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DEFCAD has always been a host for hybrid firearm designs. These designs are a solution to problems faced by traditionally manufactured firearms and primarily 3D printed firearms: cost and strength respectively. This is normally done by ensuring that the bolt, barrel, and fire control group are entirely metal and then hybridized by having the general fixturing and enclosure 3D printed. Essentially: if it goes “boom”, make sure the component can withstand the force.

There are three excellent examples from DEFCAD’s recent uploads of these different types of hybrid design. Starting off with the tec22 mk2A "Bullet Hose" open beta by HulkHoganHH, which is a .22LR variation of the classic Tec9 platform. This machine pistol design highlights clear and simple design principles and has been a fun on-going project for the DIY Defense community.

Next up there is The Anarchy 37mm DIY Launcher by unseenkiller. The signal launcher design has been a popular style to work with and The Anarchy makes a name for itself by its incredibly small profile. The ability to create designs around well understood launcher principles allows for serious pushing of the technical envelope. Just because a platform is done in a do-it-yourself manner does not mean that practical innovation is out of reach.

Finally there has been an addition to the extensive collection of designs of Professor Parabellum with the AA-12 / USAS-12 Semi-Automatic Shotgun. This project is the result of three years of work and it still requires a new maintainer to carry the torch and take it all the way to the finish line. This design is premised on DIY fabrication of a significant portion components and features the well-knows design principles that Professor Parabellum is known for. It’ll be a fantastic feather in the cap for anyone that can make this a fully functioning system both in terms of the particular caliber but also with the sleek and robust design.

DEFCAD is not only home to firearms, or variations such as can launchers, but to a whole universe of defense related elements. Given enough in-fill, and small enough surface area, even plastic can be dangerous to confront. Laff’s Dynamics has been the most prolific on this front with well over a dozen designs to his name pushing this area of innovation. With Full-size Knuckledusters, Push Daggers, Puncture Tools, Two-Finger Knuckledusters, regular daggers, and admixtures of all the above he has every variation you can think of to experiment with your 3D Printer.

Thoughts and Prayers has tried his hand at this design process as well with a recreation of the KA-BAR and Tanto Knives. These are understood as applications of ‘disposable defense’ which helps manage the hard limits that 3D printing have when related to DIY Defense. All of these projects are a relatively small amount of material and don’t need to interact with other parts so they are excellent beginner projects for those of you new to DEFCAD.

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There is another document uploaded, In the spirit of last week’s focus, on DEFCAD by the name of The Principles of Firearms. Major Charles Balleisen of the US Army had the objective of describing the mechanisms present in automatic weaponry but his focus was on the essential concepts and mathematics required to actually design a firearm rather than a fully exhaustive history and analysis of machine gun platforms.

The text is under 150 pages with a large font and simple layout making it a quick and enjoyable read yet still offers a variety of mechanism illustrations and relevant equations to help understand the actual necessary functions of any given firearm. Contents range from definitions to mechanism as well as common problems in firearm design as well as methods of testing weaponry. There’s even an introduction to exterior ballistics in the appendix. This is a great resource for those looking to have a general primer on the theory of the firearm.

Something not immediately obvious to those just discovering the DIY Defense space involves the important details for the Glock Platform. Which model of Glock, what generation, which frames, which slides, etc etc? For the most part the frames that are used for printable ghost pistols are G17 or G19 Gen 3 frames with specialized front and rear rail blocks to link the frame and the slide.

PrintYour2A has been diligently making sure there is much more compatibility for the Glock ecosystem with 3D printed frames and has produced packages for both the G17 Gen 5  and the G19 Gen 5. The refinements that Glock has made to their platforms has lead to a whole series of subtle changes, including the Gen 5 Glock Mag Release, which have been dutifully taken care of with these frames. Remember to download the G17, 19 & 45 Print and Assembly Instructions for any of the PrintYour2A Frames as well as the G17/G19 Rail Press and Rail Templates.