any case, apologies for the lateness!

In today’s issue:

New Releases:

New Betas:

Coming Soon:

News:

Rare Breed Sues Hoffman for Patent Infringement

Community Corner:

2025 Retrospective
What to Look Forward to in 2026

Other Links

New Releases:

In this section, we cover new file releases that we find notable. If something catches your interest, go download and start printing!

PLABoi Returns and Releases FTN.5

After seemingly stepping away from guncad in 2024, PLABoi returns with a bang, releasing the fifth iteration of the FTN DIY suppressor series!

The FTN.5 designs adopt a new design philosophy reflective of the current 3D2A landscape, one in which nylon-capable printers are commonly available and quite affordable. In light of this, FTN.5 suppressors are designed to be printed in PA6CF nylon.

This allows for a “less overbuilt” design” which does not require quite so much compensation for the weakness of its material. The result is a design that is smaller, lighter, sleeker and easier to build.

Within the FTN.5 pack itself are several varieties:

Rifle (5.56, .30, .36, .45) in both baffled and flow-through varieties
PCC (9mm, .45ACP) in both baffled and flow-through varieties
- An FTN.4.5 version is available which retains older FTN.4-style features
Pistol (9mm, .45ACP), utilizing an “inside-out” Nielsen device with springs on the outside
Rimfire (.22LR) using new internal geometry to maximize turbulence, with an optional flow-through add-on

Even More PLABoi Suppressor Designs!

Not satisfied with releasing the FTN.5 alone, PLABoi dropped several additional projects at the same time! These include:

The Maelstrom Suppressor Pack, a flowthrough design for rimfire and intermediate cartridges. The design goal here appears to be to produce a simpler, smaller, shorter, easier suppressor design than the main FTN.5 while still delivering adequate performance.

The FTNSD, an integral suppressor for ported 9mm barrels.

The FTN.4 CF Nylon Remix, which as its name implies is a remix of the FTN.4 designed specifically for PA6CF. This is likely intended for people who prefer the FTN.4 aesthetics but still want the improvements that Nylon brings.

The FTN Shotgun, which as its name implies is a printed shotgun suppressor - yes, really. PLABoi notes that it is inadequately tested, but in the interest of the moment it deserves a release anyways. Embrace your inner Chigurh and try it out!

It Is Your Moral Duty to Build a Suppressor

In his release notes, PLABoi explains his political goal of flooding the market with cheap, easy to build suppressors, making them so common that regulation and restriction becomes impossible.

He argues that the January 1st change to a $0 tax stamp removes the last meaningful barrier to making a suppressor, and as such you - yes, you! - have no excuse not to do your part and make one.

But doesn’t the Form 1 process require you to doxx yourself to the feds? Online commentary correctly notes that it is the 21st century and the feds are already tracking everybody anyways. Publicly wailing about it should be understood as cringy concern trolling. The question has never been “how do I avoid being doxxed” but instead “given that I am already marked, what shall I do with my borrowed time?”

If you need a step-by-step guide to filing your Form 1, check out the Form 1 Guide by OpenPew. Additional resources can be found at PLABoi’s new website https://ftn.fun.

Go get building!

Note: there are several additional new releases worth covering in the last two weeks. However, I feel that the $0 Form 1 window and the FTN releases are important enough to give them sole focus. Additional releases, like the Franken-9 and the huge Unseenkiller drop, will be covered in the next issue!

New Betas:

In this section we round up recently opened betas. Help support development by joining these betas and testing!

HubTN.4 9mm Standard Enters Beta

Continuing the suppressor theme, the HubTN.4 series by @trem-mango just got a new entry - a standard length 9mm suppressor!

If you aren’t as familiar with the HubTN suppressors, these designs are remixes of the FTN.4 that simplify assembly and, like the new FTN.5, assume high performing filaments by default.

Tax stamps are $0, so why not register one of these as well? If you do, provide beta feedback!

Yippee Ki Yay Fully DIY MP5 Enters Beta

Just in time for Christmas, the Yippee Ki Yay from kaewon has entered open beta! This is the latest in kaewon’s series of fully DIY .22LR designs. It features a fully DIY bolt, fully DIY magazine, and optionally a DIY FCG and barrel.

You can build your kit out as a standard MP5, an MP5K or an MP5SD! Kits are available from the very based Print-A-22. Get printing and send in your results!

Gandolfini Fully DIY .22LR Carbine Enters Beta

Picking up the theme of fully DIY .22LR carbines, HulkHoganHH has released the Gandolfini carbine to open beta! Like most HH designs, this one is fully DIY in every sense. It appears that this design takes inspiration from the Decker, utilizing a similar double-trigger system to provide optional FRT functionality.

It’s got a cool aesthetic, so give it a print and report back how it goes!

Coming Soon:

This section lists announcements or previews for projects that have not yet hit open beta. Keep an eye out for further news about these projects!

“MA-40” Printed Halo Assault Rifle Approaches Beta

I need a weapon. Soon you can build your own! The MA-40 project by mamahler is creating a printed replica of Halo’s assault rifle. It’s chambered in .22LR and uses AR parts, including an AR FCG and CMMG conversion bolt.

Mamahler says that this is nearing a beta release - I can’t wait to see it drop!

Section for Halo nerds - as the name implies, this design is modeled specifically after the MA40, the assault rifle design featured in Halo Infinite. Despite the numbering scheme, this design is considered a successor to the MA5B / MA5C designs used in Halos 1 and 3 respectively.

Kurt Gobang DIY Shotgun Shells Continue Development

Back in 2024, Pembleton released the Kurt-Gobang V2 printable shotgun shell design, which at the time was more akin to a printed sabot or slug. In late 2025 he resumed development of this design, producing the above loads among others! In a direct message, Pembie noted that he’s testing with both black powder and smokeless loads.

He recently released a video demonstrating the shells’ performance on a block of ballistic gel, demonstrating considerable damage. Way cool!

We are major fans of DIY ammo at the Guncad Digest, so I look forward to seeing this progress further. Stand by for more!

Wild Arms R&D Building Hypervelocity Rockets

It’s been a while since I checked in on our friend Wild Arms R&D. I of course remember his Panzerfaust, Fliegerfaust and M202A1 Flash projects, but I didn’t realize that he had started a Hypervelocity Rocket project!

This project, also known as the “Swizzlestick” (named after an early hypervelocity rocket project from the ‘60s) will replicate a US Army Missile Command rocket project from the 1980s. The hypervelocity rocket itself, as the name implies, travels at several times the speed of sound and utilizes kinetic energy alone - no explosive payload - to deliver effect on target.

In his latest update, Wild Arms describes the introduction of an inhibitor to the solid rocket booster as well as improvements to their data collection methods. These are small but important steps, and it’s exciting to see how far the project has already come!

If you want to learn more about Wild Arms’ work, and support future development, make sure to grab his books!

News:

In this section we’ll review major news events either originating in the 3D2A space, or particularly pertinent to this space.

Rare Breed Sues Hoffman for Patent Infringement

In Issue 14 we reported that Rare Breed Triggers had purchased a putative provisional patent on the Super Safety design. This purchase indicated to us an intent on RBT’s part to litigate the Super Safety - and regretfully, such litigation has now been filed.

Case number 1:25-cv-00389 was filed on December 23rd, 2025 (two days before Christmas!) in the eastern district of Tennessee. In their complaint, Rare Breed Triggers alleges that Hoffman’s publication of the Super Safety infringes one or more Rare Breed patents1 on FRT technology, thereby committing “unfair competition, defamation and tortious interference”. Defamation and breach of contract are also alleged.

RBT requests relief in the form of an injunction against Hoffman “and all others acting in active concert therewith” from further infringement - i.e. broad prohibition of publishing the Super Safety - along with damages and fees. They also seek to enjoin the same subjects from “discussing the claims…and the causes of action in this law suit”, i.e. a gag order.

The questions of fact in this case - whether the Super Safety does violate the claimed patents, whether Hoffman’s putative violation was willful, whether Hoffman defamed Rare Breed, etc. - will now be resolved by the court. It is meaningless to speculate on them here.

What is more interesting is to reflect on Rare Breed’s motivation for filing the suit2. It is safe to assume that Rare Breed’s sales have been negatively impacted by the widespread popularity of the Super Safety. This popularity is a combination of both its low cost and its cultural cache (open-source, promoted by popular influencers).

How else might Rare Breed have responded to this market challenge? They could have:

Dropped the cost of their own FRTs to try to compete on price
Open-sourced their own FRTs in an act of goodwill3
Manufactured their own Super Safeties, which would be absolutely possible given the project’s open source publication

Instead of choosing to compete on price, quality or popularity, Rare Breed chose to invoke the federal leviathan to protect their shrinking market. This mindset is demonstrated in their complaint - they cite with practiced disapproval Hoffman’s claims that “a company’s success or failure should depend solely on its business model and marketing practices, not on the lawful protections afforded by the United States patent system.” To be clear, they are claiming that this idea is unfair.

Even if RBT’s legal claims are true, they have still chosen one of the ugliest ways to redress their harms. IP disputes are the last refuge of those who can’t win any other way. Suits like this tend to harm the plaintiff as much (if not more) as the defendant, a fact that Rare Breed is likely to discover in the coming years.

Community Corner:

2025 Retrospective

We just crossed over into 2026. There were several blows to the community in 2025, including the banning of /r/fosscad and /r/fosscadtoo, several lawsuits and the disappearance of several major community members.

Yet on the whole there was more good than bad. In the wake of fosscad’s passing we witnessed the rise of 3D2A. The Guncad Index went live in March of 2025, providing a critical resource for the community which is hard to imagine having lived without. Suppressor tax stamps are $0 and FRTs are more ubiquitous than ever.

2026 is poised to be an even better year. There are several projects in the works that I believe will be just as important as those just mentioned. Keep an eye on this space for further details.

What to Look Forward to in 2026

We had some amazing designs release in 2025, with even more amazing ones poised to release in 2026. Here are a few that I’m particularly looking forward to.

Note that these are far from all the awesome designs in progress! There are many others, and many I’m not even aware of! 2026 promises to be an incredible year for 3D2A.

STGV - Updated STG556

Stubbs is working on backporting several of the design improvements introduced in the SMP40, most notably the aluminum tube internals, which will vastly improve this design. 3D Print Freedom will provide kit and build support upon release!

FossMG9

The FossMG9 by GreenWhiskey is finally a functional realization of the Magpul FMG9 concept, built around standard Glock parts. It functions - I’ve seen it! - and will release very soon!

