DEFCAD Newsletter - Printable Drum Magazine, AWCY and Professor Parabellum
May 24, 2022
Welcome again to another issue of the DEFCAD newsletter. This issue picks up where the last one left off, with several new releases from across the community.
Printable Drum Magazine from DannyMeatball
One of the holy grails of guncad has been achieved - you can now print your own 55-round 9mm round drum magazine.
The master of magazines DannyMeatball first produced a Glock magazine design and after that a printable Sten magazine. His latest release is the D.R.U.M., which holds up to 55 rounds in the base model. It uses interchangeable magazine towers, allowing it to interface with several different firearm platforms, including the G17, G19, the SVTR, the Scorpion and the Sumac. As always this design is very well documented and is quite easy to build. Build this design and magdump away!
AWCY Releases Pt. 1
AWCY has so many releases in this newsletter that we’ve split them up into two parts. First off is the long-awaited Mac-11-based Scarab design from SwarmTech, the first 3DP Mac that actually looks like a Mac. We also have a printable ar-style lower that accepts a variety of magazines and calibers, including 9mm, .45ACP, and more.
We’ve been waiting quite a while for the Scarab and finally it is here! Included in the release package are several different variants of the frame for your selection. This is the first 3DP Mac releases to actually utilize the MAC-11 lower parts kit, which means that it should not be subject to the firing pin problems that Mac builds using AR FCGs have experienced. My intent is not to criticize other MAC-11 3DP builds by noting their departure from traditional MAC aesthetics - indeed, the Sumac is one of my favorite designs. But the cool factor of the Scarab’s look is hard to beat. All the nuts and bolts can be sourced from a hardware store or purchased as a kit here. Get a LPK from Velocity and build yours today!
On its surface the AR We Cool Yet pack appears to be an AR-9 lower which can accept several different magazines, and that is how it is advertised. Upon digging into the file pack, however, you’ll find that it includes not only AR-9 designs but also AR-45 designs and even a few traditional rifle-caliber lowers. Use this design to print a lower that takes standard Glock or Colt mags, but also mags for the MP5, M3 Grease Gun, PPS-43, Sten and more. As always detailed instructions are provided for these various builds, so go check it out!
AWCY Releases Pt. 2
In the second set of AWCY releases we have two more: first, a printable frame for the Springfield XD from 458socom, and second, the Buckmarque, a printable frame for the Browning Buckmark from DanishBulldog.
The world’s first printable XD has arrived! This is another parts kit conversion design for the 9mm and .40S&W XD models. Unlike Glocks, the “rails” for an XD are part of the standard parts kit and as such no custom rails are required. A very good printing and assembly guide is included in the release package - read it thoroughly to make sure you get the right parts kit!
If you are a fan of .22 pistols then the Buckmarque is worth your attention. The Browning Buckmark is definitely one of the more popular .22LR pistols and now you can make your own frame. As with all parts kits conversion builds a full parts kit is required for the Buckmarque; this said, the release package includes an STL for a printable barrel retainer that will accept a barrel liner, so you can DIY this part too if you like. This build is by the venerable DanishBulldog - check out some photos of completed builds on his website!
New Professor Parabellum Design - STRUG
The venerable Professor Parabellum adds another 100% DIY firearm to his corpus with the STRUG, a pistol using a steel tube upper, DIY bolt and AP9 / FGC-9 type lower receiver.
The purest form of guncad has always been fully DIY designs that require no commercial gun parts, and Professor Parabellum has always been one of the finest developers of these designs. The STRUG is his latest release. Its construction combines simple metalworking operations for the upper and printed parts for the lower. The STRUG is designed to use an ECM'd barrel similar to the one found on the FGC-9. Detailed instructions are provided for fabrication of this platform, and the design can be made anywhere in the world with a minimum of tools. Build yours today!
Guide to Hilti Nailgun Blanks
We’ll close this newsletter with a different sort of release - a technical paper by alex.the.great that describes his research into the different Hilti nailgun blanks and describes how these can be used for reloading ammunition.
Hilti cartridges were famously used in IvanTheTroll’s DIY Ammo guide, and they occasionally pop up in other designs, such as the Gatlatl. Their full potential remains, I think, unexplored - this guide will be a very valuable source for anyone who wishes to push the frontier further.
I am told that a second paper on this subject is being drafted - major thanks to alex.the.great for this work, and I look forward to seeing his subsequent work! We also hope to see more technical papers of this nature in the future - information can be just as valuable as a new gun design, if not more.
The golden age of guncad continues in spite of its enemies best efforts to stop home manufacture of firearms. In fact they still do not grasp the scale that this movement has attained, and their regulations are outdated before they even begin.
Keep an eye on this newsletter to stay on top of the latest developments, and find all these files and more on DEFCAD.
