#Homemade

A local TV channel of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic has published a video telling about two domestically made firearms: an anti-materiel rifle and a twin-barreled machine gun. They adapted or used the parts of standard-issue guns to build weapon systems that could be used in different roles than the donor firearms. Let’s take a look at each of these guns.

A couple of months ago I wrote an article telling about how a Russian guy converted his Vepr 308 hunting rifle into a tactical one using mostly homemade parts and modifications. Recently, the same man (Andrey) came up with another DIY project. He made a non-reciprocating forward charging handle for a Saiga-9 semi-auto 9mm carbine.

Even in relatively isolated developing nations criminals find ways to arm themselves. Below are a number of crude improvised firearms made from regular household stapler guns recently seized by police in Papua New Guinea which are fast becoming a trend.

About a month ago there was a shootout involving a criminal and Ukrainian police officers in Odessa, Ukraine. After the raid on the building where the suspect was shooting from and the subsequent search, police also found an illegal gun shop and  seized several firearms made there. These kinds of incidents frequently happen all over the world. It wouldn’t be too interesting from the firearms standpoint if not the nature of the guns that were seized.

After a temporary pause in producing video content, Royal Nonesuch is back. This YouTube channel is known for the variety of homemade gun projects. Not only he is back but also plans to start even more entertaining projects. He also applied for an FFL and SOT which will allow him to expand the range of weapons and mechanisms he can experiment with. Among his first new project is a gun utilizing an advanced primer ignition (API) mechanism with an extended chamber. Let’s see how the host of the channel describes his project.

AK receiver, SKS stock, HK 91 locking piece and firing pin, Zastava M76 bolt carrier and recoil spring, PPSh barrel shroud/muzzle brake, Suomi SMG drum magazines and bolt head … wouldn’t this rifle be Dr. Frankenstein’s creature if he was a gunsmith? The host of the YouTube channel called “ V8 Merc” made this firearm which for some of us represents an example of an ingenious gunsmithing talent and for others – a total heresy. Let’s watch the video where the YouTuber tells the story behind this rifle, its design features and shoots the gun.

A popular YouTube channel called “ The King of Random” has released a homemade project video where they make a compact flamethrower out of a fire extinguisher. Isn’t that the definition of irony?

A YouTube channel called “ This Stuff I Do” has a 3-part video series showing how the host of the channel makes a DIY .22LR barrel out of rebar with a rimfire barrel liner installed into it. Barrel liners are thin-walled rifled cylinders which are designed to give a second life to worn out barrels (mostly rimfire ones) by installing the liner into the original bore.

Nicely documented below are some photos of the building process behind making a .22 copy of a Webley break-top revolver. This firearm was made entirely from scratch using some basic machine tools.

During a routine traffic stop, a man from Tennessee was caught transporting two illegal homemade fully automatic assault rifles. While that sounds like the leader for a poorly written article about perfectly boring semiautomatic assault rifles, in this case it is accurate! Among other (apparently legal) weapons, two rifles, complete with three-position selectors and auto sears, were seized from the vehicle of one Scott Edmisten, who was stopped after driving 25 miles an hour over the speed limit on a suspended license.

One mans humble dream of becoming a master craftsman at Taurus was cut short after Police in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil seized this entirely homemade .380 semi-automatic pistol (excluding the magazine) which was made in his backyard, presumably from melted down Coca-Cola cans.

Creating improvised firearms is one thing, but a recent propaganda video released by the Yemeni rebel and terrorist group Ansar Allah (better known as the Houthis) threw the spotlight on some weapons that take this to the next level. 20mm, 23mm, and even 30mm caliber improvised cannons are being produced by the Houthis in makeshift workshops, representing some of the largest and most powerful improvised small arms ever produced. Footage of the cannons firing, as well as their manufacture was included in the video. Despite their large caliber, the cannons appear to be quite crude indeed, with many parts shown being ground with dremel tools, and with scope bases and muzzle brakes simply being welded together. The barrels for the cannons appear to come from military autocannons. The barrels of 20mm Hasem cannon bear the distinctive “hump” towards the muzzle of M61 Vulcan cannon barrels, for instance – which may be an indication that the barrels are being supplied to the Houthis by the Iranians, who have stockpiles of Vulcan barrels for their F-4 and F-14 fighter aircraft.

Clinton Westwood is no stranger to TFB, having been covered previously for different versions of his homemade barrel rifling tool, the first one slightly rough, and the second one much more refined. He has made a name for himself on Youtube through the various DIY firearms and devices that he produces from simple machines, tools, and materials that one could find at most hardware stores. The guy is extremely talented, and perhaps given a chance at working with a modern firearms manufacturer and a small budget, could probably do very well.

Like many children of the 80’s, I enjoy playing video games. No, they aren’t remotely “combat simulators” or any of that sort of nonsense. They’re just fun entertainment. One of my all time favorites has been the Fallout series of post apocalyptic, alternate history sci-fi. If you haven’t played it, Fallout takes place in a world that is very much like we thought the future might look like in the 1950’s. Well, that future after a thermonuclear war. There are plenty of futuristic lasers and plasma rifles, but there are also more traditional guns and cobbled together homebrew guns. This is where Raider14 of AR15.com took his inspiration for his post apocalyptic AR build.

Previously we looked at examples of long guns out of the Pashtun gun-making village of Darra Adam Khel in the FATA region in Pakistan. In this episode, Miles looks at some of the handgun copies that have emerged from the cottage industries there. We compare Makarov and Beretta copies side by side, in addition to an odd Martini Henry contraption that has since been deactivated. Many of these copies are so well made that it would make most small arms enthusiasts think twice about which one is legitimate and which one was handmade. But most of all, the conditions that these are made in are sure to be admired as the gun-makers lack any of the amenities that most firearms manufacturers or even Western gunsmiths possess.