Issue 27: Hoffman Trigger Kicker, Stubbs MP5K, DIY Laser Sight, FOSSMG9 in World of Guns
So many cool new releases and designs, you almost forget that New York exists
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.
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:
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!
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.
Some mad lad back in 2007 mashed together a belt-fed machine gun using AK parts and parts from actual machineguns, and documented it on the the Gunco Forums. Somehow those forums still exist in 2026, but given the trajectory of the internet, it was a wise decision to back up the threads for preservation.
I’ve been seeing some interesting toy designs from BrewBoy420 lately, including a wrist rocket and a more traditional “blaster”, both of which use DIY ammo ignited by a toy cap from a cap gun! Find the designs on his Makerworld.
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!