A Canadian rifle maker has successfully fired a 3D-printed rifle, based on firearms designer Cody Wilson’s work on a homemade handgun crafted from thermoplastics.
Mashable.com reports that “Matthew” has successfully fired 14 rounds from a .22 rifle created from a 3D printer.
The rifle represents Matthew’s second prototype and is called Grizzly 2.0. The barrel of the first prototype cracked after firing just one round, so he adjusted the barrel’s thickness and fired 14 rounds from the next model before experiencing any problems.
The Grizzly 2.0 is a single shot rifle. The user reloads it after each shot by taking off the barrel, clearing it of the spent shell casing, and loading another round.
The Grizzly 2.0’s creator has uploaded video of a purportedly successful firing test.
Cody Wilson’s Defense Distributed, an organization dedicated to creating designs for 3D “wiki weapons,” revealed a single-shot pistol created with a 3D printer in May of 2013. The “Liberator” personal firearm made headlines when Wilson successfully tested it, and days later the Department of Defense demanded he pull the gun’s design from his website. Defense Distributed claims to have plans for the next step in 3D firearm creation: “the lower receiver of an AR-15… rifle.”
Photo source: Slashgear
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins