Will the Armory come back if USA changes its weapon laws?

[myrkul]

I wonder if it would be possible to come up with a design for a gun assembled from (for example) laser-cut 1/8" steel or aluminum plate stacked and riveted.

That's basically an AK-47.  They are stamped out of sheet metal.  The only part which needs machining above the peasant-workshop level is the barrel.

This is also why AK-47's suck.  When running, they feel and sound like you are holding an old worn-out cake mixer that's about to fly apart in your hands.  Civilized gentlemen don't own them.

I mean avoiding any stamping or bending or anything that requires any level of skill other than fixing a bunch of rivets (nuts and bolts might even be an idea).

I even have an idea about the barrel. Forget round bullets, would shooting coin-type disks work if you could give them some spin?

There's a nerf gun that does that. Not sure how accurate it is, or how it would scale to anything capable of doing damage.

[Richy_T]

There's a nerf gun that does that. Not sure how accurate it is, or how it would scale to anything capable of doing damage.

That's what I was thinking. I was actually 'inspired' by a Mythbusters where they fired a penny from a modified rifle. It's a square hole so could eliminate any need for rotary tooling if the disk could be given some spin. The point of rifling is stability of the bullet but how essential is it that the axis of spin be along direction of travel?

OTOH, those nerf guns tend to skew to one side so that may be an issue. Then does the ammo need to be caseless and what do you do about feeding? Probably a dead-end but I think I'll mull on it a while.

[myrkul]

OTOH, those nerf guns tend to skew to one side so that may be an issue. Then does the ammo need to be caseless and what do you do about feeding? Probably a dead-end but I think I'll mull on it a while.

Many moons ago, I had (probably still in my old room somewhere) a toy van decorated with popular cartoon characters. It shot little plastic disks, similarly decorated to look like their favorite food. It was gravity-fed, but as you say, did skew, and was loud as hell when operating (not necessarily firing, it propelled the disks by dropping them into a spinning wheel, and the motor was not silent.).

[TECSHARE]

I always thought it would be great to make a coin gun. You could fit quite a bit of ammo in a small space, and the action would be simple. You could get best accuracy if you were to launch the coin standing vertically spinning upwards when viewed from firing position. This would create a predictable variation created by the spin and counted by the eventual pull of gravity. You could compensate for any loss of accuracy created by the spin. If you were to spin the coin horizontally I would think it would tend to be effected by spin direction, but I could be wrong.

[myrkul]

I always thought it would be great to make a coin gun. You could fit quite a bit of ammo in a small space, and the action would be simple. You could get best accuracy if you were to launch the coin standing vertically spinning upwards when viewed from firing position. This would create a predictable variation created by the spin and counted by the eventual pull of gravity. You could compensate for any loss of accuracy created by the spin. If you were to spin the coin horizontally I would think it would tend to be effected by spin direction, but I could be wrong.

No, that's 100% accurate. The spin in these sorts of weapons tend to skew the trajectory. If you were to spin it vertically, though, that would fix that. Spin it so that it provides lift, and gravity would counteract it. I wonder how well that would work.

[Freja]

It doesn't matter if guns are totally banned tomorrow in the USA - there are enough floating about already, to last the crooks, lunatics and fanatics another century. It becomes an evil spiral because nobody wants to be caught out without a gun if they think there's a genuine risk they might be attacked with one.  It's just fortunate for us in Europe that there is the Atlantic to protect us (although there are plenty of Americans with guns at the military bases scattered across Europe).
But just look at Mexico to see how things could end up!
I think the whole gun thing is cultural in the USA.

[myrkul]

But just look at Mexico to see how things could end up!

Mexico has 15 guns per 100 citizens.
The US has 88.

Yes, you're right, Mexico is definitely a situation to avoid.

[Freja]

But just look at Mexico to see how things could end up!

Mexico has 15 guns per 100 citizens.
The US has 88.

Yes, you're right, Mexico is definitely a situation to avoid.

It's a country that is under the thumb of the USA. They are not allowed to develop in a way that's good for them. Right now, the fastest way in this oppressed country to get rich, is to smuggle drugs to the USA. And apparently guns are smuggled back the opposite way.
Obviously the guns that the cartels have are not legally held in most cases.
Mexico is truly the dirty side of the "shiny" coin of the USA, stuck in a VERY unhealthy symbiosis with the USA. Gun laws are certainly not at the root of the problem with violence there.

[thebaron]

If they change the laws drastically enough to create mandatory non-grandfathered registries that would spawn a giant online black market trade, then you better bet they're going to get strict about shipments appearing to be guns. Unfortunately, UPS already goes apeshit when I bring them a package.

[hashman]

Exactly.  Civilized gentlemen don't live in mud and sand.  

What planet are you from again?  The most common element in the Earth's crust is silicon.  It is dirt and water that enables us to live.

We have cool stuff like concrete, plumbing, houses, petroleum refineries, refrigeration, and teamwork.  

Don't forget drone strikes, endemic mental illness, and hypocritical pretending to be upset about death in between US army adverts. 

Ah yes, beautiful concrete.  So civilized compared to something like dirt in which wheat and hops or cannabis could grow.   

 

[Charlie Prime]

Exactly.  Civilized gentlemen don't live in mud and sand.  

What planet are you from again?  The most common element in the Earth's crust is silicon.  It is dirt and water that enables us to live.

We have cool stuff like concrete, plumbing, houses, petroleum refineries, refrigeration, and teamwork.  

Don't forget drone strikes, endemic mental illness, and hypocritical pretending to be upset about death in between US army adverts. 

Ah yes, beautiful concrete.  So civilized compared to something like dirt in which wheat and hops or cannabis could grow.

Ha!  Yeah, because all social ills are caused by technology, and life would be sooooo much better if we all moved to the woods and shat in holes.  We could smoke so much dope that the constant search to replace rotting food, the starvation, hypothermia, dehydration, envenomation, animal attacks, festering injuries, and illness would be virtually unnoticeable.

Ever notice the only people who advocate living that way are rich white kids who never HAD TO?   It's so pathetic is really not even funny.

A better use for your straw would be making bales instead of strawmen.  Oh wait!  That's technology.  Nevermind.

[hashman]

Exactly.  Civilized gentlemen don't live in mud and sand.  

What planet are you from again?  The most common element in the Earth's crust is silicon.  It is dirt and water that enables us to live.

We have cool stuff like concrete, plumbing, houses, petroleum refineries, refrigeration, and teamwork.  

Don't forget drone strikes, endemic mental illness, and hypocritical pretending to be upset about death in between US army adverts. 

Ah yes, beautiful concrete.  So civilized compared to something like dirt in which wheat and hops or cannabis could grow.

Ha!  Yeah, because all social ills are caused by technology, and life would be sooooo much better if we all moved to the woods and shat in holes.  We could smoke so much dope that the constant search to replace rotting food, the starvation, hypothermia, dehydration, envenomation, animal attacks, festering injuries, and illness would be virtually unnoticeable.

Ever notice the only people who advocate living that way are rich white kids who never HAD TO?   It's so pathetic is really not even funny.

A better use for your straw would be making bales instead of strawmen.  Oh wait!  That's technology.  Nevermind.

Wait what did I miss?  Advocate living what way exactly?  On the Earth? 

[Bitware]

improved 3d printing of an AR-15 lower in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFhIxey5AXM