The Shuty MP-1 is the Latest 3D Printed Working Semi-Automatic Handgun

The Shuty v2.

Last summer YouTuber and gun enthusiast Derwood released video of the successful test firing of the first 3D printed semi-automatic handgun. He called his gun the Shuty, and while it wasn’t entirely 3D printed it was closer to a 3D printable semi-auto than anyone had gotten before. The Shuty v2 was actually a hybrid firearm that was made from mostly 3D printed components and some parts from a standard AR-15. The latest version of the Shuty improved on the previous design in just about every way imaginable: it is smaller and more streamlined, has fewer metal parts and the gun itself has fewer parts so it is easier to assemble. The Shuty-MP1 is still a hybrid 3D printed gun, but it most certainly doesn’t look like it.

The streamlined Shuty MP-1.

The 47-year-old carpenter from West Virginia uploaded new video to his YouTube channel of the the Shuty-MP1 being assembled to demonstrate how easily and quickly it goes together. A few days later it was followed by a twelve second video of the gun being successfully test fired. According to Derwood the design is 95% 3D printed, with the bolt and both receivers being made entirely of standard PLA from Atomic Filament and all of the parts were printed on his Fusion F306 3D printer. Unlike his previous iteration, this time around the MP-1 parts were 3D printed entirely in black, so it actually looks like a traditionally manufactured firearm. There aren’t any chances that this version of the Shuty will be confused with a toy, that’s for certain.

The mostly 3D printed handgun fires live 9mm rounds from its 3D printed magazine, and it can get off eight shots in less than ten seconds. As you will see in the video, the MP-1 fires quite smoothly, and according to Derwood it shoots great. As with the previous version of the Shuty, Derwood used several metal, store purchased firearm components, specifically the more complex, stress and heat absorbing parts. The MP-1 uses the barrel of a Glock, a metal hammer, metal firing pin, some bolts and metal springs.

The unassembled Shuty MP-1.

Derwood has already fired more than eight hundred rounds using the MP-1 and it can manage to fire two full magazines of ammo in a row without sustaining any damage. He did mention that he needed to let the gun cool down a bit between firing more than two magazines so it doesn’t get hot enough to remelt the PLA. Although it is likely that if the parts were 3D printed in a more durable material, like ABS or some of the new advanced industrial grade PLAs, that it would be even stronger.

“No one had ever tried to get a semi-automatic 3-D printed gun working before…I’m just one of those types, I like to find new things that people say can’t be done. It’s simple, but it works. The gun shoots great,” Derwood told Wired.

Here is the video of Derwood test firing the Shuty MP-1:

It is worth mentioning that by buying only a handful of unregulated components and 3D printing the rest of the MP-1 that Derwood completely circumvented the need for a gun license or registration of any kind. While i’d be willing to bet that he has a license, and he clearly knows what he’s doing, it is unlikely that gun control advocates are going to be especially happy about his new creation or how it was created. 3D printed guns are one of those hot button topics that has been dogging the 3D printing industry since the first one was created, and given the United States’ current political climate it isn’t going to die down any time soon.

But how dangerous are 3D printed guns? Realistically, they’re not very dangerous at all considering that plastic tends to explode after a few shots. Even the MP-1 isn’t going to last forever and will eventually fail if used enough. But beyond any construction issues, it is really unlikely that a criminal is going to buy an expensive 3D printer to build themselves a gun, especially one that uses metal parts and is just as detectable as traditional guns. In fact, sadly I suppose, it is probably easier to go buy a new handgun than it is to 3D print one. But when you trace the lineage from the original 3D printed handgun all the way to this, it is clear that at some point that is going to change.

Here is the video of Derwood assembling the components for the Shuty-MP1, below. What do you think of 3D printed guns? Discuss in the Shuty-MP1 3D Printed Gun forum over at 3DPB.com.