Armament Research Services (ARES) is very pleased to announce the release of our latest Research Report, Desktop Firearms:
Emergent Small Arms Craft Production Technologies. The report examines the range of emergent technologies which are influencing the craft-production of small arms by individuals, and the effects these are having on the types of weapons that can be produced, and the viability of those outputs. Some paraphrased excerpts from the report follow:
On 5 May 2013, Defense Distributed—a self-described “…private defense contractor in service of the general public”—released the data for an almost entirely 3D-printed firearm , christened the ‘Liberator’. From that point onwards, 3D printing of firearms and firearm components began to proliferate. Today’s designs, however, have advanced a long way from their progenitor of less than a decade earlier. The barriers to entry have been dramatically lowered, and emergent technologies such as electrochemical machining (ECM) and desktop/micro-CNC have paved the way for the average person to craft-produce, with a little perseverance, capable self-loading hybrid firearms such as the FGC-9. Individuals can increasingly obtain firearms without having to access criminal networks or legally controlled firearms distribution channels, maintaining anonymity and independence.
It is highly likely that the FGC-9 is simply the first of a new wave of cheap, nearly-entirely-homemade 3D-printable firearm designs which solve material limitations by incorporating readily available metal components and unregulated firearms parts. This new breed of design offers adopters a cheap and effective firearm that is very difficult to trace, and may have the potential to rival or outstrip previous trends in the acquisition of illegal firearms modified from replica and deactivated firearms—themselves subject to increasing legislation. There are very limited control options for restricting access to the materials or design files used in craft-producing such weapons, and progressively more affordable machines and tools—as well as ongoing refinement of techniques—are likely to make their continued development and acquisition increasingly commonplace. As technical hurdles are raidly overcome, rifle-calibre firearms requiring strong locking actions—previously the preserve of factories—may soon be produced in the same low-tech manner as the FGC-9.
Whilst the research suggests that emergent craft-produced firearms are primarily designed and built by enthusiasts, small numbers have been used in violent incidents. 3D-printed firearms have been stockpiled by criminal elements. The perpetrator of the recent Halle attacks in Germany, for example, included a crude hybrid 3D-printed firearm in his arsenal.
To read the full publication, click here.
For more publications from ARES, see our Publications page. For printed copies, visit the ARES Store.
Fgc-9 is the shuty ap9 with a homemade barrel.
Yes, substantially. See the discussion of this on p. 47 of the report.
And converted to metric sized hardware, and lots of small edits that drastically reduce print cleanup and hand fitting required. Comparing the two models to each other the differences are extensive, while the operating mechanism is effectively the same.
If there was no shuty ap9. There would most definitely be no Fgc-9. When I release V8 v9 files to the public for free. I encourage people to modify. But it seems other people get the credit for my hard work. It’s called original thinking some people have it and some don’t
The changes are not extensive. Subtract the whole upper and you have a homemade barrel and a lower design by warfairy.
@Derwood
You are mistakenly saying that you are not getting credit, this is plain wrong, the documentation of the FGC-9 states twice, that the design is based on the Shuty AP9 in the foreword it is even specifcally mentioned that the Shuty AP9 is by Derwood.
When personally being talked to about the FGC-9 in a public setting more often than not, the fact that the FGC-9 is based on the Shuty AP9, is mentioned by me.
Second, the changes from the Shuty AP9 are indeed extensive.
You can take a look at the last page of the FGC-9 documentation to understand how significant the changes are.
The changes on the FGC-9 are so extensive that almost all parts are not interchangable with the AP9.
I implore you to take a look at the FGC-9 in a CAD program or in person and check every single component against the the AP9 and you will see how a lot of improvements and general change of design have been made for the majority if not all components.
Whether you still think the changes aren’t extensive enough or whether you’ve gotten the appropriate credit, that is on you, feel free to whine instead of accepting reality.
List of changes from the Shuty AP9 base design found in the FGC-9 documentation :
– 16mm OD barrel with shaft collars used instead of a Glock 17 barrel
– Changed bolt stock piece diameter to 18mm OD
– Changed shape of upper receiver significantly
– Changed shape of lower receiver significantly
– Changed barrel retainer significantly
– Added newly designed firing pin that doesn’t need a lathe to manufacture, designed to be made with basic hand tools.
– Completely cleaned up every single model of the components that were taken over from the AP9. (Cleaned up as in removing all the amateur-tier weird modeling mistakes/artifacts on the CAD model components)
– Completely changed all fastening components to European based DIN components (screws, washers, collars, nuts …)
– Changed design to utilize steel materials with metric dimensions
– Added stock designed completely from scratch
– Added completely new feed ramp
– Changed the magwell entirely
– Changed mag catch
– Changed mag catch button
– Changed mag catch button canal
– Changed fire control group pocket to spec, cleaned the pocket
– Changed springs used, now using only metric springs except the AR-15 carbine buffer spring
– Changed top rail slightly and extended it
– Changed side rail slightly and extended it
– Cleaned up pistol grip install area
– Cutout near fire selector hole for more ergonomic fire selector switch interaction
– Changed position and diameter of all screw holes
– Completely changed the way upper and lower attach
– Changed mag catch attachment
– Changed pin holes and all other holes to eliminate need for post processing such as sanding, reaming etc.
– Completely designed new charging handle from scratch that is easier to build and more ergonomic
– Significantly changed and cleaned bolt carrier
– Added fire selector indicators on both sides
– Added thread inserts to enable disassembly without ruining the gun
– Added purpose made pistol grip
– Changed buffer tube
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