An Open Source Rifle Project

There are a lot of talented designers here, and I think it would be possible for us to put together a design for an open source rifle.

First, here is the intent of the idea:

*To design a line of firearms in such a way as to make them very easy to build for the homebuilder from scratch. Not merely assembling from parts but rather to actually make the parts as well.
*This design should be scalable and adaptable in design. Not so much for swappability but for the sake of simplicity. If the best and cheapest upper is a tube style action, then lets start there. The more complex designs and adaptations can follow later on. If the best is a stamped or folded upper then we should start there.
*The plans should provide for the above mentioned adaptability: So that the desired caliber and action can be chosen and constructed.
*To provide the plans of the original as well as any and all add-on designs for free online.

The scope of the idea.

*To start with a rifle platform that is as simple and easy to construct from scratch as possible while being safe, reliable and durable.
*The design should avoid as much as possible requiring any machine work.
*The design should include all necessary parts in the plans for home construction. And not rely on manufactured parts for anything if possible. (the barrel will need to be machined obviously so that part could be a common off the shelf item.)
*To include, where necessary or helpful, plans for making jigs, tools or even simple machines in order to build the firearm.
*To allow, by being "open sourced" that the original design can be ever improved and added to. New designs for the upper, lower, action, magazine well, magazines and all other aspects of the firearm to be added and included. Allowing for an ever expanding collection of plans made available to homebuilders for free.
*The gun should be able to be assembled and disassembled without tools
*Be fully Ambidextrous


The objective.
*to give, freely, the experience and knowledge of a few, to many. To empower people who choose the challenge and responsibility of building a firearm from scratch to have access to a good design that can be built in the caliber and functioning action of their preference. With designs & plans to allow for the use of either newly made parts or commonly available parts.

The plan to get started.
*To design and construct a prototype using the simplest methods possible.
*Choose a design for the upper; including bolt, action and trunnion.
*Choose a design for the lower/FCG.
*Choose a design for the magazine well.
*Choose a caliber for the prototype.
*choose a design for the magazine.
**Design the above elements.
***Build the above elements.
***Assemble the rifle.

My proposal.
*use either a tube type upper or a bent sheet metal upper.
*make it roller locked or roller delayed blow-back.
*use as much off the shelf as possible. Standard sizes of steel bar, angle, tubing and such should not be hard to find and should require as little machining as possible.
*design for the worst case scenario. Assume that the builder only has files, drill press and a dremel tool.
*design a simple and safe FCG that has the trigger at the back of the housing.
*chamber for 5.56x45mm and use an off the shelf barrel to keep things simple.
*build a simple single stack magazine that holds at least 20 cartridges and is removable.

I am not much of a designer or draftsman, so call me a faggot or a fed if/when I am unable to help much with this project.

Attached: Model of modular gun.JPG (1110x774, 30.29K)

Other urls found in this thread:

void.cat/bb2345de6a85558868d006906ae80ba918c03abf
void.cat/cac354e54e0467ecb9a5622312baae1767ece597
weaponeer.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10142&PN=1
youtube.com/watch?v=0hmJXqHoxac
twitter.com/SFWRedditImages

So Luty? I thought we already had an ATF thread.

Attached: 0555c2561cc9b48c472de57de9e092692dac903f5777ee44f26add23b3050d64.jpg (2848x4272, 753.21K)

Is there something wrong with the Luty, 'Strayanon?

That said, image related is possibly the simplest action you can build, short of straight blowback. I'm not sure whether this would be considered 'gas locked' or 'gas delayed blowback'.

Attached: volksturmgewehr.png (704x400, 149.02K)

Luty is a great design, but it is a submachine gun. Rifles have longer ranges than SMGs, therefore rifles > SMGs.

The only real use I can see for a SMG in modern warfare is as a 'liberator' - where you use it to 'liberate' a better weapon from the enemy.

A shame I can't edit my past posts… oh well.

Here is another locking mechanism that might have merit for an OS rifle build - flapper locks. Shamelessly ripped from a forum I found.

"Here is an idea I came up with and I think it allows for linear movement locking and prevents out-of-battery firing. (I think)

The idea here is that the flaps are simply pins that extend or retract with the bolt carrier. It requires a long travel gas piston (or it could be a straight pull bolt or pump action). The locking lugs pivot on small pins, but the pins don't carry any load. The lugs transfer the load directly from the bolt to the receiver.

This seems like it could be build from blocks and plates of steel. But I know that it is only a beginning point.

It is set up square, because one version of my design uses formed plates of sheet metal for the receiver. I think this could be done in a round receiver. But it would need part of the receiver to be squared to align everything and provide locking space for the flaps."