M3 Grease Gun

I’m actually aware of two different printable M3 Grease Gun designs - one from Black Lotus Coalition and one upcoming from Stubbs. Like the real Grease Gun, these will be chambered in god’s own .45ACP. Both are highly anticipated!

Decker 9

The original Decker .380 is one of the most popular guncad projects out there, in no small part due to the extreme care put into its design by its developer Lafitte1812. The Decker 9, currently in beta, promises to be even better! The most obvious improvement is of course the caliber upgrade, but there are dozens of other small fixes and changes that will make the best fully DIY gun out there even better.

Speakeasy

AWCY’s has been working on a mostly-DIY Thompson replica called the Speakeasy for some time now, and it appears to be reaching the final stages of beta. Its construction might be compared to the 3DP90 - not fully DIY, but very close, utilizing a wide variety of SCS plates to replace commercial hardware.

TISM DIY Artillery

We announced the TISM, a DIY 37mm artillery launcher, about halfway through 2025, and the project continues quietly but surely! Upon release it will surely be one of the largest DIY guns ever produced. Help spread the signal to your neighboring counties!

BLC Beltfed

Black Lotus Coalition remains hard at work on this almost-entirely DIY 5.56 beltfed design! Like the M1337, it uses AR bolt heads and barrels, but other than that all parts are DIY’d.

This is actually one of the most active projects happening behind the scenes. I expect a 2026 release date!

About the Guncad Digest:

Thank you for reading this issue of the Guncad Digest! Please send us your feedback and suggestions for improvements on the issue.

The Guncad Digest is sourced using the very excellent Guncad Index, from /r/3D2A, and from readers like you. If you know of a project you think should be featured, send it our way!

It is worth noting that the pending TwinBros provisional patent is not mentioned in this suit. Rare Breed does not claim that Hoffman stole the Super Safety, nor do they comment on whether he invented it - they simply claim that the Super Safety infringes their existing patents and that Hoffman infringed by publishing the SS it to Odysee.

For sake of argument let’s ignore the theory that Rare Breed is conspiring with the federal government to bring these suits, and instead assume that they are acting independently.

The argument that open-sourcing a design like this will crater sales has been disproven time and time again. There’s no threat of widespread DIYing FRTs - virtually every SS out there today was bought and not DIY’d, despite its pure open source status. What about rival manufacturers / China? I suspect that an open-source goodwill campaign by Rare Breed, combined with reasonable pricing, could have led to the community preferring to purchase from Rare Breed, even at a premium, compared to putative second-movers.

Issue 15: The Rise of 3D2A, Menendez Mag V3, .22LR ECM

Alyosha K. — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:53:33 GMT

Welcome to the Guncad Digest! This newsletter will regularly round up the best and most interesting 3D2A releases, betas and news.

If you want the Guncad Digest delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe to this Substack.

Subscribe now

You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit, where we’ll post notifications when a new issue of the Digest is live!

Community Corner:

New Releases:

Menendez Mag V3 Released!
XD45 Frame from DBFirearms

Updates:

Stubbs Releases SMP41 Standalone Package

New Betas:

Coming Soon:

“Icarus” Glock 43 PDW Coming Soon

News:

California Criminalizes Talking about DIY Guns

Other Links

Community Corner:

In this section, we’ll focus especially on news related to the overall 3D2A community.

The Passing of Fosscad…

On the same day our last issue went to print, we learned that Reddit had banned /r/fosscadtoo. This subreddit was one of two successors to /r/fosscad, which was itself banned in September after five years in operation.

The other successor subreddit, /r/3D2A, now stands alone as the only space dedicated to 3D printed guns on Reddit, and among a handful of Facebook groups, the only 3D2A space on the mainstream internet.

/r/fosscad was the front page of 3D printed guns, and our first reaction after its loss was to try to recreate it. But after the loss of /r/fosscadtoo, we conclude that there will never again be a “front page” for 3D2A on the mainnet. We believe that the future of DIY firearm development is decentralized, federated, and spread across dozens of locations.

…the Rise of 3D2A

Our task as we enter 2026 is to create the means to inform and direct the community to these decentralized resources.

To that end, we announce the creation of the 3D2A Wiki, and its Getting Connected guide. The 3D2A Wiki will serve as a signpost to community members old and new amid the evolving landscape of 3D2A.

More importantly, as a wiki, its content can be determined not just by one individual or group, but by the entire community. The content will grow and update over time, instead of stagnating. Instead of ossifying, the 3D2A Wiki will fossify.

/r/3D2A may very well remain and it will establish a culture in its own right. But it cannot be another /r/fosscad. Let’s instead make it a place for people to start their journey in 3D2A. A place they can stay briefly, but not too long.

A Stronger, More Decentralized World

Fosscad was not just a subreddit, but also a philosophy. As such the passage from /r/fosscad[too] to /r/3D2A also reflects a paradigm shift from Fosscad philosophy to 3D2A/Guncad philosophy.

Fosscad philosophy, built from 2019 to 2024, was in its own way centralized. It attempted to bring everything into one location - first IRC, then Keybase, then Rocketchat. It focused, for better and worse, on the developer personae and point of view rather than the designs themselves.

We felt this approach to guncad recede slowly in 2024, then quickly throughout 2025. The centralized chat platforms have now given way to the decentralized Element. Many of the community leaders from the Fosscad era are no longer with us, and their nearest equivalents do not aspire to the same social roles.

Describing this shift recognizes only something already in progress. Our enemies have already identified it - we now do so as well.

This is not the end of a story so much as the beginning of a new chapter in our maturing movement. We call it 3D2A because it means new things to new people.

New Releases:

In this section, we cover new file releases that we find notable. If something catches your interest, go download and start printing!

Menendez Mag V3 Released!

Bob Menendez remains in prison, but the Menendez Mag V3 was just released! This is the latest iteration of the printed Glock magazine, developed by Riptide Rails, and it introduces a notable innovation: metal feed lips!

These feed lips can be DIY’d by cutting a metal flat (or getting SCS to do it - a DXF is included) and bending it using a printed bending jig. You can also buy premade feed lips from Riptide!

The feed lips have always been the bane of printed mags, so introducing DIY’d metal versions is a very cool step forward, likely making these magazines practical for serious use.

Assembly is the same as the previous versions of this mag, nice and simple, requiring nothing but a Glock spring. Buy a complete kit from Riptide to get the spring and the feed lips all in one!

XD45 Frame from DBFirearms

The prolific DBFirearms brings us his latest design, a printable frame for the Springfield XD45! This is a remix of an earlier frame by 458Socom, modernized and tested by DB.

At this time, the frame is compatible only with the standard XD45 parts kits - XDM, MOD.2 and Subcompact parts aren’t compatible yet, but DB promises they’ll be coming soon!

Updates:

In this section we will mention updates to major releases - fixes, new variants, etc.

Stubbs Releases SMP41 Standalone Package

This is more of a repackaging than a true update, but it’s cool enough to warrant mentioning. Previously released in the Halloween Mega Release, the standalone SMP41 is a remix of the SMP40, meant to mimic the MP-41 by Schmeisser.

Time for some history - the MP-41 may be considered an unauthorized mashup of the MP-40, taking the front half (barrel, receiver, magazine, action) from an MP-40 and combining it with the stock and trigger mechanism of an MP-28. Was this the first remix? Was Hugo Schmeisser the earliest guncadder?

That said, the SMP41 is really just an SMP40 with a different stock. If you want that cool wood aesthetic on your 9mm Not-See SMG, this is for you!

New Betas:

In this section we round up recently opened betas. Help support development by joining these betas and testing!

Pill Popper V2 Enters Beta

MiddletonMade’s popular printed suppressor design is back with a new iteration! He describes the V2 as having a hybrid chamber design, helping to achieve better suppression effect. The details are above my head, but it looks cool to me!

Middleton classes this as a beta and so will I. If you print it, make sure to share feedback!

ECM22 Project - DIY Rimfire Barrel

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a new ECM design! Developer @R_Weapon brings us a new setup for ECMing a .22LR barrel. I’ve seen other betas for .22LR ECM, but none ever got a true “release”, so if this one makes it through a good testing sequence it will be the first “official” .22LR ECM!

This was apparently developed to support a fully DIY .22LR semiauto pistol, the R17, which I think is by the same developer despite being on a different Odysee channel.

Interested? Download and help test!

Notachi Continues Development with RC5

The Notachi Revolver by clearview4851 has advanced to a new iteration! See changelog here. It looks like one of the major updates is making the DIY firing pin easier to manufacture, which I of course approve of.

This design is being used to test DIY “primer-only” ammo, which is what makes it particularly interesting to me. Given its fully DIY nature, if you decide to help test, do so with care. Looking forward to seeing this design continue to progress!

Coming Soon:

This section lists announcements or previews for projects that have not yet hit open beta. Keep an eye out for further news about these projects!

“Icarus” Glock 43 PDW Coming Soon

Glock PDWs aren’t exactly uncommon, but I’m not sure I’ve seen one for a Glock 43 before! Developer FloridaManPrints is working on just such a design, and he claims that the beta should be out very shortly. Keep an eye out!

News:

In this section we’ll review major news events either originating in the 3D2A space, or particularly pertinent to this space.

California Criminalizes Talking about DIY Guns

In a move that is simultaneously shocking in its audacity, and yet not at all unexpected, California will establish an all-encompassing prior restraint on the “aid[ing], abet[ting], promot[ion], or facilitat[ion]” of the unlicensed “manufacture of any firearm using a three-dimensional printer or computer numerical control (CNC) milling machine”.

What does this actually mean? As usual, we don’t know, and that’s the point. The language is so vague and broad that it could refer to:

Selling a barrel or bolt to a Californian
Selling a collection of nuts and bolts labeled as a “parts kit” to a Californian
Providing a Californian information about how to buy his own "parts kit”
Running a website that offers 3D2A CAD files for download

That last example is specifically identified as illegal, and a rebuttable presumption of violation is established for the owners of such a website.

To be clear, this bill has passed, and it will go into effect as written on January 1st, 2026. At that time we will see who in particular California had in mind when writing this bill.

If you are a parts kit vendor or otherwise an owner of a 3D2A website or resource, it behooves you to pay close attention to this bill. Be smart, be safe. Be aware.

About the Guncad Digest:

Thank you for reading this issue of the Guncad Digest! Please send us your feedback and suggestions for improvements on the issue.

