RepackboxWidenersLoad DataMidSouth Shooters Supply
Inline FabricationReloading EverythingLee PrecisionTitan Reloading
RotoMetals2
Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 51

Thread: 3D Printing - What do you want to make / have made?

  1. #1
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    The Pacific NorthWet
    Posts
    3,877

    3D Printing - What do you want to make / have made?

    I have a few ideas here (organizational i.e. holders for trimmer pilots, tool holders, etc. so far)

    Thought I'd see what ideas other folks had come up with though.

    I have 2 cats, love them, but when kitty gets bored and fishes out all 12 $6 trimmer pilots I have, ACK!!

    Cheaper to print something than find a zippered container...

  2. #2
    Boolit Master

    Rcmaveric's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Jacksonville, FL
    Posts
    2,356
    Still working on bullet collator. Have the files for a case feeder.

    I have mostly made organizational things for my aquaponics and upgrades for my printer.

    Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk
    "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."
    ~Theodore Roosevelt~

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    1,167
    Well I think being able to make a lot of things for when you need something would be pretty neat. I remember thinking about that when I needed a set of offset front and rear sights for a AR carbine. Beats having to look online and order a set and then hope the mail system or delivery system actually delivers it. Taller or shorter scope mounts would be nice to make too. For when you try a set of scope mounts and the mounts are too short or too long for your purpose. 3D printing a ladder tang sight or rear sight for a vintage gun would be cool. Maybe 3d printing a scope mount rail would be good.

    Basically, when you are looking to do something for your gun and you decide you need to buy something that you don't already have on hand for it, would be a good candidate for 3D printing.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
    metricmonkeywrench's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Virginia
    Posts
    1,107
    How about a front cover for a 10-10 scale?

  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    The Pacific NorthWet
    Posts
    3,877
    The other neat tool I own, but have no place to put (so it's at a friends') is an old laser cutter / engraver. You can cut plexiglass or SAR plastic into shapes easily to make containers, dust covers, etc.; I need to get using that

  6. #6
    Boolit Master RU shooter's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    SW Pa.
    Posts
    2,928
    Seems there a good many black rifle parts that are and could be made
    If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    The Pacific NorthWet
    Posts
    3,877
    Very true.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Plymouth County, IA
    Posts
    708
    I was hoping to see someone printed a single shot follower for a Savage Model 25 in 17 Hornet...they are terrible feeding from the detactable magazine. Please print 2 if you print one!
    Take a kid to the range, you'll both be glad you did.

  9. #9
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    the Netherlands
    Posts
    15
    Wanted to make a bullet collator but i was to late to download the files.

  10. #10
    Moderator Emeritus


    JonB_in_Glencoe's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Land of 10,000 Lakes
    Posts
    15,832
    I believe I have only bought one item that was 3-d printed, that was a Magazine speed loader for 45acp Ruger American. It arrived and was a bit small, so I heated it up, and 'stretched' it over a factory Mag.

    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...tic&highlight=
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    “If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.”
    ― The Dalai Lama, Seattle Times, May 2001

  11. #11
    Boolit Master
    Scrounge's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    OKC Metro
    Posts
    1,433
    I've made some change gears for an HF 7x10 mini-lathe, but haven't actually tested them. They do mesh with the original gears, but my shop needs a lot more organization to make an actual test possible. I've also failed miserably at learning how to use SolidWorks to design stuff to be 3D printed, so far. Just retired recently, working on the shop organization now (when I'm not hanging out on CB or some of my metalworking fora) and hope to be able to print similar gears for my Atlas TH42. However, "Hope is not a strategy." I need to get back to work.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master



    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Alexandria VA
    Posts
    594
    Quote Originally Posted by Scrounge View Post
    I've made some change gears for an HF 7x10 mini-lathe, but haven't actually tested them. They do mesh with the original gears, but my shop needs a lot more organization to make an actual test possible. I've also failed miserably at learning how to use SolidWorks to design stuff to be 3D printed, so far. Just retired recently, working on the shop organization now (when I'm not hanging out on CB or some of my metalworking fora) and hope to be able to print similar gears for my Atlas TH42. However, "Hope is not a strategy." I need to get back to work.
    With what original Atlas gears cost on theBay, if you got a file together that printed the gears well you could have a nice little side business among that fan base.

