It’s been done, and it’s successful. The fine folks over at Solid Concepts have successfully printed, out of metal, a working 3D-printed 1911-style pistol. Everything making up the firearm except for the spring, was printed with a 3D printer (the printer costs $500,000 by the way).
Watch the video and test fire here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7ZYKMBDm4M
Calling this an enormous step forward in 3D firearm printing is an understatement. This technology will not only create brand new firearms at a fraction of the cost, it will also allow gunsmiths to create custom and replacement parts on the fly.