The Guncad Digest is sourced using the very excellent Guncad Index, from /r/3D2A, and from readers like you. If you know of a project you think should be featured, send it our way!

Issue 14: Universal Pistol Frame, Printed M249 Box Mag, Super Safety Patent Trolling

Alyosha K. — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 17:44:56 GMT

Welcome to the Guncad Digest! This newsletter will regularly round up the best and most interesting 3D2A releases, betas and news.

If you want the Guncad Digest delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe to this Substack.

Subscribe now

You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit, where we’ll post notifications when a new issue of the Digest is live!

===== BREAKING: FOSSCADTOO BANNED =====

Literally minutes before I made this post live, I received the news that /r/fosscadtoo had been banned.

At this time, /r/3D2A appears to survive. I have been contacted by a /r/fosscadtoo moderator and we are attempting to diagnose the situation.

Rather than delay this already late post even later, I am publishing now to “clear the decks” so I can do a proper writeup on the second loss of a major guncad subreddit.

Stand by for more.

New Releases:

Updates:

New Betas:

Coming Soon:

News:

Rare Breed Buys TwinBros Provisional Super Safety Patent

Other Links

New Releases:

In this section, we cover new file releases that we find notable. If something catches your interest, go download and start printing!

Tiny-11 Universal Micro Pistol Frame

Starting off strong with a new .380ACP pistol frame release from Black Lotus Coalition! The Tiny-11 started life as a frame for Sig P238 parts kits, but during course of development it was found that the frame was also compatible with several other .380ACP pistols, such as the Kimber Micro and the Springfield Arms 911.

How is this possible? It turns out that all these guns are based on the Colt Mustang, and they share enough dimensions to allow the creation of a printed frame that works for all of them. Hence, we call it with some level of seriousness a “Universal Micro Pistol Frame.”

Even more impressively, this release also contains a 9mm variant, compatible with both the Sig P938 and the Springfield Arms 911 (9mm version)! These two guns are independent Colt Mustang rescales, so you wouldn’t expect the dimensions to match as well, but they apparently do.

This is a very cool accomplishment! Major props to Black Lotus Coalition for this release, and to my boy Print-A-22 who collaborated on this release!

Unseenkiller Glock Reference Models

While the rest of us have been messing around with Black Friday, unseenkiller has been a busy boy (when is he not though)! His most notable release is the pictured Glock reference CAD, which contains accurate reference models for several internal Glock parts, including barrels, slides, magazines and many small parts.

To be clear, this is a major accomplishment, on par with the famous DD2 AR-15 reference model release. Hard as it may be to believe, the guncad community has not had standard reference models for Glock hardware - until now!

Unseen takes pains to note that this is not the final version and that these parts may still have some small inaccuracies. These will be corrected however, and when they are, we’ll update you here!

Fantastic work as always Unseen!

Riptide Nylaug CQC Handguards

Riptide Rails continues to innovate in the Nylaug space, introducing a quad rail handguard! Now you can strip your Nylaug’s charming 80’s aesthetic and make it look like every other modern tacticool rifle at the range.

joking, joking. In truth this is a very cool release. It consists of a printable handguard, linked above, and a series of machined aluminum pic rails, which can be purchased at Riptide’s store. Note that you’ll also need to get his aluminum top rail to complete this build!

The Nylaug platform continues to grow in popularity and I support anything that helps support that! Go grab one from Riptide and tell him I sent you!

Updates:

In this section we will mention updates to major releases - fixes, new variants, etc.

Clearing Confusion about SMP40 Receiver Cut Templates

By the numbers, the SMP40 is probably the most popular kit I sell. Since its release in October I’ve received several messages about a misalignment between the receiver cut template and the actual receiver cover - specifically related to the rear notch that the charging handle locks into when pulled back.

In the original release, the template had you cut the notch forward of the slot in the actual receiver cover. In this case, the template had it right - the receiver cover included in the release was a beta version, which had the slot located further back. Stubbs corrected this and updated his version.

As such, anyone having trouble with their build should download Stubbs’ version of the SMP40, in order to get the correct receiver cover. For some reason the BLC version of the upload hasn’t been corrected, but I’ve reached out to Gage to correct this.

Curiously, Stubbs uploaded the receiver cut template as an independent release (which inspired this writeup), but it’s not clear why he did this, given that the problem was with the receiver tube cover, not the cut template. Regardless, it’s there if you want it.

26.5mm / 37mm Updated Collection:

New Year’s is coming up, which means that everyone should be prepping their launcher loads! User flaccidfish has gathered every 37mm and 26.5mm shell design he could find into one megapack. It’s over 1.8GB in size!

I’m actually a fan of megapacks like this, but standard disclaimers apply - check the providence of any file you find in here. Was it originally released by someone reputable? Is there evidence of testing? Do they pass the smell test for safety?

Launchers are fun, but they’re likely more dangerous than your average 3DP design. Stay safe, guys!

New Betas:

In this section we round up recently opened betas. Help support development by joining these betas and testing!

PL-RAY Gun Enters Beta

That was fast! Last issue we described the PL-RAY Gun project from Black Lotus Coalition entering alpha; it’s now in beta! Interested parties can DM ImposterArms or ModeratorGage to join the beta.

What is this beautiful thing? It’s a single-shot .380ACP pistol using a liner hammer, electromagnetic sear and “hardware store friendly bolt action carrier.” What’s that all mean? Join the beta to find out!

M249-Style Box / Drum Beta from BasicCombat

You know what the problem is with the LIMA Six upper? Running out of ammo too quickly. Developer BasicCombat solves that problem with these printable magazines!

There’s two versions: a “box” style that mirrors an M249 box, and a “drum” style. The “box” style uses an M249-style dovetail adapter (which means you’ll need the right mount on your gun in some way) while the “drum” style has a dummy “magazine” that slots into your AR’s magwell.

In either case, these items are really just hollow boxes that hold a coiled up belt of .223, but they look damn cool and that’s what matters. If you’re one of the lucky ducks who got a Lima Six upper, join the beta and help test!

Printable LPVO Attachment Pack at Gatalog

Meanwhile at the Gatalog, the Arizona-themed tramshpamda (not to be confused with the Trash Panda lever-action AR) is working on a “3D printable red dot and LPVO mount.” Commercial LPVO mounts can go for hundreds or even thousands of dollars - a printable one won’t give you the same quality, but it’s better than nothing! Join the beta at the Gatalog.

Coming Soon:

This section lists announcements or previews for projects that have not yet hit open beta. Keep an eye out for further news about these projects!

Pillager Chassis - Invader for TX22

It was only a matter of time until someone made a chassis for the TX22, wasn’t it? Developer SilentSubject9458 is working on just such a design, which he’s calling the Pillager. Imagine the feel of sending a magdump of .22 downrange with this baby…

SilentSubject tells me he thinks he’ll release it in the next few weeks, and is seeking ideas / feedback. Hit him up with your thoughts!

Printed TP9 by ArmThyRightHand and TitusArms

Staying in the realm of PDWs, Titus Arms and ArmThyRightHand are collaborating on this printed TP9 design!

You can watch the video in the link for all the details, but discussion in the comments helped clarify a few things. Titus does plan to sell these as completed firearms, but the design will also be released open source for anyone who wants to print it. It appears that it will be using TP9 parts, but Titus is planning on OEMing them, so perhaps you’ll be able to buy parts kits from him.

The video states that, at this time, Titus will only make SBR options - but since the design will be released open source, theoretically it could be remixed to incorporate a brace, or turned into a rifle length design! In any case, it’s cool, and I’m happy to see it.

NagLite and SK9: New Designs Coming from Not-A-Glock Dev

Developer Ju5t3nc4s3 of the Not-A-Glock fame has some new designs in the works! The first is the above-pictured NagLite, a flashlight-styled single-shot .22LR build that appears to use a carbon fiber tube for the “flashlight body”, and sports a neat push-button trigger design. Just like the NAG, Ju5t3nc4s3 describes this as fully DIY!

Less detailed but more interesting to me is the “S-K-9”, what appears to be a 9mm PCC design. Only a video has been released and there’s very little commentary, but this appears to be another fully DIY design, which will put it in very rare company indeed!

As always I’ll be watching these with great interest. Let’s see where they go!

News:

In this section we’ll review major news events either originating in the 3D2A space, or particularly pertinent to this space.

Rare Breed Buys TwinBros Provisional Super Safety Patent

Strange things are brewing related to the Super Safety. I’m still researching this, but I’ll write up what I know so far.

About two weeks ago Hoffman shared the above-pictured declaration by “Cameron Smith”, filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office on Halloween 2025, in which Cameron claims to have invented the Super Safety. The same Cameron Smith filed an application for a patent on the Super Safety in December 2024, which remain pending.

Comments in the Twitter thread indicate that Cameron Smith is the real name of TwinBros, the proprietor of a now-defunct webstore that sold Super Safeties and other FRTs.

The Cameron Smith declaration includes a docket number indicating the involvement of the infamously litigious Rare Breed Triggers. This, plus possibly other undisclosed information, leads Hoffman to believe that this declaration was filed in support of a sale of Smith’s putative IP rights in the Super Safety to Rare Breed.

What would it mean for Rare Breed to actually possess the intellectual property rights to the Super Safety? They could then prosecute anybody who sells Super Safety parts, posts Super Safety plans online, or even makes a SS in their own home. To be clear, this hasn’t actually happened yet, so don’t go freaking out on me.

Challenging this putative outcome would require demonstrating that Rare Breed’s ownership (or Cameron Smith’s transfer) of the SS IP rights is invalid, and consensus seems to be that this won’t be difficult given the volume of prior art Hoffman is able to demonstrate. Still, the question on everyone’s lips is: how could we have prevented this?

Many note that Hoffman failed to take any action to clarify the status of the Super Safety when he first published it, neither patenting it, declaring a license, or formatting the release as an intentional dedication to the public domain.

The claim is that he should have done at least one of these things to prevent the IP rights from being potentially sniped from under him, but these are very different solution. Which is the right one? Would any of them have stopped this from happening?

A public domain dedication is complicated. As for a defensive patent, it’s worth noting that TwinBros himself claimed that he himself was going for a defensive patent to “protect” the SS from yet another patent troll.

I’m not convinced that any of these things are the solution, or that things like this even have a foolproof solution. Regardless, I intend to research this further and provide more information in future issues.

