Guns! Make your own.

[hong]

Finished my SLR.

F184 5.56x45mm assault rifle version.
Top: bare configuration with iron sights. Right elevation shows safety/fire selector and charging handle.
Bottom: with integrated carry handle/reflex sight, which is the same as that on the F138 carbine, but left side. Left elevation shows side-mounted magazine with built-in release button.



F185 7.61x51mm battle rifle version.
Top: battle rifle config with next-gen CCD-scope. Magnification range is 1-5x, and image is displayed on an AMOLED digital screen rather than a simple eyepiece (somewhat like a DSLR (camera)). Also has backup red-dot sight on top, for close-in work.
Bottom: DMR config with 23in heavy barrel, bipod and cheekrest. The side rail has been removed, although there is actually room for it and the bipod together. CCD-scope is capable of 1-8x magnification, and has a built-in laser rangefinder (laser on left, sensor on right).



And the magazines:

[hong]

It was pointed out that the SLR designs above had a rather nasty drawback, in that the magazine was slightly too far to the rear. This meant that the gun could punch the user in the face every time it was fired.

We here in PMG-land take ergonomic design very seriously! The A2 version therefore lengthens the stock to alleviate this issue. (If a mag up close and personal is still causing you problems, your nose is probably too long. Consider rhinoplasty.)






And following on from the SLRs, the F186 side-loading 5.7x28mm* PDW, aka the Heckler & Koch MP25. Operates via roller-delayed blowback.

Top: base configuration, with stock retracted.
Middle: with holographic sight/scope on top, flashlight mounted in the handguard, and stock extended.
Bottom: 50-round magazine.


* 4.6x30mm having proved a bust... although things could change, if the round ever makes it into PMG

[Kalle]

I am in awe. Could you maybe explain a bit about the mechanics behind your SLR guns for us who have no idea how it's supposed to work?

[hong]

Heh, for some reason everybody seems to love the idea. Not that I'm complaining.

It's really nothing that isn't already in use. The magazine itself has a helical ramp that rotates the rounds so that they point in the right direction; once that happens, they feed into the gun just like in any other gun. See the WP article on the FN P90, which uses this system; and in particular there's a link to the patent that FN filed for the mechanism. I've simply put the mag on the side, as opposed to the top.

[hong]

And for something not side-loading: I also tarted up one of my previous designs.

[Demon G Sides]

I really want to start competing with you. I just can't find the time/good area to work. I end up getting cramped and side-tracked. Perhaps that will be my job this weekend.

[hong]

Excellent, go for it! And don't worry, you're not the only one pressed for time. At the start I was churning out these things at the rate of 2 guns per day; now it's more like 2 days per gun if I'm lucky. The base SLR took me something like a week to get the shape right and then add all the chrome. Doing variants of the same design goes a lot faster, of course, which is how I did all the different SLRs in a couple of days.

[Demon G Sides]

I'm going to do this most of the day tomorrow. if I make anything fun/interesting, I'll be sure to upload it.

[Demon G Sides]

It's not the same quality as Hong, but as my first serious foray I'm happy with what came out.

What we have here is the SA Industries APR45. An All Purpose Rifle, it's compact enough that it's favored by weapons dealers everywhere. Easily customizable, rails allow for any amount of additions to be added all over the weapon. Banana clip magazine allows the forward handle to be removed if wished, but this reduces it's overall accuracy.


Base version; rear and forward sights sync for better accuracy.


Mountain version; easy carrying handle allows for easier transportation over longer distances.


Urban version; Red-Dot sight with underslung grenade launcher


Military version; ACOG sight with vertical fore-grip.

[Anti-Bunny]

vertical fore-grip.

Never go full vertical fore-grip.

[Trey]

It's not the same quality as Hong, but as my first serious foray I'm happy with what came out.

What we have here is the SA Industries APR45. An All Purpose Rifle, it's compact enough that it's favored by weapons dealers everywhere. Easily customizable, rails allow for any amount of additions to be added all over the weapon. Banana clip magazine allows the forward handle to be removed if wished, but this reduces it's overall accuracy.

Your rifle doesn't have a charging handle. (it kinda does since you can still sorta see it at to top back of the receiver, but it's non-usable since the stock is blocking it). When you insert a magazine into the weapon with an empty chamber, how do you get the first round into the chamber?

The barrel has no flash-hider or any kind - unusable in the dark or at night since it will blind you and everyone within 20 feet.

