Between 80 percent receivers and 3D printer plans it’s easier than ever to build a firearm yourself at home. But there will never be anything cooler than building a real, working and safe-shooting (emphasis on safe-shooting) firearm from scratch when it comes to DIY street cred.
That’s exactly what Clinton Westwood has done with his pocket .25 ACP pistol, the Krikit 25. And by scratch, that means everything but the screws. The pistol frame and magazine is largely made from sheet metal and bar stock, and the round bar stock barrel was rifled by hand using a handmade jig.
This gun may be little, and chambered for the mostly-overlooked, pipsqueak .25-caliber cartridge, but it’s real, it works and in the right light, it even looks kinda neat. If you want to try your hand at making your own — good news! — the plans are available online and Westwood documented the whole process start to finish in case you need help during assembly.
The completed project, ready for the range. (Photo: Westwood)
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The screws are store-bought, that’s about it. (Photo: Westwood)
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Springs were hand-shaped on DIY jigs. (Photo: Westwood)
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Positive primer strikes across the board. Headspacing was achieved via calibrated eye. (Photo: Westwood)
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Groups are solid at — who cares, this thing shoots! (Photo: Westwood)
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A view from all sides. (Photo: Westwood)
From a technological perspective, the Krikit is primitive, built on hundred-year-old principles and about as refined as the bulk of pistols rushed to the trenches of Verdun. The components are all over-sized and hand-fit with a bit of trial and error on the builder’s part. Still, critical details are paid attention to such as the accurate rifling and heat-treated magazine feed lips (by way of blowtorch).
The plans are dead-simple, just print them out, lay them across the metal and start cutting. If anything they’re crude, which is why Westwood put together this project. Some tool-making is required to create mandrels to shape the magazine and magazine springs around in addition to building the rifling jig (a steel rod with a groove ground into it then fit with a bit of hacksaw blade — later replaced with an improvised carbide blade) but the straightforward nature of the Krikit means that no particularly specialized machines are required to build it.
To be fair the rifling jig is far from clumsy and quite a bit of thought went into its design. Thankfully there Westwood also put together an overview of the machine for garage gunsmiths to follow. The genius is in its simplicity, using a piece of string to set the twist rate, run by a power drill.
Some welding skill is required throughout the process but it doesn’t have to be pretty. The design is very forgiving and anything that sticks out can be ground off, and if the job is completely wrecked in the process, well, it’s just sheet metal.
After completing the Krikit 25 Westwood decided to go back and give it one more once-over, bead-blasting the slide and frame for a matte steel finish that retains a protective layer of oil a little better and with a refined trigger for a more ergonomic grip — the original trigger left almost no room for a trigger finger inside the trigger guard.
See Also: 80 Percent Glock Lower Preorders
As far as shooting the pistol it appears to function reliably and safe — if anything the pistol is over-built for .25 ACP — and it has functioning slide serrations and real sights. Long-term reliability is dependent on the builder and materials, of course, but to make a working pistol from scratch is a hell of a feat in itself.
There’s plenty more where that came from, too, on the Clinton Westwood YouTube channel. Be sure to check in on it if you want to see how the next project shapes up: the Kolt 380, an .380 ACP pistol with an alloy frame milled using a wood router.
If you’re interested in building a pistol from scratch the Krikit 25 just might be your gateway gun.
For (Tony) and (Sam) you two sissy’s are what lame ass cowards are made of. Both like to run your pretty little mouths on the internet ,but wouldn’t say a thing in person in fact you would most likely run at first glimpse of trouble coming your way. And so nobody cares about your input in this conversation. This here is for real men and women that are brave and free and have courage and heart. We all love this design from both “P.P” and this guy here. Good job to both of you. Keep making this kind of good stuff.
2021 .. Still got tinkerers and piddlers finding this and saying ” yes and thank you !!! ” im going to my shed right now to get started on my next build ..
That particular pistol has been around the Internet since long before Clinton Westwood ever got a YouTube account; the design belongs to someone who calls themselves “Professor Parabellum”; it’s one of the first designs published by PP.
In my personal opinion, simpler designs are not only inherently easier to make, but are also easier to make high quality. That being said, I think your rifling machine is ingenious! Amazing work!
Where do we get a downloadable copy of these plans, I\’ve looked all over the web
https://www.scribd.com/document/331653248/MK-3-DIY-Sheet-Metal-Self-Loading-Pistol-Professor-Parabellum
Where do we get a downloadable copy of these plans, I’ve looked all over the web
If you aren’t smart enough to find the plans on your own please don’t try and make the gun. YOU WILL DIE!!!!
Where do we download a set of these plans?
I love this. Great job! Any chance of an automatic weapon in the future?
Why doesn’t anyone make a pistol in 30 caliber. It’s a nice rifle cartridge that was replaced by the 5.56 but for a pistol its hot as a .357 magnum or so I read. It is lighter and 15 round clips are small.
How was the silversteel firing pin hardened? There is no mention of a hardening process. It is fairly soft as supplied by the manufacturers.
