A group of gunsmiths just 3D printed a bigger, better caliber rifle.
PrintedFirearm.com
, a website devoted to 3D printing of guns, announced that one of its
members successfully developed a lower receiver for a Colt CM901 rifle.
The receiver for the CM901—which is considered to be a much stronger
brother of the infamous AR-15 assault rifle—was crafted on a XYZ Da
Vinci printer, which normally costs around $500
- considered cheap in the 3D printer world. While they were not the
first to 3D print a lower receiver, it seems as if Printed Firearm has
taken an evolutionary step.
“This is the FIRST EVER 3d Printed AR-10 (CM901/LE901) lower receiver
by JT,” reads a blog post on PrintedFirearm.com. “OH YES WE DID!!!!!!!
Yes people its pure awesome sauce and it has been tested, fired with
little to no issues.”
The CM901 has a similar design to the AR-15 but can fire a heavier
and more powerful 7.62 millimeter round, which results in higher range
and stopping power. The standard NATO rifle cartridge has a 7.62 mm
diameter and a 51 mm case length.
The rifle is also a modular weapons system, which allows for multiple
modifications, so it is also capable of firing lighter 5.56-millimeter
rounds as well.
Printed Firearm posted a five-second GIF of the lower receiver in
action at a firing range. Like most 3D printed objects, the part is made
from a plastic-like filament so it is not clear how many shots could be
fired before it breaks or becomes damaged.
“This receiver is durable enough to work,” The Author of Printed
Firearm’s blog, who asked that his name be withheld, told FoxNews.com.
“The reality is the lower receiver in an AR style weapon does not need
to be that strong.
“Is it as strong as metal, no, is it as strong as wood, probably not,
is it strong enough to work, yes and it has proven just that.”
The blogger adds that the creator of the part claims to have fired
over 100 rounds of ammunition without any issues of visible wear and
tear.
Blueprints for parts like a lower receiver for the AR-15, have been
available on the web to download for several years but this is the first
instance where it has been drafted with an affordable printer and has
raised the question among some in the community that an affordable rifle
— from barrel to stock — will eventually be as simple as hitting the
print button.
Others say it will be a long while before that is a reality.
“It’s good for the narrative for the improvements in 3D printing,”
Cody Wilson of Defense Distributed, another group that made what was
considered the first working 3D printed handgun back in 2013, told
FoxNews.Com “But it’s going to be a long time before a rifle can be made
on an affordable 3D printer.”
Makeshift gunsmiths have focused mostly on printing lower receivers
because it is the only part of the rifle that has federal regulations.
Every other part, such as the barrel or the handgrip can be purchased
without any sort of permit.
Under current law, there are no federal restrictions on making a gun
for personal use - so long as it is under the parameters of both the Gun
Control Act and the National Firearms Act.
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2015/03/30/powerful-3d-printed-rifle-fires-nato-rounds/
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