Video: First Shots from a 3D-printed Hybrid AR-15/FN P90
OutdoorHub Reporters 11.05.14
In May of last year, OutdoorHub covered the release of a design for a 3D-printed AR-15/FN P90 hybrid. At the time, 3D printers and their capability to produce parts for firearms were widely covered by media because another pioneer in the field, Cody Wilson, had recently produced the world’s first printable gun. Wilson had since become an icon in what 3D-printing technology has to offer, but other designers continue to prove that Wilson is not the only one who can come up with innovative ideas.
With 3D printers, a prototype can be produced, modifications made, and then a second prototype immediately printed. This drastically decreases the amount of time it takes for a design to leave the drawing board. Some creative individuals have used 3D printing to “mix and match” firearms. To that end, one designer decided to fuse parts from an AR-15 and FN P90 together. It is called the “Charon,” and it is meant to take the best from both worlds.
However, a year and more has passed since the designs were uploaded online, and few working models of the Charon rifle have been produced. That is, until this video was posted on Reddit.
The creator of this particular rifle used the original design but made a few modifications for comfort and usability. According to the user’s posts on Reddit, the lower receiver of the rifle was printed in ABS plastic using an XYZPrinters Da Vinci.
“I fired it this evening, nothing blew up, and most things worked. I still have some binding in the buffer tube causing a failure to feed, but I can open that up more with sandpaper on a rod like I’ve been doing. Overall I’m fairly pleased,” the user wrote.
What do you think about 3D-printed guns? Is it truly the technology of the future for gun manufacturing?