Attached: Forward flap-lock 2.JPG (1246x841 63.79 KB, 58.24K)

Decent thread, but things like these already exist en-mass.
void.cat/bb2345de6a85558868d006906ae80ba918c03abf
void.cat/cac354e54e0467ecb9a5622312baae1767ece597
First one's really good

Rifle cartridges involve higher pressures and temperatures, which complicate the design process. Joe McShlo, with not even the tools to make proper rifling, is not going to be able to make a homemade rifle that doesn't constantly run the risk of exploding in one way or another.

So a easy to make rifle for the homebuilder is a pipe dream… could such a rifle still be designed for those with the skills and equipment to make them? Or would they be better off with an SMG?

I mean, sure, if you have full access to a lathe, welding equipment, sanding discs, and all the things needed for heat treatment and stuff. Go absolute nuts with it, even. The thing is, if you're able to make a workable homemade rifle, you're better off going with already-existing blueprints of actual rifles. Or converting an already existing one to auto.
Also handy pic if anyone's still going to take a shot at this.

Attached: muzzle thread sizes.png (586x720, 123.85K)

Noob question - wouldn't you need most of those things (lathe, welding equipment, sanding discs, and all the things needed for heat treatment and stuff) to make a quality SMG that wasn't going to blow up on you?

No. You can build a STEN or Luty with common pipe and JB weld if it ever came to it. If the pipe can handle the pressure of standard ammo its good to go.

Seems like I have much to learn. Back to lurking I go!

look up sine wave rifling benches. stupid easy to make, and the precision bits can be readily bought, such as the chuck, and the rack and pinion. then you just need bar stock, a drill press, and some bolts.

Why not redefine the project to something like what distributed defense was doing, where you try to use a mix of off the shelf parts and 3D printed parts to build a rifle. Sure stuff like these are out there and can be built at home, but why not try to modernize the design to work with 3D printing?

It seems to me the goal of such a project is to make obtaining a weapon closer to being as easy as pushing a button instead of more like pic related.

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In very interested in a completely cold hammer forged receiver. Imagine a drilled block of steel goes in five minutes latter a completely functional receiver comes out and just needs a stock to be fitted a pre made firecontrol unit to be fitted and a barrel

Why wouldn't you just use a rifling button and a hydraulic press?

Off the shelf parts are hard to come by in certain countries.

There are countries outside of America?


On a more serious note, would press quenching or tempering strengthen steel enough for it to be used in a 5.56 rifle? Obviously reaching extremely hot temperatures would be very hard in a scenario where you would need to build a rifle from scratch. IIRC, oak burns at 900*F but I'm sure you could restrict the airflow or use charcoal.

Your biker gangs are enlightened. Follow them.

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The hard part isn't getting the metal hot so much as ensuring that the whole barrel is heated evenly. I've been wondering if it would be feasible to use a built-up barrel like pic related. It would take a lot more work and the finished product would likely be significantly heavier than a modern monobloc barrel, but it seems like it should be doable with pretty rudimentary tools and materials.

Attached: built-up gun cross-section.jpg (1024x610, 135.2K)

Zig Forums has spoken! Luty SMGs are the way to go if you have to make a weapon.

Is the ar platform not good enough? pretty much every part on those things has blueprints or alternative blueprinted parts made from any material you can feasibly get hold of effectively residing in public domain.

OP this thread might be of interest to you
weaponeer.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10142&PN=1

Also, if Streloks aren't on Weaponeer and arent supporting then you are automatically wrong. Weaponeer is full of guys just like you and could use your minds.

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Browsing will get you put on a list, actually joining will get you a personalized agent that will eat fast food under your bedroom window.

Posting here isn't much better for you.

Zig Forums is milquetoast compared to weaponeer, user, who are you kidding?

Oh no free government hardware and dead zogbots if they try to make moves against me, how terrible.

Attached: oi you got a license for that finger.webm (124x357 4.26 MB, 83.72K)

The problem with flapper locking systems like this one borrowed from the G41, is that they require a well matched set of flappers to work right or the system will try to put all of the force on a single flap and it will blow out. If you're going to do flappers at all they need to be set up to lock into the rear of the receiver like with the DP guns and be much larger for a margin of safety. That means extra material for a longer trunnion slotted into the receiver, more weight, more machining for people who may not have access to even a drill press, never mind a home shop CNC mill, and other problems.

I'm not saying that flappers are crap, they work, but they were superseded by rollers for a reason.

Rifling isn't the hard part, drilling a barrel is.


Why would you use a wood fire to heat treat steel? You can make a heat treatment oven out of fire brick, nichrome wire, a thermocouple and a PID thermostat, all of which are fairly inexpensive, and there are guides online.

I'm looking into my own solution for how to make firearms at home, but it's slow going because I suck at understanding electronics, which are required for building the machine I'm planning to make.

