Gives new meaning to the term "gun printing"

[Scoundrel]

As with all new tech, first comes the idea, then the proof of concept, then the first few runs of crappy stuff using crappy materials, and eventually it gets awesome.

Look at the first airplane flown by the Wright brothers, and then look at the F-14 Tomcat. One day we will be able to print full functional automatic rifles. But not today.

[Bawanna]

Anyone but me ever wonder how cool it would be to somehow adjust the time machine and show the Wright Brothers some of the cool stuff that flies today. The Blackbird, or a 787.

Can you imagine their jaws dropping watching something like that take off without a barn to start from.

Mind boggling to me.

Same with John Moses although I don't think there's much we have now that he didn't think up. He might not of built it but he probably could have with just the seed of an idea. That was one wicked smart cookie that one.

I believe he might have been even smarter than GB. A close thing but he was smart.

[ptoemmes]

Well now this will date you - or me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsrLHP26zvk

Who is that good looking young man?

[Planedude]

Plastics, yep I remember that one. I have had folks aruge with me about composites being the future of any number of things (guns, cars, houses ect.) and they love to point out the composite 10/22 berrels you can now buy. I usally have to point out that the bullet travels down a stainless steel liner that contains the rifling...
Alot of matirials have advanced in my life, that does not make them the practical solution for most problems. Advance stuff costs alot $$$...

I'm with you Bawanna, lets go get Orville and Wilbur and show them what we can do now. I'd show them the F22, The best show was at Edwards when the Raptor come trolling down the runway at about 200ft and 250mph. Suddenly he nails AB and using the elevators and the moving nozzles flips that giant aircraft into a tail stand and accelerates thru Mach 1 going stright up. All that power and stealth too, when the Raptors come to play everybody else puts their toys away... or dies. I'm not sure the Wrights could have even imagined...

[jlottmc]

Plastics, yep I remember that one. I have had folks aruge with me about composites being the future of any number of things (guns, cars, houses ect.) and they love to point out the composite 10/22 berrels you can now buy. I usally have to point out that the bullet travels down a stainless steel liner that contains the rifling...
Alot of matirials have advanced in my life, that does not make them the practical solution for most problems. Advance stuff costs alot $$$...

I'm with you Bawanna, lets go get Orville and Wilbur and show them what we can do now. I'd show them the F22, The best show was at Edwards when the Raptor come trolling down the runway at about 200ft and 250mph. Suddenly he nails AB and using the elevators and the moving nozzles flips that giant aircraft into a tail stand and accelerates thru Mach 1 going stright up. All that power and stealth too, when the Raptors come to play everybody else puts their toys away... or dies. I'm not sure the Wrights could have even imagined...

I was stationed at Cherry Point when they were doing the T&E on those. I remember tracking the new plane on base (F35) and seeing it over by the PX and from about 500ft off the deck doing the same thing. That is one of those moments that loses something in translation, but yes it is impressive. Very impressive.

[jocko]

anyome remember the winchester Model 59 sh!tgun called theWin-lite.It has a paperthin metal barrel then wrapped wtih miles of fiber glass. Gun waslighter than air,Thebarrel was alittle bubleious,but blued like steel. The gun did not sell well at allbut I think this gun dates back in the early 60's. I sold one to my neighbor across the street from our business.

[marky]

Remington Nylon 66, introduced in 1959. One of the best .22s ever made.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remington_Nylon_66


.221 Remington Fireball pistol, 1963. Very cool.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remington_XP-100

[Scoundrel]

Interesting development: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19813382

[Longitude Zero]

My son is an architectural/structural engineering graduate. The company he works for uses 3D printers all the times. The technology is not exactly new but some of it is cutting edge.

Making a usable weapon with a printer looks good in theory but in practice it is a long way from every being much of a credible threat.

[Scoundrel]

Yep. This printer company was just being all shy about their public image. You'd think they'd have embraced the publicity.

[jeepster09]

It seems more like the anti gun sheeple trying to create hysteria like when the Glock's came out, how "plastic" guns would be going through all the metal detectors....

[Planedude]

It seems more like the anti gun sheeple trying to create hysteria like when the Glock's came out, how "plastic" guns would be going through all the metal detectors....

I remember that, I thought "wow a plastic gun". Then I saw one at the LGS and I thought "Wow, big steel slide, metal in the rest of the gun, Anyone missing this in an x-ray machine is named Charles... Ray Charles".

I guess the Brit government getting hyped up on this silly much-ado-about-nuthin should not come as a surprise. Someday the geeks may be closer, but right now all the technology can do is make a kind of ugly toy gun.