Until then, note that regardless of the legal status of the super safety, technologically it cannot be stopped. Even in the absolute worst case legal scenario described above, Rare Breed can’t literally stop people from privately making their own Super Safeties. This above all else was the original goal of the 3D printed gun - that this technology would always and forever be available, accessible, regardless of the law.

At least in this practical sense, the Super Safety is truly public domain.

About the Guncad Digest:

Thank you for reading this issue of the Guncad Digest! Please send us your feedback and suggestions for improvements on the issue.

The Guncad Digest is sourced using the very excellent Guncad Index, from /r/3D2A, and from readers like you. If you know of a project you think should be featured, send it our way!

SPECIAL ISSUE: Black Friday 2025 Sales

Alyosha K. — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 16:03:24 GMT

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Now that the day of gratitude has passed, it’s time for the other American national pastime - buying shit!

Instead of a TV you don’t need, why not buy some new 3D2A kits from one of these fine vendors, and support the community?

This list consists of trusted vendors who responded to my inquiries about their sales. If you know of sales that should be on here, please reach out!

This list will update throughout the sale season.

Sale List:

3D Print Freedom:

M1337 Complete Kit, Doorbusters, Free Kits, Other Discounts

We’re going balls to the wall at 3D Print Freedom for Black Friday!

First and most excitingly, we are launching an M1337 Gatling Gun Complete Kit! I’ve been working on this kit for months and I’m so excited to finally release it. Because it’s coming out on Black Friday, I’m launching it at a $100 discount! We’re only selling ten units before moving into preorders for subsequent batches, so grab one before they’re gone!

We’ve got some other doorbusters as well, including 33% off the SMP40 Hardware Kit and 20% off the 3DP90 hardware kit.

For those of you who don’t yet have a printer, or are looking to upgrade, we’re also selling the new Bambu P2S at $50 off the normal Bambu price. Let’s make some new gun printers this holiday season!

There’s still more! We’re also doing Build Bonuses, where you get a free kit if you spend over a certain amount. The tiers are:

Over $100 - free PEN15 kit
Over $250 - free Modelo Polylactico kit
Over $500 - free Decker kit
Over $1000 - free DannyMeatball 26.5mm Pump n’ Dump kit

These Build Bonuses are applied automatically, and they stack, so if your cart is over $1000, you’ll get all four kits added on for free!

Finally, we’ve discounted several other products across the site. This sale will run through Cyber Monday, but only while stocks last, so go check it out!

Print-A-22:

Up to 25% Off With Code CANTSTOPTHESIGNAL
Free Projectile Dysfunction Kit over $250!

Friend of the Digest Print-A-22 is back with a pretty fantastic Black Friday deal! Like the title says, using code CANTSTOPTHESIGNAL will grant you discounts sitewide, up to 25%!

Plus you’ll get a Projectile Dysfunction kit for every order over $250!

Sale Highlights:

SY22 Deluxe Kit: the SY22 is an evolution of the YEET-22, and is one of the premiere fully-DIY .22 pistols! Fun fact: I’ve had a SY22 kit from Print-A-22 sitting on my desk for months now. I promise I’ll finish it someday! Even having not built it, I can tell how much care and thought was put into this design. Go get one!
Decimator Hardware Kit: I feel like this is one of the most common designs I saw posted on /r/fosscad (RIP). Its popularity surely comes from how easy it is to build! Print-A-22’s hardware kit makes it even easier.
Ryno Hardware Kit: the print-in-place Ryno .22 revolver is one of the most eagerly awaited designs at the Gatalog right now. Grab this hardware kit and be ready for the drop! There’s not much hardware required - a spring and a screw - but Print-A-22 includes a laser cut grip weight to keep things legal.

MiddletonMade:

15% Off All Orders Over $49 with code “iLoveMiddleton”

Middleton is one of my favorite guncad dudes, and he let me choose the code this year, so let’s all express our love for him with some orders! He’s giving a nice 15% off all orders over $49. This sale lasts through December 6th, but once products are gone they’re gone, so get on it!

Sale Highlights:

D2 Super Safety: back in stock, Middleton’s selling high quality Super Safety kits! The cam and hinge are both machined from super strong D2 tool steel. Also included is a 4140 machined detent and a precut trigger. You can feel super safe with this design!
Instant Noodle Bump Grip: want a more subtle way to make your AR shoot fast? The Instant Noodle bump grip is another great option! Middleton produces these in PA12 SLS nylon, so it will last much longer than one you print yourself.
Taurus TX22 Freedom Finger FRT: the Taurus TX22 is probably one of the most popular guns of 2025 due to how ridiculously easy it is to FRT. If you want your FRT to last, get the one Middleton makes available, milled from 316 stainless steel!

Riptide Rails:

Up to 35% Off Sitewide, Orders over $85 Ship Free!

Our boy Riptide Rails continues to be the premier vendor of FMDA rails, but lately he’s also made cool strides into machined Nylaug parts! If you’re looking for a machined part for some of the most popular builds in guncad, he probably has it. Get them at an up to 35% discount this Black Friday sale, and get free shipping on all orders over $85!

Sale Highlights:

DD17.2 Rail Kit w/ Locking Block: obviously I’m going to feature Riptide’s primary product! I chose the 17.2, but of course he offers 19.2, 26.2, 43.1 and all other FMDA rails you might want. All are on sale!
FGC-9 MkII Enhanced Bolt: make your FGC-9 bufferless with this enhanced bolt! More interestingly, this is also the bolt at the heart of the Triton-9. I expect more designs to come out featuring this bolt too, so grab one at a discount!
Nylaug Machined Picatinny Rail: a recent addition to Riptide’s Nylaug collection, this is a machined pic rail that you can install on your Nylaug’s printed receiver! This opens up a world of upgrades for your Nylaug, including Riptide’s own CQC Handguard!

Parts Dispensed:

20% Off Sitewide with Code THANKS25

Parts Dispensed remains likely the most comprehensive parts kit seller, providing kits for everything from the highly popular builds all the way down to the totally obscure ones. Grab one at 20% off with code THANKS25! Yes, that’s a 25 and not a 20 - I’m assuming it’s meant to refer to 2025 :)

Sale Highlights:

FGC9 MkII: pretty sure I don’t need to describe the FGC-9 to you. Whenever someone asks where to get an FGC9 kit, I point them to Parts Dispensed. Get it on sale!
Orca Complete Build Kit: the Orca is remains the last word in mostly-DIY AR-15s. Grab this complete kit and build your own!
Sumac Parts Kit: I wanted to feature an AWCY design to round out the list, and what better than the Sumac? This is an older Mac design but still one of my favorites. Despite the photo showing a box mag, the “Su” in “Sumac” refers to the Suomi drum mag that the Sumac was designed to be compatible with. Way too cool!

Pembleton and Sons:

40% Off Sitewide with Code BLACKFRIDAY

Pembleton has returned to us after a short break in the latter half of 2025, and he’s got a banger of a sale! Get 40% off sitewide with the code BLACKFRIDAY! If you’re looking for something spicy, Pembie is your guy.

Sale Highlights:

TX22 Complete ART Kit: Pembleton appears to be one of the main guys driving TX22 accessories, and here you can buy a complete kit with all his goodies! Included is a striker assembly, compensator, mag adapter and FRT disconnectors. Go fast!
Dillinger 1911/2011 FRT: we’re FRTing guns that I never thought possible. When I saw this on the front page I knew I had to feature it. Buy this and rip through 7+1 with ease! That’s a lot of lead flying through the air.
GSPOT Active Reset Trigger: if you (like me) have sought the gspot in vain, look no further. Pembie’s got one and it’s on sale. Make your Glock shoot fast with this CNC’d trigger kit!

DB Designworks:

25% Off Sitewide!

DB Firearms is one of the OG guncad developers and I’m happy to see him doing a sale! This one’s nice and straightforward, 25% off all hardware kits.

Sale Highlights:

DB9 Alloy Hardware Kit: obviously we must feature DB’s most famous design! The DB Alloy is one of the most widely recommended Mac builds out there, and now you can get a hardware kit for it at a discount.
Triton-9 Hardware Kit: the Triton-9 is a 9mm PCC built around the FGC-9 MKII bolt we mentioned in the Riptide section. DB will sell you a hardware kit consisting of all the nuts and bolts required to go with the design!
Holdup Hardware Kit: the Holdup is a beta design that introduces a ball detent-delay functionality into a Mac upper system. I’m excited for this design! If you’re looking to help test, grab a hardware kit on sale and join the beta!

About the Guncad Digest:

Thank you for reading this issue of the Guncad Digest! Please send us your feedback and suggestions for improvements on the issue.

The Guncad Digest is sourced using the very excellent Guncad Index, from /r/3D2A, and from readers like you. If you know of a project you think should be featured, send it our way!

SPECIAL ISSUE: Printing with Privacy on Bambu

Alyosha K. — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 16:36:55 GMT

TL;DR: here’s how to configure your Bambu to ensure it can’t spy / tattle on you:

To learn more about how to do each of these things, keep reading!

You can also view a condensed version of this post in video form:

Intro: Flashforge Steps on a Rake

If you haven’t seen already, Flashforge put out an announcement yesterday claiming that they prohibit the manufacture of certain kinds of parts on their printers, and threatening “account termination and referral to authorities” for anyone who violates this policy.

Of course, they got completely destroyed in the comments. They’ve since deleted the post and are trying to walk back the threats:

Clearly the outrage was effective in some sense (I’ve written more about this here), but what’s more interesting to me is their technological claims. Can Flashforge actually prohibit you from printing 3D2A parts?

I’ve never actually used a Flashforge printer, but based on a quick review, it looks like the answer is - kind of.

Flashforge uses a proprietary slicer, and their firmware is closed source, meaning that they could put code in either of these to tattle on you if you try to print something spicy.

That said, I’m not really concerned, because Flashforge just doesn’t seem to have that big of a following in the 3D2A community. But there’s another printer that is very widely used, for which people have a similar concern: Bambu printers.

Regarding Bambu Printers

Bambu printers are very popular in 3D2A. This is because Bambu printers essentially work right out of the box, producing super high quality prints in many different materials, including nylons.

Unlike my old Ender or Prusa, I have never had to spend time trying to tune my Bambu - it just works. They’re fantastic printers for people who want to focus on 3D2A, not on tinkering with the printer itself.

This said, a lot of people have concerns that Bambu could do the same thing Flashforge is trying to do.

Bambu has never put out any similar kind of anti-3D2A announcement, and they actually seem to tolerate 3D2A pretty well. But because certain parts of their software are also closed source, we can’t know for certain whether they’re monitoring our prints.

