Created on a Stratasys Dimension 1200ES industrial 3D printer, the Grizzly is a .22 caliber rifle is made almost entirely from 3D-printed ABS plastic, the only exception being its firing pin. The maker, known only by the mysterious and enigmatic moniker of “Matthew,” has created a number of videos showcasing its development.
In its most recent incarnation, the Grizzly now sports a longer barrel, complete with rifling and a larger lower receiver. Most importantly the Grizzly 2.0 can fire an amazing fourteen shots before breaking.
Much like Defense Distributed‘s model, Matthew has plans to further perfect the Grizzly, and will release blueprints for the model online sometime this summer. In fact, according to The Verge, Matthew has said that he was directly inspired by work of Cody Wilson and the Liberator 3D printed gun project.
While only a few high-profile 3D-printed gun projects have crossed my desk, I’m sure there must be others out there. What Cody Wilson started with his Defense Distributed project appears to have struck a chord with some in the 3D printing community. For now, it seems like individuals creating weapons with 3D printers are at the margins, but I wonder, as 3D printer continue to develop more robust materials and reliable build techniques, how many people will start printing their own guns – and what will the consequences be?
Watch the Grizzly Being Test Fired:
Image and Video Courtesy of ThreeD Ukelele