OK..... Who the heck is responsible for this 3D printer craze??????

[Runs With Scissors]

Well I finally got that "stupid 3D printer" and........... I can't believe how much fun I am having with it!!!!!!

This thing is "stupid amounts of fun"

Holy Sh!t, I can't stop making stuff.

I'm running that damn thing nearly 27/7 and I am wearing out my mouse designing new things to print.

The CAD stuff is still my nemesis, but I am getting better.

So in no particular order, here is just some of the things I have "printed out"

"Roller bearing handle" for my Hornady LNL press

Multiple tap and die tooling holders. (I even made a "plug" for the "extra open spot" cause that voice in my head would not let me sleep until it was filled )

This is a "spotting scope adaptor" that I wanted for the big "Prairie dog hunt" this year.

Some place wanted 160 bucks for it. It did take a while to figure out how to draw it, but it works perfectly.

Most of the stuff had to be printed a few times due to my mistakes in either "tolerance's" or other "Noobie mistakes", but it is turning out to be fun/addicting.

For instance, as you can see in the below pic, the roller handle on the other side, although functional, looks like crap. But I am pretty sure that my "slicer" was defaulting to "PLA filament" and I am using PETG, so I think that might be a factor, along with experimenting with the different types of "supports" to use.

I just ordered some red and blue filament..........(I am fighting with "That Voice", about remaking some of those things in matching colors )

 

[Sidekick]

Which one did you wind up getting? Go through the calibration process for accurate size prints. Different filaments have different diameter tolerances and name brand filaments usually are held to the tightest tolerance that will help with printing tolerance. Have fun and don't forget the grandkids.

For rounds sometimes concentric printing will give better results.

 

[PHPaul]

Welcome to the club . I use mine mostly for printing 1:64 and 1:25 scale stuff for my models.

What CAD software are you using?

 

[Yooper]

How much time did some of those projects take? Talking printing time.

 

[Yooper]

Where are you going to hunt prairie dogs?

 

[jyoutz]

Where are you going to hunt prairie dogs?

Just about any western state has an over abundance. But it’s more correct to call it a prairie dog shoot, not a hunt.

 

[Lil Foot]

I'm running that damn thing nearly 27/7

Wow, that is a lot of hours!

 

[Lil Foot]

I haven't dived into this yet, (I need another hobby like I need another hole in my head) but the technology & output impresses me.
My wife & her girlfriends do a lot of jigsaw puzzles at events they call "Puzzles & Guzzles".
(grape juice is involved)
One of them found this stand to prop up the box lid for easy viewing.
Workmanship & finish are fantastic, and it was done in one "pour", as a single piece.
There are tiny breakaway posts between the middle & upper and lower hinges, and it swings back & forth quite easily.
Very cool!

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Which one did you wind up getting? Go through the calibration process for accurate size prints. Different filaments have different diameter tolerances and name brand filaments usually are held to the tightest tolerance that will help with printing tolerance. Have fun and don't forget the grandkids.

For rounds sometimes concentric printing will give better results.

I ended up getting a Creality K1 SE

I will have to look up the calibration process.

So far I just did what the "quick start" directions said to do.

Welcome to the club . I use mine mostly for printing 1:64 and 1:25 scale stuff for my models.

What CAD software are you using?

I use Alibre Pro. I started with Fusion 360 but I need something that is computer based, not cloud based, then @Sidekick suggested Alibre, and I liked it. They have a pretty helpful forum and for some reason, it seems slightly more intuitive than Fusion.

How much time did some of those projects take? Talking printing time.

The little round plug/puck took 11 minutes.

The roller handle took 2 hours 14 minutes if printed horizontally, but it turned out like crap. Then I printed it vertically and it took 3 hour 34 minutes, but turned out way better.

The "die holder block" took nearly 4 hours too.

I think the "tap holder block" took 4 hours and some change.

Where are you going to hunt prairie dogs?

Sobo's ranch in South Dakota

But it’s more correct to call it a prairie dog shoot, not a hunt.

Agreed.

I am currently working up a load for my 22-250 that will have nice "SPLATfactor".

That Savage model 12, seemed to like the Hornady V-max 50 grainers at about 3700 fps.