    BDGR

  13. #13
    Boolit Buddy MrHarmless's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Location
    Oklahoma
    Posts
    236
    Solidworks is a pretty decent program to learn on. Youtube has a fair number of tutorials. A lot of them will be for older versions, but with a little "translation" work between the corresponding versions it's not bad. I wanna say I've read their customer support is decent/

    If you're interested in coding based design, OpenScad is incredibly powerful, but tough to learn.

    My college used NX, which I'm now comfortable using, but it's got the depth and breadth of an ocean (like they design nuclear subs with it), and it's not as user friendly as Solidworks.
    MC-130J Driver
    Former T-6A Texan II Driver
    FAIP Mafia
    Hook 'em all

  14. #14
    Moderator Emeritus


    MrWolf's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    NE West Virginia
    Posts
    4,852
    Would the plastic be strong enough to print the housing for magazines? Curious about the strength on the common filaments.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master ACC's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Location
    San Antonio Texas
    Posts
    579
    Quote Originally Posted by JonB_in_Glencoe View Post
    I believe I have only bought one item that was 3-d printed, that was a Magazine speed loader for 45acp Ruger American. It arrived and was a bit small, so I heated it up, and 'stretched' it over a factory Mag.

    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...tic&highlight=
    yea, I got a couple of those for my Model 59 and my SD 40VE.

    ACC

  16. #16
    Boolit Buddy MrHarmless's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Location
    Oklahoma
    Posts
    236
    Quote Originally Posted by MrWolf View Post
    Would the plastic be strong enough to print the housing for magazines? Curious about the strength on the common filaments.
    A lot of people have experimented with this, as well as printing receivers of various firearms with filaments ranging from PLA (Standard), to ABS (Also standard, but stronger), up to nylon (Less standard and pretty strong, but stringy when printing).

    Unfortunately because of the laminate nature of FDM 3D printing, there hasn't been much success. If printed vertically, the layers aren't very strong and warp pretty easily, and if printed horizontally, there are a plethora of dimensional and overhand issues to overcome. You end up having to design them almost unusably bulky.

    If you look at early plastic lower receiver designs for the AR-15, what you'll see is that early on, with injection molded plastic, there wasn't a whole lot of success because the lower receiver was designed with aluminum in mind to handle the stresses, and they wore out pretty quick. This is especially true with 3D printed lowers. Newer designs have the same control layout as your bog standard AR-15, but are designed to handle those stresses with plastic, so they end up being bulked up in various places, and having metal bushings/inserts for the wear areas like the FCG pins.

    A few guys on reddit have made some glock mags for ghost firearms they've designed and released to the public, but their longevity from wear is less than 500 rounds if I recall correctly. Which I guess isn't bad for a disposable part like the body of a magazine.

    Long story short, you can, but you can't make them 1:1 to a metal or injection molded mag because the strength isn't there.
    MC-130J Driver
    Former T-6A Texan II Driver
    FAIP Mafia
    Hook 'em all

  17. #17
    Boolit Master


    Omega's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Clarksville, TN
    Posts
    1,318
    There are tons of things on this site, for reloading, plus a bunch of just nice to have items. I need to get me a printer, I'd like to make some Lee turret storage units, to start with.
    https://www.thingiverse.com/search?q...&sort=relevant

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Lee Turret Storage.jpg 
Views:	28 
Size:	41.7 KB 
ID:	260786
    "Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it."
    ~Pericles~

  18. #18
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    The Pacific NorthWet
    Posts
    3,877
    remy3424 if you had accurate dimensions someone good with CAD could probably design up a part in a few hours...

    Designing a mag holder dealie to carry, hold extra mags in a way that makes them more conveniently set up.

  19. #19
    Moderator Emeritus


    MrWolf's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    NE West Virginia
    Posts
    4,852
    Thanks. I have a Charles Daly 410 magazine for an Ar15 upper. Feels like it is a hard plastic and wasn't sure how advanced printing has gotten.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master



    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Alexandria VA
    Posts
    594
    Quote Originally Posted by MrWolf View Post
    Would the plastic be strong enough to print the housing for magazines? Curious about the strength on the common filaments.
    I'll second MrHarmless' answers as "not common filaments, no", but I'll add that someone with an upgraded printer that can handle reinforced filament might enjoy better success. If I get my hands on a better printer later this year (as planned) I will experiment with reinforced filaments that might stand up better. It's ballpark $10,000-8,000 for one of these printers, so it's not a trivial expense. However, I'd want to put it to work, to help pay for its care and feeding, so I'll consider making things to sell.
    Bulldogger

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check