Video: Solid Concepts’ 3D-printed 1911 Pistol 500-round Torture Test

Last week we covered Austin-based Solid Concepts’ 3D-printed metal 1911 pistol, which is believed to be the first of its kind. At the time the company announced that it would be putting the handgun to the test in a 500-round torture test.

Solid Concepts engineer Eric Mutchler, the man behind the 1911 project, brought the gun to Red’s Indoor Range in Pflugerville, Texas where he and others ran 500 .45 caliber rounds through the pistol with zero malfunctions. Also testing the pistol was Kent Firestone, Vice President of Additive Manufacturing, and Robert Farago, publisher of the gun blog The Truth About Guns. Several other people also tried their hand at shooting the 1911, including range owner Karen Ziegler, who left the experience beaming.

You can see the 1911 at the range in the video below:

Mutchler told Farago that he designed the 1911 purely to prove that Solid Concepts, and 3D printing as a whole, can churn out products every bit as durable and high-quality as traditional machining.

“It was a scientific and engineering [experiment],” Mutchler said, adding that he eventually chose the full 1911 design over merely printing a Glock handgun’s barrel.

Mutchler’s interview with Farago can be seen below:

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