There's no gas tube. You've used elements of the AR-15/M-16 (the receiver) which is a direct-gas impingement system that uses a gas return tube. You've used the AK magazine, which uses a gas-piston. You have neither.

The barrel is ridiculously short for a "rifle", especially one firing the 7.62x39mm ammo in that AK magazine. Still, AK pistols do exist, so it's not out of the question. No one would adopt it as a main battle rifle though. The bullet would probably leave the barrel well before all of the gunpowder is burnt, meaning much reduced muzzle velocity, and an even larger muzzle flash.

There's no markings on the fire selector lever. No way to know if it's safe.

[Demon G Sides]

Your rifle doesn't have a charging handle. (it kinda does since you can still sorta see it at to top back of the receiver, but it's non-usable since the stock is blocking it). When you insert a magazine into the weapon with an empty chamber, how do you get the first round into the chamber?

The barrel has no flash-hider or any kind - unusable in the dark or at night since it will blind you and everyone within 20 feet.

There's no gas tube. You've used elements of the AR-15/M-16 (the receiver) which is a direct-gas impingement system that uses a gas return tube. You've used the AK magazine, which uses a gas-piston. You have neither.

The barrel is ridiculously short for a "rifle", especially one firing the 7.62x39mm ammo in that AK magazine. Still, AK pistols do exist, so it's not out of the question. No one would adopt it as a main battle rifle though. The bullet would probably leave the barrel well before all of the gunpowder is burnt, meaning much reduced muzzle velocity, and an even larger muzzle flash.

There's no markings on the fire selector lever. No way to know if it's safe.

La la la I don't care.

[Trey]

That's cool. You can paste together all the pretty shapes you like, calling it a gun if you'd like. It's about as workable as the katanagun.

The nice thing about hong's designs is he's actually thought about these things. The only criticism of his gun I can level is that the length of pull is too long and non-adjustable. Increasing the length of the stock may solve a mechanical problem (face too close to the magazine) but now it's very unwieldy and uncomfortable to use almost to the point of unusable. Should have solved that problem by swapping the magazine to the other side of the receiver. Then just the lefties would be screwed, but not if it's reversible.

[Demon G Sides]

That's cool. You can paste together all the pretty shapes you like, calling it a gun if you'd like. It's about as workable as the katanagun.

The nice thing about hong's designs is he's actually thought about these things. The only criticism of his gun I can level is that the length of pull is too long and non-adjustable. Increasing the length of the stock may solve a mechanical problem (face too close to the magazine) but now it's very unwieldy and uncomfortable to use almost to the point of unusable. Should have solved that problem by swapping the magazine to the other side of the receiver. Then just the lefties would be screwed, but not if it's reversible.

Or we could have fun making guns we like. Either or.

[hong]

Nice work, Demon. It's better than half the stuff I see on the Flickr group.

Your rifle doesn't have a charging handle. (it kinda does since you can still sorta see it at to top back of the receiver, but it's non-usable since the stock is blocking it). When you insert a magazine into the weapon with an empty chamber, how do you get the first round into the chamber?

The barrel has no flash-hider or any kind - unusable in the dark or at night since it will blind you and everyone within 20 feet.

There's no gas tube. You've used elements of the AR-15/M-16 (the receiver) which is a direct-gas impingement system that uses a gas return tube. You've used the AK magazine, which uses a gas-piston. You have neither.

The barrel is ridiculously short for a "rifle", especially one firing the 7.62x39mm ammo in that AK magazine. Still, AK pistols do exist, so it's not out of the question. No one would adopt it as a main battle rifle though. The bullet would probably leave the barrel well before all of the gunpowder is burnt, meaning much reduced muzzle velocity, and an even larger muzzle flash.

There's no markings on the fire selector lever. No way to know if it's safe.

The missing charging handle isn't a huge deal. Plenty of guns have them on the left side; most H&K designs for example. Also, there's nothing to suggest that it must be a gas-operated gun, although most self-loading rifles these days are. (If you're going to assume that a design using a gun X part means it must work like gun X, that would rule most PMG designs out.)

The nice thing about hong's designs is he's actually thought about these things. The only criticism of his gun I can level is that the length of pull is too long and non-adjustable. Increasing the length of the stock may solve a mechanical problem (face too close to the magazine) but now it's very unwieldy and uncomfortable to use almost to the point of unusable. Should have solved that problem by swapping the magazine to the other side of the receiver. Then just the lefties would be screwed, but not if it's reversible.