Does this mean we have to forego these fantastic printers out of privacy concerns?

No, we don’t. I’m going to show you how you can set up your Bambu printer so that you can fully maintain your privacy and not worry about printing whatever you want.

It’s actually really easy if you follow three basic rules.

Configuring your Bambu for Privacy

To start with, let’s review the three ways a 3D printer could tattle on you for printing something spicy:

1. The slicing software could detect you are slicing a certain kind of part
2. The upload functionality could report on what you are trying to upload
3. The printer itself could detect and stop you from trying to print a spicy file

For all three of these items, you can configure your Bambu to make it impossible for them to monitor or block what you’re doing.

Starting with the slicing software. Bambu’s first-party slicing software is Bambu Studio, which is actually partially open source.

Certain parts, namely the networking plugin, are closed source (we’ll get to that later) but the core slicing software appears to be open. This means that anyone can read the code, and any functionality added to detect and tattle on you for slicing 3D2A files could be found.

This is good, but if you really want to be safe, you can instead use a different third party slicer called OrcaSlicer.

OrcaSlicer is fully open source, and functions almost identically to BambuStudio, but Bambu (the company) has no control over it, meaning they can’t introduce any monitoring code.

So, the first rule to print privately on Bambu is: use OrcaSlicer to slice your prints.

Don’t Use Bambu’s Cloud Service

Now let’s talk about uploading sliced prints to your printer.

This is where people have the biggest concerns, because Bambu’s marketing and documentation tries to point you towards uploading your sliced files via their cloud service to your printer.

This means that your print data travels all the way to Bambu’s servers before being sent back to your printer. Who knows what they’re doing with that data?

Fortunately, you can avoid this entirely by simply not uploading your prints through the cloud service, and instead transferring them via micro SD card, just like on an Ender printer.

For some reason I don’t think many people know you can do this, but it’s actually very easy to do.

All you have to do is plug your printer’s micro SD card into your computer, and then after slicing in OrcaSlicer, choose “Export G-Code file”.

Write the gcode file to the “model” folder in your SD card.

You can also do this in Bambu Studio, although it’s a little hidden - go to File > Export > Export Gcode.

Once the file is exported, plug the micro SD card back into your printer, and now you can select and print the sliced file on your Bambu printer’s control panel.

Uploading this way means that your gcode never travels over any networks, so it can’t be monitored.

As such, the second rule to print privately on Bambu is: only upload sliced prints via exporting the gcode to your micro SD card.

Sidebar: LAN Mode (Don’t Bother)

TL;DR: the conclusion is to not bother with LAN mode, so you can skip this section unless you really care about printer software politics.

By the way, I am aware that Bambu also offers LAN mode, where you can upload your files wirelessly over your local network without sending them through the Bambu cloud.

This is a little complicated. It’s first worth noting that while LAN mode may be usable via Bambu Studio, at time of writing it is not usable with OrcaSlicer.

Bambu attempted to block third party software from accessing network functionality (either the cloud service or LAN mode) in January 2025, causing significant outrage.

In response to the outrage, Bambu attempted to make concessions that would still allow OrcaSlicer (and other third party software) to upload sliced files wirelessly. Yet OrcaSlicer rejected these concessions, and it appears that, at time of writing, this remains the current state of play.

To me, this is all academic, because even if LAN mode worked with OrcaSlicer, I wouldn’t bother with it. Our goal is to ensure our workflow is private, and nothing is more private than direct transfer via micro SD card.

As such, I haven’t attempted to configure LAN mode with either OrcaSlicer or Bambu Slicer, and I recommend you similarly ignore it. Just use the micro SD card.

Keep Your Printer Off the Network

Finally, let’s talk about the printer itself. Bambu’s firmware (the software running on the actual printer hardware, responsible for controlling the printer’s movement) is totally closed source.

As such, some people suggest that this firmware could be configured to detect that you’re trying to print a 3D2A part, could block your print, and could even report you back to Bambu (or the feds!)

I think this is technically dubious. But because the firmware is closed source, we can’t be certain that Bambu isn’t trying to do this.

The good news is that, even if they were, we can defeat it entirely by simply not connecting your Bambu printer to the internet.

When you first set up the printer, Bambu asks you to connect the printer to your local wifi, and it asks you to register the printer on their app. But there’s nothing stopping you from simply ignoring / skipping these requests.

You do need to register if you want to use the cloud upload service, but we’re not using that, so we can simply run our printer in autistic mode. No matter what it tries to do, it can never communicate with the outside world, and your privacy is secured.

(Note: I’ve encountered several reports saying that you can’t skip connecting to the wifi or connecting to the app, and yet I was able to easily do so myself in my own testing. I think the context of these reports is people trying to use the wireless upload functionality. If you eschew that entirely and use only micro SD, then there’s no technical reason you need to connect to the network.)

If you’ve already got your printer set up, you can do a factory reset on it to remove any stored pairings or wireless credentials, and if you really want to be certain, you can change your wifi password so it can’t secretly still connect.

Sidebar: Regarding 3D Gun’t

TL;DR: the conclusion is that you don’t need to worry about sinister secret firmware that will block you from printing a gun. If you want to read why I think this, read on - otherwise, you can skip this section.

The above section focuses on blocking the firmware’s ability to “phone home” - to report on what you are printing.

But what if the firmware contains functionality to detect and block you from printing guns without needing to phone home? This is the premise of 3D Gun’t, software which claims to, when added to a printer’s firmware, identify and stop you from printing gun parts.

The above article claims that the 3D Gun’t firmware is already in place on certain “key printer manufacturers”. Scary stuff!

Here’s the thing: I have never seen a single report on someone being blocked in the way 3D Gun’t describes. This is the kind of thing that would go viral if it happened, so the fact that I’ve seen no reports is somewhat telling.

I also find the claim that such functionality could be entirely embedded within a printer’s firmware to be implausible.

Serious 3D gun detection software (i.e. something that couldn’t be trivially defeated) would necessarily be large and complex. Bambus aren’t running powerful computers onboard - they’re running low-cost, low-power microcontrollers, not suited for performing the kind of analysis 3D Gun’t claims to do.

The normal way to build such a thing would be to have the firmware contact a remote server to do the hard, computationally complex work of detecting a 3D gun print. As such, isolating the printer from the network would prevent the analysis from working.

Even if the Bambu hardware could realistically perform this work locally, the analysis would likely require a large database of reference data. Such a database would need to be regularly refreshed to avoid becoming obsolete.

Once again, refreshing the database would require a network connection. No network connection means a database that quickly goes out of date.

These observations, taken in sum, indicate to me that 3D Gun’t is primarily a publicity stunt, meant to influence the narrative around 3D printed guns. I’m not saying the software is totally fake, but instead that whatever does exist is meant to function primarily through creating dispiriting narratives, vs. effectively functioning on a technical level.

(We have seen such things before - old guncad hands may recall the French company Dagoma, which claimed to be releasing intentionally nonfunctional 3D guns onto the internet, in an attempt to “poison” 3D gun repositories. This created lots of consternation, but to my knowledge no “poisoned” files were ever actually found.)

If anyone does know of credible reports of a printer blocking someone from printing a gun, please let me know. Otherwise, I think the right move is to treat 3D Gun’t and similar projects as psyops, meant primarily to demoralize the 3D2A community.

Conclusion

So that’s all there is to it. With these really basic steps, you can ensure that it’s technologically impossible for Bambu to spy on you, and you can use these fantastic printers without compromising your privacy. Again, the three rules are:

Use OrcaSlicer instead of BambuStudio
Only upload your prints via the micro SD card, never with the cloud upload service
Never connect your Bambu printer to the wifi or register it on the Bambu Handy app.

I hope this writeup makes people feel better about using Bambu printers.

If you have been holding off on getting a Bambu because of these concerns, I have good news - you can now buy Bambus at 3D Print Freedom!

I’ve been using Bambu printers for years now, as have a significant number of other 3D2A developers and hobbyists. I genuinely believe these printers are the best way for someone to get into the hobby, and I believe that, if you follow the advice above, you can feel confident that your privacy will remain secure.

Thank you for reading this special issue of the Guncad Digest! If you want future issues delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe to this Substack.

Subscribe now

You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit, where we’ll post notifications when a new issue of the Digest is live!

Issue #13: Decker and MP40 Mods, More DIY Ammo, Flashforge Bends the Knee

Alyosha K. — Sat, 15 Nov 2025 23:04:00 GMT

Welcome to the Guncad Digest! This newsletter will regularly round up the best and most interesting 3D2A releases, betas and news.

If you want the Guncad Digest delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe to this Substack.

Subscribe now

You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit, where we’ll post notifications when a new issue of the Digest is live!

New Releases:

Updates:

New Betas:

Coming Soon:

News:

Other Links

New Releases:

In this section, we cover new file releases that we find notable. If something catches your interest, go download and start printing!

3DP0709: Printable CZ P-07 / P-09 Frames

The quest to create a printable frame for every pistol ever designed continues! DB Firearms recently released printable frames for the CZ P-07 and P-09.

The P-07 is CZ’s first polymer frame pistol offering, and the P-09 is a redesigned P-07 with a longer barrel and larger capacity. Both are considered good guns. If you happen to see a parts kit for one, now you can print a frame for it!

Ladder Sight Device (LSD) For Launchers

The good people at AWCY continue to innovate on the launcher front, releasing a standalone version of the Ladder Sight Device originally developed by GoonGunDesigns as part of their ODIN project.

Yes, these launchers can be aimed! Impress your friends and neighbors by bouncing printed signal rounds off their car windshield at 100 yards (editor’s note: don’t actually do this)

Tommy Gun Decker: Sweet Sweeper Mod Releases

Is the original Decker not gangster enough for you? Embrace your inner bootlegger with the Street Sweeper, a cosmetic mod for the Decker .380 by Field Expedient!

This release shares some parts with the original Decker, but it appears most parts require a new print. The biggest hardware change is the (recommended) switch to a 18” barrel liner, as befitting a Thompson.

Other than that, hardware requirements are mostly the same as the original Decker, so our Decker kit will get you most of the way there. Keep the change, you filthy animal!

Handy Priming Tool for 3D Printed Ammo

In our last issue we showed off a priming tool for 3D printed ammo that uses an Irwin grip clamp. @clearview4851 now brings us an even handier tool that uses parallel pliers and a M6 hex head for a press! This tool can be used with .43R ammo, as well as 9mm Deep ammo, PIP-9 ammo and more!

