Thread: Home made firearms

What are the rules around home made firearms these days? I was led to believe it was legal before but isn't anymore with the new law changes and you need a manufacturer endorsement. Is that true?

I obviously mean guns that meet all A-Cat legal requirements. Looking at these Henry single shot guns Gun City are trying to hock for a grand I definitely feel I could churn one out on a lathe for a lot less.

are they selling tho?

$500 gets you a 5 shot stainless synthetic eternal pump action

or a single shot 410 eternal for $199

what other cool shit can you make that hasnt been delegated out to turkey or other low wage areas?

Watch Royal Nonesuch's YT channel for ideas.
As for legalities? I wouldn't take any legal advice from an internet forum.
Just saying.

Originally Posted by dogmatix

Watch Royal Nonesuch's YT channel for ideas.
As for legalities? I wouldn't take any legal advice from an internet forum.
Just saying.

Yeah that guy has some great designs.

And yeah I emailed my AO.

A bit more involved than just buying a lathe...

You need a lathe that has a large enough spindle bore to take a barrel.
Then you need a shitload of general machining tooling and measuring equipment (easily double or triple the amount you spent on your lathe).
Not add a mill and yet another round of tooling.
Then you need some fairly specific tooling for gunsmithing : chamber reamers etc

Unless you plan on using purchased barrels, or making smoothbore stuff only, rifling a barrel is a whole other pandora's box.

which brings up the next point.......at what stage is a lump of metal ACTUALLY a firearm????
eg multiple barrels and only one action....is a barrel on ITS OWN a firearm????
is a bolt a firearm WITHOUT a rifle to put it in? so is a rifle without a bolt a firearm???

Knew a guy who made his own 22 RF revolver many years back.
He was a wood carver by trade but did a lot of metal work, including having at least 3 of his own electric forges for doing metal casting.
PS he's been dead for a fair while now. Grader blade on an over width load.
Z

Originally Posted by ebf

A bit more involved than just buying a lathe...

You need a lathe that has a large enough spindle bore to take a barrel.
Then you need a shitload of general machining tooling and measuring equipment (easily double or triple the amount you spent on your lathe).
Not add a mill and yet another round of tooling.
Then you need some fairly specific tooling for gunsmithing : chamber reamers etc

Unless you plan on using purchased barrels, or making smoothbore stuff only, rifling a barrel is a whole other pandora's box.

So a bit more techno than a drain pipe, some nails and a couple of rubber bands then. That counts me out.

Originally Posted by Rushy

So a bit more techno than a drain pipe, some nails and a couple of rubber bands then. That counts me out then.

You could make a pretty decent redneck single shot shotty with those ingredients, if you were so inclined...

Not that I would ever do such a thing of course

Originally Posted by ebf

A bit more involved than just buying a lathe...

You need a lathe that has a large enough spindle bore to take a barrel.
Then you need a shitload of general machining tooling and measuring equipment (easily double or triple the amount you spent on your lathe).
Not add a mill and yet another round of tooling.
Then you need some fairly specific tooling for gunsmithing : chamber reamers etc

Unless you plan on using purchased barrels, or making smoothbore stuff only, rifling a barrel is a whole other pandora's box.

You can button rifle easily enough with a hydraulic press or any other similar equipment. Ain't hard to find a button too.

Originally Posted by ebf

You could make a pretty decent redneck single shot shotty with those ingredients, if you were so inclined...

Not that I would ever do such a thing of course

Scale it up and we have a cannon.

My dad was a police forensic photographer and fingerprint expert in South Africa for 21 years. The Ingenuity of criminals with a piece of galvanized steel stand pipe, some inner tube and a nail knows no bounds. 12 gauge cartridges fit quite snugly too. You may not be able to do a round of clays with it, but it would be the business for something that calls for 1 shot....

Originally Posted by Russian 22.

You can button rifle easily enough with a hydraulic press or any other similar equipment. Ain't hard to find a button too.

Actually, you can etch rifling into a tube with not much more than a 12v power supply, some copper wire and a tub of vinegar.

There maybe a Gatling or two in the country - straightforward enough to make - but another matter to fire reliably - I am told.....

Collegiality of making your own? - Frankly who would ever know - and when does a lump of metal become a gun?

And - yes - Many Cannon have been made over the years......