The Imura Revolver 3D Printed Gun

[WarFairy]

Please abandon the project. You are clearly a very talented engineer. I know your intentions are engineering discovery, but the negative consequences in this case far outweigh the benefits. I would advise you to refocus your efforts elsewhere.

That's not going to happen. Consequences are the fault of people, not design and engineering.

[CaptainObvious]

That's not going to happen. Consequences are the fault of people, not design and engineering.

If the design and engineering is geared towards creating and broadcasting (to call it something) a gun that intrinsically has "illicit use" all over it, without limiting who or what for is going to be used then you can't waive moral responsibility away so easily.
It's not much different as if some chemistry enthusiast set out to teach people how to make nerve gas in the privacy of their homes with readily available materials, to explore the limits of chemistry of course...

Seriously, if you can't appreciate the ethical implications of what you are doing you probably shouldn't be doing it.

[Feign]

Personally, as engineering challenges go, I consider the working 3D printed firearm to be just a stepping stone to the working 3D printed internal combustion engine.

Aside from that, if it's just for the sake of the engineering challenge, then there is no reason to publicly share the design.

[Mjolinor]

Personally, as engineering challenges go, I consider the working 3D printed firearm to be just a stepping stone to the working 3D printed internal combustion engine.

Aside from that, if it's just for the sake of the engineering challenge, then there is no reason to publicly share the design.

Completely in agreement with that. If you want to give it a go then fine but there is no need to make waves all over the world which will lead to people that don't know diddly about 3d printers, making rules restricting them or the materials you need to use them.

There are also a lot more interesting challenges related to this area that may actually benefit people in general once they are solved.

[Brian_Krassenstein]

It's Printed:
3D printed guns remain a major controversy, as authorities and makers disagree on the legalities involved. Last May, Yoshitomo Imura was arrested in Japan, and in October he was sentenced to two years of jail time, for designing and printing guns. His arrest has spurred some, including within the FOSSCAD community, to delve further into 3D printing of guns; FOSSCAD community member 'Wayfairy' has now designed two versions, and is working on a third, of what he has dubbed the 'Imura Pistol,' designing a new gun inspired by Imura's .38-calibur Zig-Zag revolver. Read more about the Imura Pistol in the full story: http://3dprint.com/63813/imura-pistol-version-2/


Below is a photo of Wayfairy's Imura Pistol v 2:

[Feign]

I would rather have a half-brick in a sock any day of the week over a plastic gun.

I would also rather that whatever legitimate guns exist in any population of people belong mostly to the good and law-abiding people of that population. More guns, weather printed, smuggled or cobbled isn't going to change the ratio of law-abiding gun owners to law-defying gun owners. Consequentially, reducing the number of guns in a population won't change the ratio either.

If the gun laws of a place make it definitively impossible to be a law-abiding gun owner, then only changing the laws will help that, not changing the number of guns out there.

[Mjolinor]

Well in the UK the ratio went from 99% legitimate -- 1% criminal to 1% legitimate 99% criminal overnight when they stopped people having them legitimately apart from a select few.

[jlmccuan]

There are a whole lot more hobby lathes and mills in public hands. They make real guns, but you don't hear any of this nonsense about those.

[laneinator]

There are a whole lot more hobby lathes and mills in public hands. They make real guns, but you don't hear any of this nonsense about those.

This.

People who want a gun, are going to get a gun. Is 3D printing another outlet? Sure, it may be.
However, you can build a much better, more reliable, more accurate gun that has the same traceability with some simple hobby mills.

[curious aardvark]

is whether or not it will actually fire a bullet without exploding in one’s hand.

given that they've used steel barrel and chambers - yeah no reason at all why it shouldn't fire.
Were you to fire afew shot in succession you would probably risk melting from the heat - but can't see any other serious issues.

Except the fact that outside of america, handguns have only one purpose: shooting people.
In america I suspect they're a sort of teddy bear substitute :-)
Hell they're even a lynnrd skynnrd song that states 'handguns ain't got no use but killing'.
And before we get into a slanging match - americans will NEVER understand the rest of the world's attitude to gun and we in the rest of the world will NEVER understand america's attitude to them.

So every 3d printed gun thread will naturally be in two completely seperate pieces.

The worrying thing about the new namura ais that it uses 22 long cartridges. Pretty much the only cartridge used for firearms in the uk and as such the one it would be potentially possible for a non-firearms certificate holder to get their hands on.

And for once and for all printing a plastic gun is an UNSKILLED job. making agun with a lathe isa SKILLED job. There is no comparison.