Issue 22: Fully DIY .22LR Bolt Action, Halo AR Update, DIY MANPADS Launcher
No fooling, just another awesome collection of 3D2A goodness!
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In this 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!
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:
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!
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.
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.
Want to mount an optic to your Maverick 88? Booze and Bullets has a jig for that!
PrintYour2A recently updated his 37mm Semiauto Signal Launcher, a design which needs more attention. It’s also been repacked and shared on Odysee!
Speaking of 37mm, how about a duck call mounted in a 37mm shell? I’m not sure whether this will call ducks in or traumatize them, but it’s cool either way!
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!