3D Imura Hybrid Revolver 2.0 printed, Test Firing Soon

An Imura revolver, 2.0 has been designed by that intrepid 3D engineering designer, Wayfairy.   He had to redesign the system, but the prints have been done and the prototype has passed the basic, non-firing function tests.  From 3dprint.com:

One particular member of the community, known as ‘Wayfairy,’ has taken a particular interest in the Imura story. In fact he has set out to create a 3D printable gun honoring the incarcerated gun manufacturer, called the ‘Imura Pistol.’ Basically what he has done is take the original .38-caliber Zig-Zag revolver that had led to Imura’s arrest and revised it, making several key changes, designing a new gun from the ground up.

The major question is whether it will withstand the tensile forces that tend to separate the cylinder from the barrel and drive the case to the rear.

As you can see, the design is a hybrid, using metal tubing and 3D printing, that takes advantage of some of the best of both materials and technologies.

The gun itself uses .22 long rifle ammunition, and a .225″ ID 316 or 308 stainless tubing from McMaster. As for its appearance, just take a look at some of the images above and below. It’s a masterpiece in our opinion, and the only question left to be answered is whether or not it will actually fire a bullet without exploding in one’s hand.

As I wrote in September of 2014:

I see one weakness that the designers have probably noticed.   There is very little tensile strength in the proposed design.   Convention revolvers use a metal frame to contain the forces generated by firing a charge.   The chambers contain the pressure at right angles to the barrel, but the frame, chamber, and case, if one is used, must contain the pressure to the rear.   The projectile contains the pressure to the front, where the force is used to propel it out the end of the barrel.

 

If I were designing this revolver, I would consider the use of a bolt as a center pin for the cylinder to turn on.   A simple backplate of steel could be made to screw the bolt into, adding tensile strength.  It would not need to be circular, as long as it supported the rear of the chamber being fired.  Removal of the bolt would allow the cylinder to be removed from the side of the design, so as to facilitate loading.  Many conventional revolvers use this design feature.