Issue #13: Decker and MP40 Mods, More DIY Ammo, Flashforge Bends the Knee
Live not by lies, just print more guns
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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”:
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.”
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
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!
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.
The Stience design, first mentioned in Issue 7, has a few new versions! One is a shortened version, the other has a longer barrel for longer inserts, such as a teased crossbow bolt. You have my interest!
Our friends at Lima Six have opened an Odysee page containing videos and printable accessories for their belt-fed uppers. I love to see a company participating in the open source scene!
MiddletonMade has released a STEP file for his Mac n’ Cheese v2.5 last-round bolt hold open design. These must be fabricated in metal, so you can’t print this STEP at home, but you can get it professionally printed!
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!