I wondered why there is a buxom cop under my bedroom window. XD

This rifle project definitely needs to happen, but as many other posters have pointed out, coming up with a rifle design that uses an action simple and cheap for the average Joe to build without specialized tools, is accurate and powerful enough to get the job done, and has enough reliability to not be too maintenance-intensive is going to be an uphill battle.

(checked)
I've heard of people using chemical etching to make rifling in the absence of the correct tools. This is fairly easy compared to dealing with the high temperatures and pressures of a rifle cartridge without access to heat treatment equipment. My thought was to solve this by designing it with a bull barrel, but you're making your gun heavier that way.


It's probably because you missed your daily goat sacrifice to Womyn-Empress Merkel.

I wrote these posts in the other thread. I think they are pertinent to this thread as well.

Electrical discharge machining is one option, but cast parts don't automatically have to be worse than forged or machined parts. This may be an option worth looking at for every part of the gun because forging or machining intricate parts is going to be difficult for a home builder. You can also use aluminum or polymer instead of steel.

I just realized this can be construed to sound like I'm talking about casting polymers. I'm not actually sure whether or not this is possible. Polymers tend to burn, denature or undergo other methods of degradation instead of melting, but I suppose there could be some weird polymer out there that melts and can be cast into shape.

Are there any commonly accessible ways to manufacture the cases of CT ammunition? Just polymer but what PSI need it withstand for, say, 5.56x45? Or does this require a bolstered barrel to take extra pressure the case cannot? I would figure so.

Thinking rotating two or three lug piston driven for simplicity.

That's probably a better choice than roller locking. You could also simplify the locking lugs by making them triangular, like on the Australian Leader Dynamics T2 rifle - youtube.com/watch?v=0hmJXqHoxac

And by making the design as similar as possible to better known designs (the AR18) it would make the R&D phase simpler. You would just have to take the AR18 bolt and recoil assembly and modify it slightly.

You could also use an AR15 fire control group to further simplify the design phase. Complete blueprints for an AR FFC should be included for those who can't buy them.

I've been thinking about the barrel issue - and I think the easiest way to do it would be to buy a barrel for a hunting rifle in the desired caliber, and modify it to suit our needs. You would need to remove the existing chamber/barrel extension and make one to work with the new locking lugs, but that would be a lot easier than making a barrel from scratch.

There are several reasons why this is sadly not the case:
1. In order to cast something with the reliability of a forged part, it must be cast without voids. The only way to ensure there are no voids in the part is to cast it in a vacuum. This is impossible in a home environment.
2. Cast parts always shrink after they cool, and there is always some inconsistency in the process, meaning the cast part must be finished to size with grinding/filing/machining.
3. I mentioned this before, but there is limitation on what materials can be brought to high enough temperature with an electric furnace. In order to melt iron, an oil burning furnace is required. This will introduce oxygen and carbon to the steel being melted, which changes the chemical composition. Adding carbon to an alloy with a specific carbon content already in it will make the steel more brittle, and more likely to break under stress.
4. You will need something as the base for the part, either a plastic or wax investment part, or a larger example part to make the mold.


Casting polymers is possible, there are two options: thermoset plastics at room temperature, or melting plastic at a relatively low temperature.

I could have sworn I ran across some paper once about some dramatically improved casting methods that fix the void problem cheaply, but I can't find it.

Even if you decide to go with polymers for the frame, you're not going to be able to use them for the most critical parts of the gun, so because this is supposed to be an easily built gun it's of questionable utility to bother with them at all unless you're a genius polymer chemist and you can create some wonder polymer strong enough to build every part of the gun from. A polymer like that probably won't be castable. Maybe there needs to be an open source wonder polymer project too so we can make the gun lighter.

For the action, the simplest route would be to do some form of blowback, though I'm sure you could make all kinds of wacky actions in a home gunsmithing shop.

Using design principles appropriated from Metal Storm's superposed charge technology and Dupont's Teflon bullet technology, you've got a gun that has few moving parts, is more cost effective, and produces much faster firing rates, muzzle velocities, and can be designed either for AP or total disintegration on impact of target without changing the calibre.

The only problems are that Metal Storm's patents are sealed, particularly on the propellant their designs use, and Teflon melts at such a high temperature that it is impractical for moulding, increasing waste- Dupont's researchers ended up milling their bullets which is more time consuming, wasteful of materials, and is generally a pain in the fucking ass.

But even still- figuring out either the exact propellant or using another viable propellant would turn this concept from impossible to merely somewhat taxing to build.

If any of you are interested, I'll explain in depth upon request.

Superposed charges are a total meme. Even discarding the enormous difficulty of actually making one that works, you have a gun which:
You'd be much better off just making a simple falling-block or bolt-action rifle.