Issue #12: Printable Gatling Gun, DIY Beltfed, Analog NVG, 9mm Liberator
With a consumer 3D printer you can send lead downrange, see in the dark and much more
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In today’s issue:
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!
Other Links:
This section will collect any other links I find interesting. These may be older designs I want to share, releases I find notable but don’t have much commentary on, or anything else that catches my eye.
From the ongoing Quokka-15 project comes this release, a remixable folding charging handle! This handle is both quite strong and quite cool looking - consider adding it to your own build!
A Makerworld dev, Sparrow0914, brings us a new AK-47 magloader. Unless I am mistaken, this is the first crack someone has taken at a printable AK-47 magloader since the Freeloader. Neat!
I wanted to include this simply because the absurd description made me laugh. It’s a 60-round Menendez Mag. Every day we get closer to the StiltMag.
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!
Very grateful for these newsletters, I appreciate it team
I am so thankful to you for compiling the 3d2a news all into a succinct, digestible format. Every issue I add more and more to my "stuff to print" list!