Issue 16: FTN.5 Release, $0 Form 1, Hypervelocity Rockets, Rare Breed Sues Hoffman
2026 is starting off with a bang!
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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:
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:
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!
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!
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 TX22 hype has died down a bit but new designs are still coming out, including this TX7 chassis from GhostG3D, with which you can turn your TX22 into an MP7-esque PCC!
Developer johankim has converted a 3D scan of an Aug stock into a STEP file. I think this will come in major handy in the next few months - great work man!
Pinning this here for future reference - developer TheStickOnMyHip is building out documentation for the NULL-22, noting that this design did not release with any documentation. Props to you man - I love this community!
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!
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.
The US patent system is so broken now that rather than protect and promote innovation and technology it’s barely more than a legal beat stick where right is secondary to ability to drain the opponent of money.
Rare breed is a despicable wolf in sheeps clothing, whose wolf is just semantics at this point.
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