http://www.kearms.com/resize/Shared/Images/Product/Billet-80-KE-15-Lower-Raw/80-ar15lower-raw-1.jpg?lr=t&bw=620&bh=500

That's a pic of an 80% lower. Essentially, it's not classified as a firearm because it's missing holes for essential components; mainly the fire control group. You have to cut all of that yourself.

https://www.lesbaer.com/images/BROACHEDLOW.jpg

That's a pic of a 0% lower. Basically nothing is done on it except for the magwell. Everything else needs to be done by you.

They are pretty much are just hunks of metal.

As for the NFA stuff in free states they are legal but require a tax stamp from the ATF. You can build an automatic gun but since it'd be an NFA item you'd need to apply for a stamp.

Also, I keep using the term free state because there are several states in the US that are only free on paper but in reality are not. NY, CA, CT, MD, NJ, MA, and a few others are not free states. They have some of the most ridiculous and stupid gun laws in the country.

and guess which state the Commonwealth used to be? lol

I keep saying to myself that the 13 colonies have fallen so far from what they once were. It's really sad actually. It's especially sad seeing the Join or Die flags in FO4 because each section of the snake represents one of the 13 colonies.

Yes, folks do that all the time. Particularly in say china. Saw one video where a guy made his own rpg to fend off government employees trying to claim his house. Anyhow a simple google search on homemade guns would show you some scary things. (Scary as in, I wouldn't be confidant in them not blowing up in my hands)

Yes, I'm quite familiar with the "free vs not" state dichotomy. Spent ~10 years living in Taxachusetts, and I have to say, their system struck me as positively Stalinistic.

Happily back in Atlanta and picked up my Springfield XdM within a month or two of getting home.

I'm a law-abiding responsible citizen. You cannot (or should not) be putting unnecessary obstacles to me exercising my constitutional rights and that is precisely what the state laws do in those "non-free states" you list. This is the primary reason I am totally unimpressed by the NRA: they make apparently no effort at all to take on these frankly unconstitutional if not marginally-constitutional state laws. To say nothing of taking on repealing the Hughes Amendment.

You should try living in NJ. I have to ask permission to buy a long gun. Then every time I want to but a pistol I have to go to my local PD and ask for permission again.


I picked up an XD Mod 2 a few weeks ago. Love it.

I thought one of the real life issues with crude "pipe" guns was that if you used the wrong kind of iron or steel, it was likely to explode on you. My dad once witnessed a poorly maintained shotgun explode on it's owner. No one died apparently.

While this is has took a surprisingly pleasant and educational turn, I kinda meant a literal (non functional) replica, like use for cosplay and stuff.

google etsy prop gun. Wide range of guns. Personally I liked the fallout 10mm replica. A few other guns are kinda pipe gunish. And most of those I would take great care to not flash around police.

Do we really want to get side-tracked into a RL political discussion?

I was referring to homemade firearms not the sten. The post directly above mine came in just before my post. The sten is actually a mass produced submachine gun and was not really a homemade firearm. Although it's design was simple enough to be produced in small machine shops used by the various resistance movements.

rifling was invented in the 1500s, some german guy if i remember (cant think of his name)

true rifling not long after in 16th century (maybe 1550s)

wasnt common place till 19th century though

british sharpshooting regiments used during napolonic wars (green jackets with bakers rifles) whereas everyone else had crappy smoothbores

rifled muskets were used as standard troop weapons mostly first americans during the civil war and the british during crimean war i think

gain twist rifling as we know today was first used in american civil war too

technically a rifled musket is for weapons that were originally produced as smoothbores and rifles if they were never produced as smoothbore but everything tended to get called rifled muskets so is kinda confusing but the first i guess rifles were the breech loading rifles as due to a change in lock mechanism they were never reffered to as rifled-muskets thats was um 1860s i think?

must admit im not 100% on thie dates, but basically if they could rifle barrels in the 16th century then i dont see a problem with raiders rifling their "pipe" guns, also they could have been made with exsisting barrels from real firearms, furniture would be the first thing to go on a firearm overtime or hit in battle possibly leaving the barrel and/or receiver intact. (well enough even)

my main issue with them is the .308 ones they really look far more dangerous to the user than anyone else and would just blow up in their face lol.