I joked last time about these DIY priming tools being safer than tapping your primers in with a hammer, but in all seriousness seating the primer is probably the riskiest part of building DIY ammo. You won’t blow up your hand if you set the primer off, but you probably will catch splinters, and that’s no fun. Use a tool like this instead!

Updates:

In this section we will mention updates to major releases - fixes, new variants, etc.

Several SMP40 Variants Released

In Issue 12 I noted that Stubbs would shortly be releasing several major variants of his hugely popular SMP40 - and just a few hours after publication, he did just that! What’s in the SMP40 Mega Release?

The SMP38, a cosmetic mod to mimic the original MP38 base design, which was later simplified into the MP40 for mass production
The SMP41, another cosmetic mod to mimic the Schmeisser MP41, which may most easily be thought of as a wood-stocked MP40
The Afterburner, a version of the SMP40 meant to be printed in glow-in-the-dark PLA, so you can make your build look like a funny COD Zombies gun
The SMP40/I, a variant that supports dual Sten magazines. Sadly it doesn’t feed from both simultaneously, the idea is to empty one, then slide the entire magwell an inch to the side to feed from the fresh mag. True German ingenuity!

God bless Stubbs and his hyperfocus on these awesome old SMGs.

Want to build one of these variants? Grab our SMP40 DLC kit to get all the extra hardware required for any of them!

Advance your Decker with the Decker Advanced Mods!

The Decker .380 is a fantastic gun, perhaps my favorite fully DIY 3DP gun overall. It’s been out for close to a year now and plenty of people have printed them.

BriceOnCNC, after printing his Decker, found several areas to improve on - so he did! These improvements are collected in his Decker Advanced Mods package.

These improvements include:

Using cross pins to better retain the bolt protrusion
Using cross pins to better secure the firing pin
Reducing rubbing in the bolt cover
Better securing the barrel and preventing rotation

Many of these improvements fix little problems that Decker power users have identified. I expect they’ll be incorporated into the main Decker package - until then, you can find them in Brice’s release.

Major props and congrats to Brice for taking on this project! Special shoutout to his fantastic documentation as well - this project is a great example of DIY gun work done well.

We’ll be updating our Decker kit to incorporate hardware from these mods shortly!

Defiance Gen 2 AR-15 Lower Releases!

Back in Issue #2 I expressed excitement about Proof’s Defiance Lower, a printable AR lower design that requires no reinforcement for its buffer tower (no U bolt, no hose clamp). Now Proof’s back with a Generation 2 of his lower!

What’s new? The original lower was fixed grip only and had no Super Safety support. The Gen 2 adds support for both! There’s also a cool grip texture pack from AlphaCureMom69.

Also of note is what is likely the best release video ever for a 3D2A project.

It’s been a while since I built an AR lower, but if / when I do so, I’ll be printing a Defiance lower. You should too!

New Betas:

In this section we round up recently opened betas. Help support development by joining these betas and testing!

FossMG9 Beta Nears Completion, Wants Testers

Greenwhiskey’s FossMG9 we announced in Issue 9 is rapidly progressing! It’s gone through several iterations, now has a co-developer (skum) and will likely release before the end of the year!

Want to help it along? Ping GreenWhiskey to join the beta and bring this long-awaited design to completion!

DIY Hybrid Ammunition Enters Beta

The term “hybrid ammunition” refers to ammunition using a combination of two different materials in its case - for example, PCP Ammunition’s hybrid polymer / metal case. Developer @QuestioningIsKey brings us a beta for a similar DIY concept, the Primer Pocket!

The idea is to use a printed pocket to hold the primer, which is then sleeved and epoxied into a tube to act as the case walls (in this case a plastic tube, but one imagines a metal tube could be used as well.)

It’s a very interesting idea worth further explanation! It’s not clear that QuestioningIsKey intends to continue iterating on the concept, but if not, I hope to see someone else take up the idea!

5.56 Printed Sabots Turns Your AR into a Shotgun

Continuing on the DIY ammo theme, hcpookie brings us a printed 5.56 sabot intended to include three pieces of #4 shot. Once seated in 5.56 brass (loaded with the appropriate load of course) you’ll be able to fire your AR like a shotgun!

Pookie notes that this was inspired by the Franklin Armory Antithesis, which of course did not quite work out as planned. He also doesn’t note any actual testing, so it may be that this is more of a political statement vs. a practical design. Still, it’s an interesting concept and it’s available for download, so I hope to see some reports on the matter!

Ballistic Zero Research Releases Universal Pistol Chassis!

Have you printed dozens of pistol frames, each for a different commercial platform? Want to print a single PDW chassis to fit all of them? The Fulcrum5 Universal Pistol Chassis is for you!

As can be seen in the image above, the chassis bolts onto a frame’s pic rail and wraps around the grip, providing a mount point for a brace. The developers classify this as a “beta”, noting that they are seeking feedback on compatibility. So if you’ve got an obscure pistol with a pic rail, print one out and let them know if it fits!

Coming Soon:

This section lists announcements or previews for projects that have not yet hit open beta. Keep an eye out for further news about these projects!

Yamato-20 Shotgun is Coming Soon!

What are we looking at here? The Yamato-20 appears to be a fully DIY pipe shotgun using printed and SCS parts, featuring pump functionality and a top-mounted magazine tube!

This design has been in development for a while now - I find teasers on the old FOSSCAD archive - but the dev has now posted an official video on Odysee to show some functionality. I’m excited for it!

The Future Is Now: BLC Raygun Enters Alpha

Based developer ImposterArms announced that his Raygun has entered alpha at Black Lotus! This is a .380ACP handgun using a locking bolt and electromagnetic sear - note the push-button trigger!

This is guaranteed to be cool as hell when it releases, so I’ll be keeping a close eye on it.

News:

In this section we’ll review major news events either originating in the 3D2A space, or particularly pertinent to this space.

Flashforge Bends the Knee, Steps On Rake

We must of course mention the news that’s on everyone’s mind. On November 13th, 3D printer manufacturer Flashforge posted the above image on their social media accounts, expressing their disapproval of gun printing and threatening to “refer[] to authorities” anyone who uses their printers in unapproved ways.

Naturally they got rolled in the comments, and have since deleted their original posts and walked back their position, claiming that they do not collect any “unauthorized data”:

“the kind friends have with each other”

There’s two interesting angles to analyze this event. One is the technological angle: could Flashforge actually carry out their threats? To do so would require deep collection of user data - not just data about what is being printed, but personal data about the user.

I’ve never used a Flashforge printer, but I’m skeptical that you have to enter your name / address in their software before you can start printing. Similarly, based on my research, they don’t really seem to have a mechanism to collect the kind of data they imply they can, and in any case you can pretty easily run your Flashforge printer without an internet connection.

It would be foolish to trust Flashforge when they say they respect user privacy and don’t collect data. But it’s also myopic to take their original threats at face value - to imagine that they actually have the godlike powers required to carry them out. I’m skeptical that they do.

This brings us to the second angle of analysis: the political angle. It’s apparent to me that Flashforge’s intent with their original post was not to actually express intended policy, but to signal submission to US authorities. It is surely not a coincidence that their announcement came less than a month after their receipt of a threatening letter from New York’s attorney general.

Neither Flashforge or New York intend to actually stop people from printing guns at a technological level. They know that this is impossible. New York’s intent, which Flashforge is carrying out, is to influence the narrative around what makers can do with their tools. If you can make people believe that printing a gun risks being reported to the feds, then you won’t need to grapple with dubious technology to actually stop them. They will stop themselves.

Ratioing Flashforge was of course a good move, but it accepts the New York narrative at face value. A better move might be to respond not with outrage but with laughter. “We see through you, we know you are lying, we know you are bending the knee, we don’t care.”

Fear Not This Sign

Note that the commentary above does not mean that you should ignore privacy concerns. Quite the opposite, you should and must jealously guard your privacy, especially given how easy this is to do. While I do not believe that Flashforge or other printer manufacturers actually can (or even really intend to) detect and report gun printing, you still can and should block their putative ability to do so.

Similarly, I recommend against the thought-terminating cliche that “you have nothing to fear because PMFs are legal.” This response again ignores that we’re not in a legal battle but a narrative one, and laws are downstream of narratives.

Follow the laws, and protect your privacy. But above all, keep your mind free from the enemy’s narratives. That is your lesson for today.

Guncad Index Adds Bookmarks

The one downvote is from Flashforge

In brighter news, the Guncad Index has added a bookmarking feature with their 1.3.0 release! Now you can save your favorite designs to easily find them again, right on the Guncad Index frontpage.

Note that this is local to your device, so bookmarks made on your phone won’t appear on your PC, and clearing your cookies will wipe them out. That said, it’s another cool feature - well done Shittinator!

About the Guncad Digest:

Thank you for reading this issue of the Guncad Digest! Please send us your feedback and suggestions for improvements on the issue.

The Guncad Digest is sourced using the very excellent Guncad Index, from /r/3D2A, and from readers like you. If you know of a project you think should be featured, send it our way!

Issue #12: Printable Gatling Gun, DIY Beltfed, Analog NVG, 9mm Liberator

Alyosha K. — Sat, 01 Nov 2025 20:24:13 GMT

Welcome to the Guncad Digest! This newsletter will regularly round up the best and most interesting 3D2A releases, betas and news.

If you want the Guncad Digest delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe to this Substack.

Subscribe now

You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit, where we’ll post notifications when a new issue of the Digest is live!

In today’s issue:

New Releases:

Updates:

New Betas:

Coming Soon:

News:

Guncad Index 1.12.0 Releases

Other Links

New Releases:

In this section, we cover new file releases that we find notable. If something catches your interest, go download and start printing!

M1337 Goes Gold - Print a Gatling Gun Today!

Kicking things off with a massive bang, the famous M1337 from Nopel has left its beta period and is officially now version 1.0!

In case you somehow haven’t seen this before, the M1337 is a printable Gatling gun - yes, really! - that uses six AR-15 barrels and six AR-15 bolt heads mounted in printed carriers. All other functionality - feeding, delinking, the crank system, the trigger system, even the tripod - is fully DIY!

Nopel helpfully provides a changelog between the most recent beta and the released version. The changes aren’t actually that huge, mostly quality of life changes, so if you have a B3 you should be able to keep it as is, or modify without lots of reprinting.

But, if you haven’t yet built your M1337, this is your sign. I can’t wait to start seeing videos of these in operation!

