The Zig Zag revolver is a 3D printed .38-caliber
pepperbox type revolver made public in May 2014.
[5 Different 3D Printed Gun Models Have Been Fired Since May, 2013 – Here They Are]
3D Print, September 10, 2014. ()[Japanese Man Arrested For Printing His Own Revolvers](_blank)
Tech Crunch, May 8, 2014. () It was created using a $500 plastic 3D-printer, however the name of the printer was not revealed by the creator.
It was created by a Japanese citizen from
Kawasaki named Yoshitomo Imura.
He was arrested in May 2014 after he had posted a video online of himself firing a 3D printed Zig Zag revolver.
[ It is the first known 3D printed gun design from Japan.][3D printed guns a year on: from prototype to serious weapons](_blank)
Wired, 16 May 2014. () The grip of the weapon is based on the Mauser C96
The Mauser C96 (''Construktion 96'') is a semi-automatic pistol that was originally produced by German arms manufacturer Mauser from 1896 to 1937. Unlicensed copies of the gun were also manufactured in Spain and China in the first half of the 2 ...
and the fact that the weapon fires from the bottom barrel is based on the Mateba Autorevolver
The Mateba Model 6 Unica (often known simply as the Mateba or the Mateba Autorevolver) is a recoil operated semi-automatic revolver, one of only a few of this type ever produced. It was developed by Mateba, based in Pavia, Italy. Inventor E ...
.[Archived a]
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
After Imura's arrest, a gun called the Imura Revolver was designed and printed by FOSSCAD members and was named in honor of Yoshitomo Imura.[A New 3D Printable Gun, The ‘Imura Revolver’ is Being Designed]
September 22, 2014. ()
Name
The creator decided to call it the Zig Zag, after its ratcheted barrel modeled on the Mauser Zig-Zag
Mauser, originally Königlich Württembergische Gewehrfabrik ("Royal Württemberg Rifle Factory"), was a German arms manufacturer. Their line of bolt-action rifles and semi-automatic pistols has been produced since the 1870s for the German arm ...
.
Assembly
According to the Wired
''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San ...
Magazine "Imura assembles the handgun from plastic 3-D printed pieces, a few metal pins, screws and rubber bands, then test fires it with blanks".
Operating cycle
To fire, the operator loads the rounds into the barrel, and re-attaches the barrel to the rest of the weapon. Once reattached, the operator pulls back the slide where the firing pin is attached, pulls the trigger, which releases the slide into the round, firing the weapon.
See also
* List of notable 3D printed weapons and parts
References
{{Reflist
3D printed firearms
Fused filament fabrication