Issue 28: Mac n' Cheese v3.1, AWCY Printable HiPoint, Black Lotus Betas, Virginia Law Injunction
We're opening up July strong with new releases, new betas, and good legal news!
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In this issue:
New Domain:
Did you notice? I finally got around to getting a proper domain! Our official URL is now https://guncaddigest.com.
The old https://guncad.substack.com URL will continue to work, but now when you recommend the Digest to your friends, it’s not as much of a mouthful.
You are recommending us to everyone you know, aren’t you?
New Releases:
In this section, we cover new file releases that we find notable. If something catches your interest, go download and start printing!
EBT-9 / 380 Releases - Printable Hi-Point for Modern 3D2A
Those who know their guncad history know that one of the earliest popular printed guns was the LoPoint, released by Gatalog back when they went by Deterrence Dispensed. That release did a lot of things - it drew attention to the hobby, it generated lots of discussion and memes. One thing it didn’t do is function very well, but it was a different time, prior to modern release standards, and this can be forgiven.
Nearly seven years later, AWCY has finally given 3D2A a printed HiPoint that runs well - surprisingly well, actually, perhaps better than the original HiPoint itself! It’s the EBT-9/380 and it’s ready for download today. As the name implies, the included frames are compatible with both 9mm and .380ACP HiPoint parts kits.
These parts kits are notorious for being most easily found at EveryGunPart, who in turn source them from evidence lockers. Your EBT will have a pedigree! They’re insanely affordable, often less than $100.
I genuinely hope to see people build some of these and run them in competition. I actually think an EBT-9 could be competitive at your local steel match. Anyone who does so, make sure to send me videos of your run!
Proof1447 Releases DIY Bipod
Every so often developer Proof1447, creator of the famous P.R.O.O.F. airgun and the Defiance Lower, pops his head up to drop some cool shit. The latest example of this is the RandT DIY Bipod.
There are surprisingly few DIY bipods floating around, so Proof’s design is a welcome addition! It uses a dead simple set of hardware - a few screws and some elastic cord. It’s low profile, low weight, and won’t get in the way.
There’s only one problem - no documentation on how to build the damn thing. You’re better than this, Proof! It’s not too hard to figure out fortunately - the elastic cord is run through the leg holes in the base, each end of the cord is run down the two legs, out the holes in the middle of the legs, and the ends are tied together. This photo helps show how it’s tied:
When stowed, the legs slot into an MLOK rail to help store it in place. Nifty!
Sten Eleven Side-Feeding Mac Releases!
We teased it several times, and now the Sten Eleven from SkeleTim Productions is released! As you can see, it’s a side-feeding build that uses a Mac bolt and an AR fire control group. How does the Mac bolt feed from the side? By turning the bolt 90 degrees!
Notice also how casually SkeleTim drops a release using a Mac bolt in a fully DIY upper. There was a time where entire projects were dedicated to DIYing a Mac upper, and now it’s become almost commonplace - but no less remarkable!
Between the Decker and the Sten Eleven, we’re seeing a side-feeding renaissance. This is a good thing. We need more sideloaders in the world!
CVABuck Releases Serializable Frame / Receiver Collection
Bad stuff has been happening in Virginia. In April they passed a law requiring serialization of DIY firearms, and in May they more famously passed a law banning “assault firearms.”
The latter law has an effective date of July 1st. In response to this, CVABuck released this Emergency File Drop in an attempt to help as many Virginians as possible grandfather in printed frames before the deadline.
Inside the pack are a variety of frames and receivers that may be considered “assault firearms” under the Virginia law, along with DXFs for serialization plates and negative models to help embed the plates in the frames prior to printing. Buck includes instructions on how to handle the serialization process.
The good news is that, after releasing his pack, Virginia was enjoined from enforcing the “assault firearm” ban - see our news section for more details! That said, as best I can tell, they are not enjoined from enforcing the serialization requirement - that is still in effect.
As such, this pack is a useful resource for Virginians, and for anyone else in a state with serialization requirements. At some point I’ll do a philosophical dive into the concept of complying with serialization laws - for now I’ll simply thank Buck for his work.
Double Barrel Projectile Dysfunction Launches
Two barrels are better than one! Just in time for Independence Day, now you can double your 15mm launching capacity with the Double Dysfunction from Sticky.
As you can see it’s pretty much two Projectile Dysfunctions pasted together - two charging handles, two independent triggers, etc. This means you can fire each barrel independently, or you can be a real man and pull both triggers at once!
Black Lotus Corner:
Black Lotus Coalition has been very busy lately - so busy that it’s worth dedicating a corner of the Digest just to their activities alone. I believe that this is where much of the most interesting work in 3D2A is being performed - read this section, and then join BLC if you haven’t already!
BLC Betas On the March
ModeratorGage has been a busy boy lately! As part of BLC’s return to public activity, Gage has been promoting all of their active betas. This is a good opportunity to review some of my favorites:
The Dirte Dozen, a fully DIY, break action double-barrel shotgun. Fully DIY means fully DIY - this build contains zero firearms parts!