PWC 9 Release - More Macs that Look Like Macs

Back in Issue 9 I commented on my love of Macs That Look Like Macs™. This was in the context of the PWC 5.7, and just a few weeks later, Unseenkiller hits us again with the PWC 9!

You can see from the thumbnail that it’s quite beautiful, and its parts kits are of course far more easy to acquire given the broader availability of 9mm Mac uppers vs. 5.7 uppers.

Hey, if you’re looking for a Mac bolt, we’ve got some!

Inserter Squirter Helps Muffle Your OP9

It’s the Inserter Squirter from OpenPew! I’m including this partly because of the name, but it is a genuinely cool little accessory in its own right.

The model itself is pretty simple - it consists of a screw-on cap with a long nozzle, that can be screwed onto any standard soda bottle. Once installed, you can squeeze the bottle to squirt water (or any other liquid of your choosing) out the nozzle.

What’s it for? OpenPew notes that it’s a convenient way to add water to the inside of your OP9, or theoretically any other suppressor. “Shooting wet” like this helps reduce noise - and will also help keep your printed can cool!

Printed Magazine Springs Allow Fully Printed Magazines

Wrapping up the new releases section with one of the coolest ideas I’ve seen in some time. Booze and Bullets brings us a printable mag spring that works!

Actually, this is a remix of a 2023 design from ATA_prints. The original design was for AR-15 mags, whereas Booze and Bullets’ update is for Glock mags. Way cool!

To some degree, “fully printable” has been a bit of a joke in guncad, a sign that someone is stuck in 2013, or is simply ignorant of what plastic is or is not capable of. And yet every so often we get something like this, which reminds us that we should dream big. 3D printed guns started with the goal of 100% printable, and we should never forget that!

Updates:

In this section we will mention updates to major releases - fixes, new variants, etc.

SMP40 Post-Release Updates

In the last newsletter we announced the release of the SMP40 from Stubbs, one of the coolest 3D printed guns to drop in a while!

Stubbs has not been idle post-release. He recently released a Sten magwell variant, and a “Vampir” picatinny rail version of the receiver. Both are available for download now!

Furthermore, he has announced that a few variants are being tested by his Patreon backers, including an SMP38, an SMP41 and an SMP40/I (double magwell) variant! These are of course inspired by their historic counterparts, info about which is linked above.

We are offering kits for the base SMP40, and will offer add-ons as the new variants drop, so stay tuned!

Moore Dakka V2 Releases

Fresh from Uberclay comes the Moore Dakka V2, an update to the original Moore Dakka. For those just joining us, this is a printable S&W MP45 frame!

This update brings some aesthetic and quality of life improvements to the original frame, as well as a new frame version with external thumb safety support. If you’ve got an M&P45 parts kit, or if you see a good deal on one, this might be a cool option for you!

New Modelo Accessories For .43R Lovers

Fans of DIY ammo rejoice, the Modelo Polylactico has some new accessories!

One of my favorites is the Irwin Grip Priming Tool from ATFagent, an adapter for an Irwin quick grip clamp to easily seat the primer. I’ve tapped my primers in with a hammer up to this point, and while I always engage my safety squint first, this tool seems a lot safer.

JarFish brings us some textured hammers to spiff up your build, as well as a cartridge holder that mounts to the stock, so you can really up your cowboy game.

Since we’re talking about the Modelo, Bushworked711 has developed a “precision load” for .43R that gave him a 4” group at 30 yards. Yes, that’s not all that impressive for commercial ammo, but it’s pretty good performance for a fully printed cartridge shooting lead split-shot fishing sinkers!

Bushworked says he’ll release the precision load files once he sees more Modelo builds. That’s your cue to get building people! You know where to get a kit if you need one.

“Not Ransom” Rest Helps You Test Your Designs

3D printed guns in 2025 are considered safe, certainly safer than they were a decade ago - and yet it’s still often smart to test newer designs remotely, especially for beta testers.

The ghetto way to do this is to simply clamp the gun in a Harbor Freight vise, but now you can up your game with the “Rest Not Ransom” from @clearview4851! This same developer is using the rest to help test his Notachi design, so it’s apparently good enough for .22LR!

I’m putting this under “Updates” because it was recently updated to Version 2. Go check it out!

New Betas:

In this section we round up recently opened betas. Help support development by joining these betas and testing!

Decimal_Dot Bringing Affordable Analog Night Vision

Back in 2022/23 we had a neat little burst of DIY digital night vision projects, such as the BPNVG or the PVS-69. These were super neat, but were inherently limited by their use of digital image enhancers, especially the cheaper off-the-shelf drone cameras.

Decimal_Dot, perhaps reflecting on these earlier designs, noticed several MX-9644 image intensifier tubes going for cheap on eBay, and dove into resurrecting an old project to make a printable housing for them.

The image quality of these 9644 tubes looks fairly impressive, especially for eBay prices, so I’m excited to see this project coming along! Join the party on Decimal’s Element channel.

Spaghetti Slinger Beta - FRT for Beretta 92 / Taurus 92

Another concurrent mission is the guncad community’s attempts to FRT every gun ever made. 144.1 Recoil Systems adds the Beretta 92 and Taurus 92 to the list with the Spaghetti Slinger!

This first release is considered a beta, requiring tweaking and tuning. Want to bring it to full release? Download, print and help test!

DBFirearms Bringing Springfield XD45 Printable Frame

We seem to be in a .45ACP kick today! DBFirearms is working on a printed XD45 frame and has released initial beta files for anyone who wants to test. I believe this is the first printed frame for this model.

Guttercheese shares a cool video of it running cleanly. Got a parts kit and want to sling some fat rounds? Here’s your chance!

New Printed P90 Mag Enters Beta

The original 3DP90 project featured a printed magazine, and while we do offer kits for the 3DP90, I never myself printed one of the AWCY mags. I have heard mixed things on their quality.

Enter Penteona, who brings us a new printable P90 mag project! Penteona’s description notes significant alpha testing, so I’m optimistic about the design. Looking forward to seeing more!

Coming Soon:

This section lists announcements or previews for projects that have not yet hit open beta. Keep an eye out for further news about these projects!

Black Lotus Beltfed - First Teaser Pics

Black Lotus Coalition has for several months now been running a contest to develop a DIY 5.56 beltfed, and we just got some initial pics of the first built alpha model. Color me very, very impressed!

I’ve learned several details about this design that make me extremely excited it. It’s going to be one of those designs that advances 3D2A by a massive leap. Given its alpha nature I don’t think I can share too much, but you can spot several very interesting things from the pics alone.

BLC is inviting anyone who’d like to help dev and test to join their Discord. Jump in and check it out!

Uberclay Launches Ruger SR9/SR40/9E Frame Beta

Uberclay is taking another step towards having a frame for every pistol ever made. In beta now at the Gatalog is the BPSR9, a printable frame for the Ruger SR9, with variants for SR40 and 9E.

As per the usual, DM Uberclay at the usual spots if you want to help test!

Unseenkiller Brings the Liberator into 2025

Longtime followers of Unseenkiller will recognize his LiberHater project, centered around taking the original Defense Distributed Liberator and adapting it for other calibers.

His latest bid is a 9mm Liberator, which adopts the original’s aesthetics but wisely switches to a commercial barrel (Glock or Mac) and offers both AR FCG and printed FCG versions. There’s even a threaded rod version (pictured above.)

In addition to the 9mm version, unseen is also developing a 26.5mm version for use with 1” EMT! These are all in beta, but the beta is capped, so I’m putting it in “Coming Soon.” Can’t wait to see it release!

Printable PM-63 RAK Coming Soon

I see parts kits for the Polish PM-63 RAK all the time, so it’s always surprised me nobody has offered a printable receiver for this design. Coming in clutch is Streetsweeper_Arms with just such a project!

It sounds like this might be a continuation of a previous project by Atomic Arms, so I want to make sure to mention him too. Either way, looking forward to seeing this continue so we can have another cool parts kit build!

MiddletonMade Analog NVG Project Needs Love!

Writing about the Decimal_Dot analog NVG project reminded me of a similar project initiated by MiddletonMade a while ago, a dual housing for PVS5 tubes. I reached out to Middleton to check in - he said that he’s built a functioning proof of concept, but has set it down for now.

He does, however, suggest that, given demand, he can power it over the finish line to release! I’d love to see a resurgence in DIY NVGs - if you’d like to see this too, drop a comment below.

News:

In this section we’ll review major news events either originating in the 3D2A space, or particularly pertinent to this space.

Guncad Index 1.12.0 Releases

After putting plenty of work into the Guncad Index Forums, Shittinator has now released a major update to the Guncad Index proper!

The big news with this update is the Index’s ability to show cards for related discussions on the forum, right on the release’s page! This provides a very convenient way to read release announcements and related discussions.

A second major update, which is very cool for uploaders, is that you can now insert markdown formatting into your release’s description. This allows you to create much prettier and easier to read release descriptions - yes, yes, this is nerd shit, but it matters!

As always, well done to our boy Shittinator for all his hard work!

About the Guncad Digest:

Thank you for reading this issue of the Guncad Digest! Please send us your feedback and suggestions for improvements on the issue.

The Guncad Digest is sourced using the very excellent Guncad Index, from /r/3D2A, and from readers like you. If you know of a project you think should be featured, send it our way!

Issue #11: Printable MP40, Casted Super Safety, Lever-Action AR, FOSSCAD Returns

Alyosha K. — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 14:34:34 GMT

Welcome to the Guncad Digest! This newsletter will regularly round up the best and most interesting 3D2A releases, betas and news.

If you want the Guncad Digest delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe to this Substack.

Subscribe now

You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit, where we’ll post notifications when a new issue of the Digest is live!

In today’s issue:

New Releases:

News:

FOSSCAD Returns, Now Available on Lemmy

Community Corner:

SCSSS Kit Now Available

Updates:

New Betas:

Coming Soon:

Other Links

New Releases:

In this section, we cover new file releases that we find notable. If something catches your interest, go download and start printing!

SMP40: Printable MP40 Releases!

Black Lotus Coalition’s Stubbs returns to us with another incredible WW2 clone gun. Available now, it’s a printable version of the iconic German MP40!

Stubbs has outdone himself with this one. The receiver is an aluminum tube, with slots and holes cut via printed templates. The tube receiver is then sheathed in printed sleeves and furniture to achieve the famous MP40 look.

Check out our SMP40 trailer!