True, however the sten is closer to fallout 4 pipe guns than the homemade stuff in performance. Automatic and so accurate you can snipe with them.

Guess its workshops making them, something in the size of all the crafting stations together should do.

You would have an decent marked not only raiders but also settlers wanting protections.

Not seen in game like we never see printing presses in elder scrolls but with all the cheap books they have to have them.

"Pipe" ingame most likelyjust refers to the barrel and material of the gun - so long as theres sufficient strength in the materiel and its built according to actual physics, i dont see why it couldnt work.


They can build a working pistol out of 3D printed plastic, why not pipes?

google "zip gun"

Working pipe guns:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVhceWZiYPQ

Only issue with rifling is that you need special tools. basically an special latte.

Downside with an muzzle loaded rile is the low rate of fire, it was an sniper weapon.

Making an breach loader took more time to get right, you need very accurate fit, for military weapons you needed replaceable parts also military back in 19th century was very conservative.

I have a 12 gauge, and I use both slugs and different varieties of shot. The author you quoted was no doubt thinking of the "spread" that often causes the shotgun to be used when a wider (and probably shallower) area of damage is desired. My shotgun is a three-purpose weapon. Meaning I can use it with shot-filled ammo to hunt pheasant, turkey, and varmints, or I can use slugs in the shotgun to go deer hunting, and of course the shotgun can be used with either ammo for home defense.

However, that being said, the damage inflicted by a 12 gauge slug is no myth and that means if I were to shoot a home invader with a slug, the slug could very easily pass through the intruder (doing an incredible amount of damage on the way), through the wall of my house, go across the street and pass through a neighbor's wall and into his house, and conceivably through the neighbor as well. For that reason I don't recommend slugs for home defense.

A while back ther was thread with a good discussion of .50 caliber rounds and why they don't do as much damage as some other weapons. The 12 gauge slug is a fair example of a round tipped, soft version of an approximate .50 caliber round.

Armor penetraion? Hmmm... perhaps, but if a slug were used against a foe who was wearing armor, it would certainly knock him down even if it didn't penetrate.

This is the ticket with slugs. They may not have the "best" penetration, but they can bore right through some heavy stuff. They may not have the "best" stopping power, but you'll definitely be able to knock something big right the @#$%! down.

In short, they're scary, scary things to have coming your way from a bang as loud as a shotgun's.

Well, I certainly would NOT want one coming my way, eh?

You know, a few years ago a variety of pipe gun was popular among gangbangers. It was a bit unique in that it was actually a short length of pipe and had only one moving part - a nail that was used for a firing pin. The method of firing was unique... you held it in one hand and slammed the back end of it into a brick wall to drive the firing pin forward. Of course if a crosstown bus was parked sideways in front of you at a distance of five feet you would likely miss it.

I remember hearing of one individual who slammed one too much downwards instead of out to the side and managed to shoot himself in the butt.

A "musket" is essentially a muzzle-loaded firearm longarm. (As opposed to a muzzle-loaded pistol.) [Which makes "laser musket" kind of hilarious.] To rifle a musket added one more step to the weapons manufacture process: Insert a long rod with three retractable cutters, then slowly and evenly withdraw the rod with the cutters deployed cutting three spiral groves simultaneously. It's paramount that all three grooves are precise. Which means rifling isn't something easily done by hand. (If at all.)

Once breech-loaders were introduced, adding rifling became MUCH easier. Instead of a closed tube, it was a tube open at both ends. Add the breech mechanism and mount on a wooden stick and -- presto! -- you've got a working weapon. The toughest trick is to get the breech and barrel to match up tightly enough to make sure that 100% of the detonation goes out the barrel rather than allowing for any side pressure to escape every time. [I nearly had my good eye taken out during an ACW reenactment because the idiot next to me hadn't been properly maintaining his Sharps breech-loading carbine properly.] Better steel and uniformly machined parts made that possible.