Gonna order some 40's to see if I can touch 4,000 fps to get the maximum "SPLAT"

Wow, that is a lot of hours!

Hahahah....I just noticed it....

 

[Yooper]

I am currently working up a load for my 22-250 that will have nice "SPLATfactor".

That Savage model 12, seemed to like the Hornady V-max 50 grainers at about 3700 fps.

Gonna order some 40's to see if I can touch 4,000 fps to get the maximum "SPLAT"

Don’t be surprised if your accuracy starts going away. What you are using is exactly what the sweet spot is for my custom 22-250. Test it at the range first. But I do understand the splat factor! Us varmint hunters are a bit deranged.

 

[RCW]

Spent a lot of time dialing in .22-250 loads. Favorite varmint caliber by far.

Been out of the game a while, but my M700 Varmint Special likes a 55 grain Sierra spitzer with IMR 4064. 52 spire points were common fodder at the time but the gun didn’t like them.

I did 40’s and 45’s(?), but accuracy went out the window. They were screaming fast though. Was at/over 4k fps.

A .22-250 can be a challenge as bullets are so light can be susceptible to wind down range. Also had some issues shooting across elevation (valleys). Temperature gradient seemed to upset accuracy. Similar shots with a 6mm with 75 gr or .270 didn't have issues.

My longest on a woodchuck/ground hog was shy of 600 yards. 500 was somewhat common on a couple farms I hunted. 300 yards was regular occurrence.

PS - I’ve always been fascinated by the 3D printers…. Look really cool…unfortunately my tech skills aren’t conducive to having one…

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Don’t be surprised if your accuracy starts going away. What you are using is exactly what the sweet spot is for my custom 22-250. Test it at the range first. But I do understand the splat factor! Us varmint hunters are a bit deranged.

Spent a lot of time dialing in .22-250 loads. Favorite varmint caliber by far.

Been out of the game a while, but my M700 Varmint Special likes a 55 grain Sierra spitzer with IMR 4064. 52 spire points were common fodder at the time but the gun didn’t like them.

I did 40’s and 45’s(?), but accuracy went out the window. They were screaming fast though. Was at/over 4k fps.

A .22-250 can be a challenge as bullets are so light can be susceptible to wind down range. Also had some issues shooting across elevation (valleys). Temperature gradient seemed to upset accuracy. Similar shots with a 6mm with 75 gr or .270 didn't have issues.

My longest on a woodchuck/ground hog was shy of 600 yards. 500 was somewhat common on a couple farms I hunted. 300 yards was regular occurrence.

PS - I’ve always been fascinated by the 3D printers…. Look really cool…unfortunately my tech skills aren’t conducive to having one…

This is my 1st PD shoot ever. So I am looking forward to it.

I am gonna bring a small mixed bag of loads and guns.

Definitely the Savage (12 twist) for the up close stuff (300 and closer) , and an AR with a 7 twist barrel for the longer stuff and maybe one with a 9 twist for "mid range" stuff(?)

I have shot lots of 77's and 80's Sierra Match Kings (SMK's) out of the 7 twist guns, but never anything specifically for varmints.

I just got a couple of boxes of the "green tipped" Sierra's" (TMK's) so I'm gonna see how they compare to the "SMK's for accuracy.

It seems most people like the V-max's for "splat factor" so I am hesitant "to crazy" with the number of Sierras I make.

Gonna be there for 2 days, so as of this moment, here is my thoughts on what to bring ammo wise, let me know what y'all think.

1,000 50g V-max
250. 40 g V-max
250 69g Sierra TMK's
250 77 gr Sierra TMK's


I don't see much from Hornady in the way of the heavier V'max's, so I am hoping the Sierras "splat" well.

Either you y'all have an opinion on the "splatabilty factor" of the 'green tipped" Sierras VS. the V-max??

 

[jimh406]

Yeah, I was thinking it was you.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

I haven't dived into this yet, (I need another hobby like I need another hole in my head) but the technology & output impresses me.

Amen to that.

The crazy part is that I only wanted on one "kind of".

But now that I am making stuff with it, it's crazy how the ideas are just "flowing".