The XMTD-21, another fully DIY design, even more so than the Dirte Dozen, because it uses DIY ammunition! This is a single-shot gun loaded using a trapdoor mechanism, firing a DIY flechette round, loaded with black powder.
This design disappeared for a while, I’m very happy to see it back on track. All it needs to release is testers!The Nutty Hoe, a project to DIY a Harlot .22LR barrel using large hex bolt. This replaces the barrel liner in the Harlot, making it truly (say it with me) fully DIY! Components of the project include tooling to help drill the bolt, and to ECM rifling and chamber it for .22LR.
The Harlot Modular Rifle System (HMRS), continuing the Harlot theme. This project converts the derringer-style Harlot to larger centerfire calibers, including .380ACP and 9mm, and supports this by converting the tiny frame into a larger, modular rifle style.
I love seeing an idea get expanded in as many interesting directions as possible.The Carl Gustaf, an 84mm recoilless launcher firing either fully printed or hybrid metal projectiles. An extremely cool experiment into just how far we can push 3D2A. This is a Form 1 design, which has limited testing - any readers willing to get the right licenses to test, check in!
The 3D Printed Beltfed, which we’ve reported on many times before as one of the most exciting projects in guncad. It’s still under development, and it’s reached a point where it is running - we just need testers to drive it towards release!
This isn’t even all of the cool projects BLC has been working on. There’s plenty more that have been promoted lately, with even more to come.
Summer is here, so if you’re looking for a summer project, you’ve got your pick of them here! Get to it!
Black Lotus Discord Returns
Black Lotus lost their Discord server back during the Great Discord Purge. Don’t tell anyone, but it’s back! Currently it’s being used as an onboarding / Q&A server, with development work still taking place primarily on their Matrix.
Join up so you can keep an eye on all the interesting work that’s happening!
Updates:
In this section we will mention updates to major releases - fixes, new variants, etc.
2011Maxxing Now Supports More Magazines
Back at the beginning of June, the long-awaited 2011Maxxing from nightalliance released - but only for one of its three planned magazines! Worry not - nighalliance has now released the other two magazine models, so you can 2011max to your heart’s content.
The first newly released model, pictured above, uses Para mags. The other, pictured below, uses STI Staccato mags. Both support 9mm and .45ACP build kits!
With the release, nighalliance finally achieves a goal that the 3D2A community has been pursuing since almost the beginning - a functioning, well-tested, well-documented 1911 / 2011 build. It took a lot of attempts to get here, and this release no doubt stands on the shoulders of giants - still, major congrats to nighalliance for accomplishment!
New Betas:
In this section we round up recently opened betas. Help support development by joining these betas and testing!
MiddletonMade Releases Mac n’ Cheese v3.1 Beta!
The Mac n’ Cheese from MiddletonMade has long been one of the most popular Mac-11 lowers available. Long awaited, eagerly anticipated, the next generation of this design is here! After months of internal testing, Middleton has released it as an open beta.
We’ve got plenty of exciting new things in the v3.1 beta:
Support for a wide variety of magazines, including MP5, Evo and Sten
DB Alloy-esque reinforcing side plates
Compatibility with all common commercial uppers, including Velocity and Masterpiece Arms!
An MLOK-style mount on the bottom of the receiver
Middleton has authorized me to mention a few of the exciting features still cooking for the full release, but not in this open beta. They include:
Full LRBHO support
Support for the Yeet Sheet
Additional magazine support - P320, PPS43, Glock
A grip-feed (aka “Mac that Looks Like Mac”) version - be still my heart!
Be the first kid on your block with the new Mac n’ Cheese - join the beta today!
Full Metal Czard from MPMS Enters Beta
The VZ-61 remains a perennial favorite platform to build printed PDWs on, second only to the Mac! MostlyPeacefulMachineShop contributes to its fame by dropping a beta for the Full Metal Czard, a remix of the SSSCzar!
Like the SSSCzar it is super safe; it adds on top of that several SCS reinforcement plates, a dovetail mount for the OEM wire folding stock, and an optic mount so you can miss accurately during super safe operation.
MPMS also modified the lower so it could accept, in addition to .32ACP VZ-61 surplus kits, .22LR conversion uppers, quote, “because holy fuck .32ACP is expensive.” Good move!
The design is meant to be built as an SBR, although you can avoid doing so by not installing the wire brace. But with $0 tax stamps, why wouldn’t you?
Semi-Auto 26.5mm Launcher Pre-Release from DannyMeatball
It’s always a good day when you see a DannyMeatball drop. It’s even more exciting when you see it’s a new semiauto launcher, the first 26.5mm semi since the Sm.A.L.L.S.
Temper your excitement somewhat, because this is a “pre-release.” This design has apparently been in private beta for some time, and never quite reached the point where it could be reliably built by all testers. This is perhaps not surprising given the finicky nature of semiautos.