I just wanna give a great thanks to Mr. Westwood for giving hope to the weekend gunsmith, hobbyist, and 24/7 family man. Your instructions are worth more than gold in a time when our second amendment is on the chopping block day after day. I have begun teaching my children about firearms and hunting and also making usable items from scrap laying around the farm…I just hope its never for their honest survival. But if it is and I can’t be here to provide, they’ll reach down in the bottom of the bag and find those plans and a couple boxes of 25 auto. Happy shooting
To the question as to why??? Because I could. Simple as that. Not going to be my carry piece, geeze, it’s a .25. And to set the record straight, I wish I could claim this as my own design. It’s not. Another gentleman, Professor Parabellum is the true owner of these plans. I did take some liberty with the original design, but the concept is his alone. And to the question of reliability…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQlyitOGDUg
To the question as to why??? Because I could. Simple as that. Not going to be my carry piece, geeze, it’s a .25. And to set the record straight, I wish I could claim this as my own design. It’s not. Another gentleman, Professor Parabellum is the true owner of these plans. I did take some liberty with the original design, but the concept is his alone.
To Clinton Westwood: The global elite owned government hates it. Thanks for showing American citizens what independance is and used to be this 4th of July.
love the project. the lessons learned from building a weapon like this go far beyond the building of a pistol. after you build a project like this you will be less intimated by future d.i.y. projects
how much full kit with barrel
I would not be too quick to dismiss 100 year old technology, or to think that your “workshop is living 100 years in the past” is a bad thing. The greatest pistol of all time (in my opinion of course) was placed into military service 105 years ago, and is just as reliable and relevant today as it was then, We would all do well to remember and learn from days gone past.
This project proves an important fact. If the “do-gooders” get their way, and all guns are banned. A determined person, either GOOD (like this person) or EVIL will still be able to create a gun.
Its a “lets do this cause we can” project. No one said anyone else should. Besides, its likely the author already has commercially made pistols upon when he can depend. Just a project. Nothing more. Lighten up.
Just what we need, another POS pistol project. Guys who want to build this are likely the same ones who think its cool to light M=80’s in their hands. Let’s just hope that Clinton Westwood has LOTS of insurance to cover both injuries to himself and to those knuckleheads who try to build this “firearm” with his plans.
Wow! Angry much?
You sound the type that is either:
A: Divorced 5 times
B: Your current wife and kids are scared of you
C: Both
Now to the crux of the article. This guy has done an outstanding job showing the average “do-it-yourselfer” that it can be done! God forbid they do take our guns, but at least we now have a blueprint if it happens. While I am certainly no “prepper”, I do like the comfort of knowing that I could make this weapon, if needed.
Trey, add #4 to your list….bitter or envy. It’s a sad day when firearm guys turn on other firearm proponents. I agree, it’s a fun plan. cannnnt weee all jussst get along?
Trey, the only way I’ll give them my guns is muzzle first! LIVE FREE OR DIE!!!
One has to wonder how many inside agitators post negative dis-information in this day and age. Or perhaps someone is just not mechanically inclined? How would you categorize the WWII Liberator pistol, or the slam fire shotguns distributed in the Philippines?
Sam hires an electrician to change his burned-out lightbulbs, because he “knows” electricity is dangerous and only a trained expert should touch electrical stuff. He would call AAA to refill the washer fluid on the car, but I told him he can’t drive slow in the driveway on Tuesdays anymore if he won’t pick up his Legos.
Genius. Kinda makes the price paid for guns seem less steep. Love your simple approach to engineering. Cool watching you hack the bike.
Pretty neat project!
That 380 is MUCH cooler…..me likee!
This remains quite a project worthy of praise. Great project!
Junk !
That’s all we need now ! Could you depend on it ?, No ! A true Saturday night special. Personal satisfaction in building one is the only perk to be gained.
You’re the type of person to throw away a dog’s bowl of food because there’s no vegetables in it. Lighten up.
Have you built a firearm from scratch that you *can* depend on? This guy built a functioning semi-auto pistol from scratch, which is something you’ve never done. Stop being a prick.
Learn first from the past to appreciate future technology. If shit were to hit the fan and we all found ourselves in the Stone Age again I would like to within a weeks walk of Mr. Westwood just to lean how to move myself and my family in the late middle ages at the least (Weapons Wise). Remember to adapt or be left behind.
Guys, don’t be so hard on Tony and Sam, they probably can’t change the oil in their car let alone take a file to metal. This project is for tinkerers and hobbyists, nothing wrong with that.
True about their utter lack of talent, but you left out their cowardice — they’re afraid to even try doing anything for themselves — and their snarling contempt for those who can actually DO things rather than just talk about doing things.
He did it because he can. Certain people like to tinker and create. I extremely doubt it is going to be his new carry piece. The Sten gun was pretty crude by today’s standards, yet it certainly accounted for a lot of dead Germans.
I am impressed by this guy’s creativity. He designed and built a semi auto handgun from start to finish.
He should patent it and then consider marketing a 80% kit. He could easily get the parts mfg at a reasonable price in bulk.
Thank you for treating this subject in a fair and balanced manner. You’ve summarized the build nicely, including the idea that this is 100 year old technology. It seem that my workshop is living 100 years in the past:)
Nothing wrong with the past at all. Your build is quite cool.
To Clinton Westwood: The global elite owned government hates it. Thanks for showing American citizens what independance is and used to be this 4th of July……..