3D Printing - Yay or Nah for 2A?

[meachzach]

Ive been thinking about getting into 3D printing, but dont know enough about the materials or machines to make a informed decision. Looking for any info from anyone that may already be printing 2A type things. whats the best machine material, any tips tricks?

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[Will_White]

Ive been thinking about getting into 3D printing, but dont know enough about the materials or machines to make a informed decision. Looking for any info from anyone that may already be printing 2A type things. whats the best machine material, any tips tricks?

For Printing Flare Launchers Only (because printing guns isn't legal in Oregon, and makes you a potential baby murderer) the Sovol printers are pretty good on a budget, I intend to get an SV06 Plus to replace my Ender 3. If you just want to hit print and go Prusas are the machines of choice but come at a premium.

You can print most designs in PLA+ but if you want it to last get a printer that can do filled nylon.

 

[evergreen_]

LEARN – Hoffman Tactical

hoffmantactical.com

Check this out. Tim Hoffman is a 3D2A legend

Also GunCAD Index is a great place to browse 2A files and projects

 

[Will_White]

Also check out The Guide

3 DP QSG V 2 1 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Quick Start Guide for 3D Printing

archive.org

 

[CamoDeafie]

3D printing furniture (stocks, foregrips, grips, etc), molds for sight risers, and possibly other things should be OK in Oregon as none of these are "firearms" as far as I can tell

 

[Stomper]

Creality K2....

 

[Nosferatu]

If you have some specific questions, we can help.

If you're expecting someone to write a dissertation about the subject, forget about it, there's way, way too much to cover. Do some research on your own and come back when you need something specific.

 

[Juniper9mm]

Only for prototyping

 

[Will_White]

Only for "prototyping"

FTFY

 

[newthings]

3D printing for 2A stuff is kind of a mixed bag. On the one hand, it's super cool from a tech/freedom perspective, the idea that regular people can manufacture parts on their own is wild. On the other hand, the quality and reliability aren't anywhere near factory level, and there are legal gray areas you've got to be really careful about. So, it's more of a 'yay for innovation and personal freedom, but nah if you're expecting flawless performance or trying to stay totally hassle-free.'

 

[Will_White]

3D printing for 2A stuff is kind of a mixed bag. On the one hand, it's super cool from a tech/freedom perspective, the idea that regular people can manufacture parts on their own is wild. On the other hand, the quality and reliability aren't anywhere near factory level, and there are legal gray areas you've got to be really careful about. So, it's more of a 'yay for innovation and personal freedom, but nah if you're expecting flawless performance or trying to stay totally hassle-free.'

They're as reliable as the amount of time you spend building them. Just have to use the proper materials and do proper fitting. All NFA and local laws apply, but there are no "approved" 3d printed braces.

 

[newthings]

They're as reliable as the amount of time you spend building them. Just have to use the proper materials and do proper fitting. All NFA and local laws apply, but there are no "approved" 3d printed braces.

Yeah, that's fair. I agree that if you really take your time, use good materials, and fit things carefully, you can get them to work reliably, but that's a lot of work and attention to detail. For most people, factory made stuff is just more consistent and hassle-free. And yeah, legal stuff is still tricky, no "approved" 3D printed braces or parts, so you've got to be careful. Basically, 3D printing is awesome for experimentation and personal projects, but it's not a shortcut to guaranteed performance or legality.

 

[beaston93]

your going to need a halfway decent printer to really print some good lowers that are clean.

 

[Will_White]

your going to need a halfway decent printer to really print some good lowers that are clean.

Ender 3 will do it, It just takes longer.

 

[arakboss]

I wish these adventurers lots of good fortune.

Radical gun rights movement "3D2A" and 3D printers spark rapid rise in ghost guns, NYPD says

Ghost guns that are 3D-printed are being made from plans readily available online, experts say.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[SovereignAge]

I've been printing for about three years now. I have an FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) printer that I picked up in 2022 from Chyna. What this means is it uses plastic filament that's heated and extruded through a nozzle layer by layer to build up a part. The most common material used for parts would generally be PLA (polylactic acid) filament. These days, I tend to use PLA+ or PETCF-17 (carbon fiber reinforced polyethylene terephthalate) which are harder and more durable than standard PLA.

Getting good results has been a frustrating process, but I've stuck with it and have a few excellent examples I take to the range from time to time. I moved to a state that recognizes several rights, not least of which is making unserialized frames and receivers for personal use. Your results may vary.

Today's printers (Bambu Lab) are really amazing and achieve 500mm/s travel vs my existing 2022 at 180mm/s. That means faster results, which is important to anyone who's ever had to wait over 24 hours for a print to complete.

I don't regret my decision and in my view, my printer has paid for itself. Like anything new, I also had to learn other productive skills unrelated to 3D printing to complete functional arms. For me, it's always been more expensive to build vs buy. Some think they can save money, but it's never worked for me when you can buy an anodized lower for $40 USD.