The SMP40 is functionally the most accurate MP40 clone yet produced, containing several features not available on commercial reproductions. These features include a folding stock, and even super safe functionality.

It’s also nearly half the price of its commercial counterpart!

Kits are available for the SMP40, to make a straightforward build experience even easier. You should also check out the build video!

Don’t struggle with the final solution in German SMG technology, build an MP40 in your living room today.

RXM Flat Pattern

Readers may recall Chairmanwon’s interest in the RXM platform, spinning up a project to bend flats to create a DIY version of this design.

Developer @Mashedleo is perhaps following similar inspiration by releasing a DXF of an RXM flat. I’m not sure if he’s working with the Chairman or working independently, but either way this should be a useful resource!

More TX22 Releases

The TX22 hype has died down a little, but it’s got a long tail, and there’s still several TX22 designs coming out worth noting!

Middleton Made has been busy, making both a magazine loader and a striker insert to reinforce the gun during FRT operation (remixed from Pembleton’s design).

Developer K3Design has also designed a printed 100 round drum mag for the TX22! He notes that it’s not guaranteed to work with an FRT, but if there was ever anything worth tuning to perfection, it’s surely a 100 round TX22 rip.

News:

In this section we’ll review major news events either originating in the 3D2A space, or particularly pertinent to this space.

FOSSCAD Returns, Now Available on Lemmy

It’s been a few weeks since Reddit banned /r/fosscad, and the way forward has mostly solidified. The former moderators of /r/fosscad have officially endorsed fosscad.io (aka the Guncad Index forum) as the successor to the /r/fosscad subreddit.

fosscad.io is built using Lemmy, a censorship-resistant, self-hosted federated forum software. Its user interface / experience is similar to Reddit, but with the distinct advantage of being hosted and controlled by the community itself.

This not only means that we can speak far more freely on Lemmy than we ever could on Reddit, but that we also don’t need to fear being arbitrarily banned!

The /r/3D2A subreddit will continue to operate as a public home for guncad discussion - may it last! I expect that most people will continue to enter guncad through /r/3D2A, as they did through /r/fosscad. Lemmy then provides those who want to dive deeper an inner sanctum of the community, for the community, by the community, never to perish from the internet.

FOSSCAD’s return it not simply metaphorical - thanks to the immense efforts of hogleg, GreySummitGear (@gsgmfg) and TheShittinator, backups of /r/fosscad were discovered and have been imported into the Lemmy forum!

Visit “The Ark” to check out the /r/fosscad backup. This consists of literal years of valuable information, now forever preserved. Hats off to you, gentlemen!

Community Corner:

In this section, we’ll focus especially on a particular community member. We’ll interview developers, review parts kits and help promote things I believe are deserving of your attention!

SCSSS Kit Now Available

Longtime readers may recall the SCSSS kit announced in Issue #2, advertised as a way to build a SS without buying or fabricating a metal cam. At the time this design’s quality was unclear, but several months of testing by Grey Summit Gear has proven that it works well enough to create a kit for it!

Why buy an SCSSS kit? It’s quite a bit cheaper than buying an SS cam, plus the vendor is also the person who helped lead the charge to recover and make available the FOSSCAD archive. That’s a person worth supporting, and I’m happy to promote it!

Updates:

In this section we will mention updates to major releases - fixes, new variants, etc.

Casted Super Safety - V2 Update + Video

In case you missed it back in Issue #2, we are rapidly bringing casting into guncad! This is real casting, not just a low-melt metal pour like the 3DP90’s bolt, and what better project to introduce it on than the Super Safety?

Developer RedneckInsurgency has recently released a Version 2 of his Super Swanky project, which improves the project in almost every way possible. He’s working with a better investment material, a better alloy, a better flask and even better kiln furniture.

What’s more, he’s created a video to demonstrate the process! This is well worth your attention. Casting a SS is cool - the fact that we are also getting a general set of guidelines for casting is even cooler. Fantastic work!

Modular Signaling System - Now With CAD Files!

The MSS Pack from VanillaKyleKyle is my favorite shell design for launching the signal. These designs have a plethora of variations and are built to be extremely flexible and user-friendly. They come in 37mm, 26.5mm and even 40mm versions.

As of recently, the megapack now also contains CAD files, so you can remix to your heart’s content! Got your own idea for some fancy payloads? Get to work!

New Betas:

In this section we round up recently opened betas. Help support development by joining these betas and testing!

“Trash Panda” Lever Action AR Enters Beta

I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while! Long teased, now finally in beta, it’s a lever-action AR-15 that you can build at home. What more do I need to say?

The beta is being run at the Gatalog. You can DM developer TheAvieAtrix on Reddit or Fosscad.io for access. Jump in and help test this extremely cool design!

CZ P07 / P09 Beta from DBFirearms

Do you have a parts kit for a CZ P07 or P09? DBFirearms needs your help! He’s got a beta open for a printable frame for this build and is looking for folks to help test it.

DM him on Reddit, Fosscad.io or any of the standard socials for access!

AR9 Mag w/ Integrated Ejector Enters Beta

Now here is a neat idea - this is a printable AR9 magazine, apparently designed for AR-15-sized magwells, with an integrated ejector. It’s got a 10 round capacity, with “funner” capacity coming soon.

Developer FUN CAD TIME notes that this is not yet tested. He’ll be testing it himself soon - anyone want to help?

Coming Soon:

This section lists announcements or previews for projects that have not yet hit open beta. Keep an eye out for further news about these projects!

ORCBOLG - Fully DIY .380ACP Pistol

We’ve had fully DIY .22LR pistols like the SY22 or NULL-22 for a while now - developer SgtButters1984 is advancing that conversation with the ORCBOLG, a fully DIY pistol chambered in .380ACP!

He notes that this will use similar techniques to those required by the SY22, - basic metalworking like cutting and drilling, JB welding. He also notes that he’s using an ECM .380 barrel.

It looks like this will enter beta at Black Lotus, so keep an eye on that!

RoboCopout Auto-9 Updates

Developer Dude_I_got_a_DWAVE (what a name) shares some sexy pics of his functioning “RoboCopout Auto-9”. This is a “prop” that attaches to a standard Beretta 92FS (and perhaps a printed one?) to visually recreate the Auto-9 from Robocop.

Commentary on the design makes it clear that this design is meant to be functional, and DWAVE even describes his intent to pair it with an FRT. Make sure to shoot this build single-handed at an indoor range.

Printable RXM 80% Jig

Continuing on the RXM news, developer UFO_AEROSPACE is working on a printed 80% jig for the RXM. Screenshots make it clear that this is meant for prebent flats, and is used to help facilitate drilling.

Looking forward to seeing this release once tested!

About the Guncad Digest:

Thank you for reading this issue of the Guncad Digest! Please send us your feedback and suggestions for improvements on the issue.

The Guncad Digest is sourced using the very excellent Guncad Index, from /r/3D2A, and from readers like you. If you know of a project you think should be featured, send it our way!

The Guncad Digest

Issue 27: Hoffman Trigger Kicker, Stubbs MP5K, DIY Laser Sight, FOSSMG9 in World of Guns

New Logo:

New Releases:

Hoffman Does It Again - Trigger Kicker Released

Printed Armor Piercing Impact Grenade Releases

LOCKJAW - Low-Profile Adjustable Stock from Skum

Black Lotus Coalition Launches New Website

Cool Shit Corner:

Spread Democracy With This Helldivers AR-23 Liberator

Printed Flechette Penetrates Metal Plate

The Flintglock

New Betas:

Stubbs SMP5K Enters Beta!

PH4NT0M Needs Devs, Testers!

G17 Pillager Enters Beta

Stience 24 Bigpack Brings New DIY Derringer!

Coming Soon:

9V Broke Laser - DIY Laser Sight

MinimAR - Bolt Action Lightweight AR-15

Binary Mac From “Cheesyparts”

News:

New York Bans Printing

Rare Breed Files Lawsuit Over Kabuto

World of Guns Puts FOSSMG9 To Vote!

Other Links:

About the Guncad Digest:

Issue #26: Fully DIY .380 Pistol, Quokka-15, 4-Axis Desktop Wire EDM, Gun Maker's Match

New Releases:

Quokka-15 Releases - Simplified DIY Bufferless AR Upper

Maxxed and Sigpilled - 2011 Sigger Edition Releases!

Fluted Chamber ECM for 9mm!

Updates:

DIY Kriss Vector Ejecting! Beta Coming Soon!

New Betas:

ORCBOLG - DIY .380ACP Pistol Enters Beta

No Supports, No Hardware - Kabuto K15 Lower Open for Beta

Double Stack Your Mac - Middleton Open Beta

Yeet Sheet Beta - New Mac FRT Trip from NightAlliance

Coming Soon:

Betta Wire 4 Axis Desktop Wire EDM Nears Release

Project Gargoyle - New Production Metal VZ-61 Lowers

If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It - Predator Laser Project Incoming

BB15 Bullpup Bufferless AR Lower Coming Soon

News:

Gun Maker’s Match 6 Wrapped!

Hoffman Super Safety Lawsuit Update

Rare Breed Sues Pembie

Other Links:

About the Guncad Digest:

Issue #25: XM5.7, New Kabuto FRT, DIY Body Armor, Belt-Fed .22LR, FTW Arms

New Releases:

XM5.7 - Printable XM8 from AWCY Releases!

DAEDALUS: Fuck You, Bullups Your Glock

Careless Whisper - Integrally Suppressed Lever Action AR!

SendCutSumac - DIY Mac Upper

DeCBAR-22 - Bullpup DeAR22

Printable Battle Belt and Mag Carriers

Cyclic Corner:

R.A.D. - Reset Assist Device from the Kabuto Developer

UDIS - Universal Drop In Kabuto

Updates:

Glarpion - Glock Fed Scz0rpion

Reach Around - FossMG9 Updates

Lever Action AR in Straightwall .350 Legend!

Notachi DIY Revolver Updates!

New Betas:

Chimera VZ-61 Early Release!

DIY Body Armor Project from BoozeAndBullets

“X” - Laser-Cut 9x19 Upper Project

Laser-Cut DIY AR FCG

Coming Soon:

BFG .22 - Belt Fed Primarily DIY .22LR Coming Soon

DIY Kriss Vector Cycling!

Halo Magnum Approaching Drop

GB11 - Abomination from MPMS Enters Alpha

Fully DIY .380 PCC with Integral Suppression

Upcoming SMGs from Stubbs

(Good) News:

Print-A-22 Evolves into FTW Arms!