Shire-man,

Huh. I am wondering how difficult it would be for 20 people to chip-in $250 each and share ownership of a $5000 metal printer.

I suspect that printed metal parts would tend to have very sharp edges which require some type of process to soften those edges. (Tumbling for example???) At any rate, if that is practical, then those 20 people could print pretty much any firearm–and as many as they want–to their heart’s content. The prospect of being able to manufacture any firearm that I want for $250 (plus the cost of the metal powder or wire) is incredibly appealing.

My only question is what (if anything) you would have to do with printed rifling in a printed barrel. I know that professional fabricators who make barrels (and rifle them) have a fairly intensive (and extensive) process to polish the barrel’s inside surfaces (lands and grooves). Would we have to apply a substantially similar process to a printed barrel?

“Metal printers capable of handling Inconel and stainless steel are available for under $5,000 now.”

Now that’s cool! The last time I checked, about 10 so years back, they were several hundreds of thousands each.

That’s now close to point where even local ‘maker spaces’ can hope to afford them. Gun control is now well and truly dead… 🙂

“The FGC-9 changed everything. Unlike those early models, the FGC-9 includes no regulated components: it can be made using just a 3D printer and parts available from a hardware store; it requires only some metalworking skills.”

Yeah, about that –

I fully expect them to go after making the pressure-bearing components (like bolts and barrels) the regulated parts needing serial numbers and a background check, the same way some countries in Europe are doing.

They will never, *ever* stop attacking the 2A, it’s the only way to keeping them in power…