There's actually a lot of variation out there in the length of pull. The LoP on the -A2 SLRs is a touch more than on the M16A2, and almost exactly the same as on the SR-25/M110/Mk11 Mod 0. It's also less than on the Brit L85 bullpup AR. This is only according to what the app itself spits out, of course, but that seems a workable standard for make-believe guns.

[hong]

More recent stuff: F182 .338 Lapua Magnum semiautomatic sniper rifle.



At extreme ranges (beyond a mile) the .338 LM round is still lethal, but the probability of a hit is significantly degraded even for the best users and equipment. A self-loading weapon helps get off that useful second or third shot with minimal delay and no loss of aim, if the first doesn't hit. (Yes, I know about the Brit sniper who make 2 kills with 2 shots at 1.5 miles in Afghanistan. The general consensus is that a lot really does depend on luck at those ranges, regardless of how good you are.)

Gas-operated, 27in barrel, 10-round magazine. Built-in laser rangefinder is mounted on the fore-end. CCD-scope is capable of 4-20x magnification, and more with digital zoom. The scope normally comes with a laser as well, but in this case the gun already has one so the scope goes without. Gun is plugged into the scope at the rear of the receiver, so that all targeting info is displayed in one spot.

There are more notes on the Flickr page that explain the various bits 'n pieces; click on the pic to go there.

[GloriousMess]

Gentlemen,

I present to you the Excessive Industry's Shoulder-mounted "Glorious Mess" Plasma Lance:



A single sustained burst of all three barrels have been shown to reduce small to medium sized villages to smouldering ash. Safety goggles are recommended.

[Kalle]

Where's the flash hider!?

[Demon G Sides]

Hahahahha, awesome weapon, awesome response.

[Anti-Bunny]

It's missing a bayonet, too.

[unbongwah]

Never bring a bayonet to a gun-nade-tana fight.

[hong]

A quick hack to see what I could do with my F186 PDW lower receiver. A laser pistol with custom sighting unit on top.



I also did the same for the sniper rifle lower, but this took somewhat longer. Finally ended up modifying it significantly, blending the grip in with the receiver.

A futuretech mass driver-SMG, firing small slugs at hyperkinetic velocities. Removable box contains both the projectiles and the power cell to fire them.

[Demon G Sides]

Woah. Awesome Hong. You may have inspired me to take a look at futuristic weaponry instead, since apparently I don't know my way around current tech weaponry for some people's tastes.

[Anti-Bunny]

This seems relevant:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H23HDHRVjpA

[hong]

Woah. Awesome Hong. You may have inspired me to take a look at futuristic weaponry instead, since apparently I don't know my way around current tech weaponry for some people's tastes.

Don't worry about it, Demon. Your stuff is no worse than what I was doing when I first started with PMG.

This seems relevant:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H23HDHRVjpA

There does seem to be a lot of overlap between PMG fans and Lego fans. Some of this is because most of them are kids, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was a real correlation.

Mind you, some of those kids can be pretty sharp. One of them (13 yrs old) came up with the idea of mimicking a transparency channel via lots of tiny shapes:



(I suspect I made the feed lips on the grenade mag too small; ah well.)

There are 256 circles arranged in a grid in the grey square, shrunk to 3.125%. Put them in front of a bunch of rounds, and you have a translucent plastic mag. You have to be careful to avoid moire patterns, and it blows out the size of the resulting code something fierce -- the mag on the left is 900k, and the one on the right is 600k -- but it works.

And here are the mags in use, on a 25mm GL/5.7mm PDW combo weapon. This is my first gun to break the 100k mark. The Flickr page has the design notes.

[hong]

In a pinch, it can also respond to xenomorph outbreaks:

[Og Dai]

Ha....amazing.

[GloriousMess]

The top setting is for when you absolutely, positively have to incinerate every house in the street.

[hong]

A .50BMG heavy sniper rifle.

Top view shows standard configuration.
In the fore-end is a laser rangefinder (sensor on right, laser on left).
In front of the trigger is a ballistic computer that handles the laser input.
In the sighting unit are:
- Telescoping CCD-scope, capable of 4-30x optical zoom
- GPS receiver
- Commlink
- Thermal and image intensification viewers, for night-time use
- Further electronics to allow laser to be user to designate targets
(the sci-fi equivalent of tacticool)

Bottom view shows bare/"export" config, with no fancy electronics, and an extra-long Picatinny rail fitted in their place.

[Anti-Bunny]

Ha....amazing.

Meh, fire select jokes are kind of getting old