7 May, A 3D-PRINTED handgun that is said to be a world first, which anyone can make, has reportedly been fired successfully.
The 3D “Liberator” handgun, made up almost entirely of 3D-printed components, is a small pistol-like weapon that can shoot various types of handgun bullets through several interchangeable plastic barrels.
Defense Distributed now claims to have successfully fired it.
Forbes documented firing tests in Texas.
Defense Distributed’s founder, Cody R. Wilson, fired the Liberator by hand himself.
There was reportedly no damage to either Wilson or the gun itself, aside from a crack in a pin used to secure the barrel.
Forbes reports that one secret behind the gun’s structural integrity may be that the barrel has been treated with “a jar of acetone vaporized with a pan of water and a camp stove,” which is said to reduce friction by slightly smoothing the bore.
The Liberator is made from 16 parts, 15 of which were fabricated with a Stratasys 3D printer, and one non-functional metal part helps the gun comply with the Undetectable Firearms Act.
The group told Forbes that once the gun has been tested and proven functional, they will publish the digital blueprints for it on their website, Defcad.org, allowing anyone to make it.
-News Limited Network