In proper open source fashion, Danny is releasing it anyways. Successful builds have been achieved by many testers, so those interested should still try their hands at it. In the documentation, Danny recommends trying the base design and, upon encountering problems, attempting your own modifications.
I’m a fan of this approach. Better for an incomplete beta to release with provisos than die in obscurity. Who will take up the mantle of seeing this project to completion?
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!
BumBata - DIY “Plumbata” Modernizes Ancient Roman Darts
Time for a history lesson! Back before God blessed us with firearms, piercing your enemies with flying metal required a bit more creativity. One clever implement is the plumbata, a dart with a large weight towards the front. This weight allows for the dart to be thrown by hand in a stable flight over very long distances, comparable to bowshot in some circumstances.
Inspired by the wisdom of the ancients, the tastefully-named ButtstufferMan is developing a modern DIY version called the BumBata. It uses a printed shaft and printed fletching, reinforced with steel rods and weighted with large fender washers.
A steel broadhead can be mounted on the tip, because this is America and you can do what you want! The Butt Stuffer claims that this design could legitimately take out a deer, and I think I believe him.
He’ll be releasing a test video, and the files, soon!
DannyMeatball Teases Miniaturized Pump n’ Dump
The DannyMeatball 26.5mm Pump n’ Dump is one of my favorite launcher designs. It’s elegant, it’s got a cool locking system, and it works. But Danny has never been the kind of guy to let a design sit unimproved.
He recently teased pics of a miniaturized version, “less than 30% the footprint of the full sized.” It boasts a collapsible stock, and replaces the pump with a straight-pull charging handle. This reduction in size apparently makes it suitable to be mounted underbarrel, which is cool!
I suspect this is being tested privately at the moment. Hopefully we’ll see a release before the year is out!
RiptideRails Teases their Delayed Blowback Maelstrom
Based engineer and vendor RiptideRails has been doing a lot of teasing on their Twitter lately, indicating that the release date for their Maelstrom delayed blowback Mac upper will be dropping very soon!
We covered this design back in Issue 23. For those who missed it, it’s a new Mac upper that should fit on most existing designs, which introduces an upper-mounted bearing delay system requiring no modifications to the underlying bolt.
July 4th is approaching - perhaps we’ll get a release on the holiday? Let’s see!
News:
In this section we’ll review major news events either originating in the 3D2A space, or particularly pertinent to this space.
Virginia Enjoined from Enforcing Gun Bans
As described above, Virginia passed two antigun bills in recent months. SB323 bans the “manufacture, assembly, importation” or “possess[ion]” of unserialized firearms, unfinished frames or receivers, and “plastic guns”; SB749 bans “assault firearms” of any sort, along with “high” (standard) capacity magazines.
Reviewing SB323 reveals that the “plastic gun” ban is essentially a restatement of the federal UFA, banning any firearm lacking 3.7oz of detectable metal. In practice this applies to virtually no actually existing firearms, with the possible exception of Liberators and Harlots.
The bill would therefore appear to allow printed guns, so long as this gun is serialized by an FFL. That’s awful and unconstitutional, but it’s not quite as bad as sometimes presented.
SB749 however is far worse, which is why it’s attracted national attention. The bill bans AR-15s and many other commonly available semiautomatic rifles, PDWs, threaded barrels, and a whole host of other items.
The good news: on June 25th the GOA announced that Virginia was enjoined from enforcing SB749, thanks to the GOA-backed Crump v. Katz lawsuit. The text of the preliminary injunction can be found here, which notes that it will last through the end of 2026 - very good news for Virginians.
A PI is usually a sign of which way the case will ultimately go, which means that we may actually see the law get struck down. In any case, Virginians now have six more months to acquire these commonly available firearms.
To be clear, SB323 is unaffected by the injunction and remains in effect. Serialization remains a requirement for all DIY guns in the state of Virginia.
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.
Developer TeslaCore recently released a beta “dev pack” for 26.5mm, called the Loch n’ Chode, which introduces a DIY locking lug solution to reinforce the launcher. What’s actually released would seem to be a demonstration piece, but Tesla claims to have tested an actual build successfully.
Here’s a video illustrating how the action works!
This could be quite interesting! I’ll keep an eye on this - you can to by joining its Matrix room.Developer BenglesBullets has released a new point detonating 37mm projectile, the first since the AWCY Propaganda Delivery Device. Bengles’ design appears slightly more advanced, most notably having a “bore-riding safety” and cool stabilizing fins!
It appears that Bengles is selling kits for these on his website, along with a bunch of other neat launcher stuff. Go check it out!Small update for those following Project Gargoyle from developer Penteona and machinist @aimdevteam - the first prototypes are being machined and they are looking good! It sounds like they’ll be complete by the time this hits press, so expect to hear another update soon! For now, a pic:
I love the smell of cutting fluid and metal chips in the morning!
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 3D2A.com. 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!