Do-It-Yourself Gunmaking with the Serbu GB-22 – SHOT Show 2017

in Authors, Jon Hodoway, SHOT Show 2017
Do-It-Yourself Gunmaking with the Serbu GB-22 - SHOT Show 2017

The Serbu GB-22.

Learn more by visiting Serbu.com.

Overview

Do-It-Yourself Gunmaking with the Serbu GB-22 - SHOT Show 2017

The BG-22 is touted to be the simplest homemade pistol.

I got the chance to spend some time with Mark Serbu during the 2017 SHOT Show. He had lots of cool guns on his table but I could not help myself, I just wanted to talk about the GB-22 pistol.

One of the first things I figured out about Mark is he is doing this because he wants too. It is just a bonus that people will pay him for his guns. He is truly driven by his passions.

Last fall Mark introduced the world to the Gun Buyback 22 or GB-22, a homemade four-piece .22 rimfire single-shot handgun that can be crafted by virtually anyone.

With only a barrel, frame, slide and recoil spring, the GB-22 can be made at home with steel plate and bar stock with the use of a hacksaw, file, and drill. Attaching the barrel to the frame can be done via welding, roll pins, or screws. The overall design concept is to give one a simple, do-it-yourself sidearm.

Plans

Do-It-Yourself Gunmaking with the Serbu GB-22 - SHOT Show 2017

Pretty simple and straightforward.

Impression

My theory is that Mark was thinking, “How do I bankrupt those ineffective gun buyback programs?” Step one: Make a gun that will cost so little that you can sell them at a buyback and make money. Step two: Tell the world how to make the GB-22.  Step Three: See what happens next.

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Do-It-Yourself Gunmaking with the Serbu GB-22 - SHOT Show 2017

You can purchase the GB-22 plan for $12.

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Do-It-Yourself Gunmaking with the Serbu GB-22 - SHOT Show 2017

It’s a great way to get your feet wet in DIY gun making.

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So, following step two on Sept. 3, 2016, Mark posted some images of Facebook. Then, on Oct. 5, Mark posted the video showing how to make the gun. The video went viral and has more than 1.1 million views.

As you might’ve guessed, this did not sit well with everyone. First South Korea banned the video, then Youtube censored the video with giant blurred blocks. Youtube also prevented him from monetizing the video. You can do the math but that cost Mark at least $1,200.

But undeterred by these efforts, Mark has since posted an uncensored version of the video that you should check out:

Censored version Oct 5, 2016

Uncensored version 24,834 Nov 10, 2016

Do-It-Yourself Gunmaking with the Serbu GB-22 - SHOT Show 2017

Mr. Serbu at the SHOT Show 2017.

Price and Availability

The plans can be purchased on Mark’s company website for $12. They are currently awaiting BATF approval on the 80 percent kit.

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  • Mom-Holly Hunter March 21, 2021, 1:13 pm

    Gb-22* And phantom forces makes the gun have the ability to use rat shot so it makes the gun really just a handheld remake of the Serbu shotgun.

  • Bmar January 25, 2020, 11:56 pm

    Yeah I’d love to see a guy take a hacksaw and make those cuts. They have to be precise in order to get the slide to function smooth enough for the gun to actually work even using a cut off wheel would be bit of a challenge

    • John February 17, 2024, 10:58 pm

      hacksaws are perfect for this job! Not so much when you neglect using files to actually producr a decent cut and finish at some level of straightness

  • Mickey February 27, 2017, 11:00 pm

    Gun buybacks are a myth. I only hear of them after the fact, NEVER before their supposed “occurrence.” I’ve got a Lorcin .22 that I bought decades ago when I didn’t know any better that is begging for a buyback, & they just don’t happen here in crime-riddled So.Cal… Go figure! 😉

  • David A Espinosa February 17, 2017, 4:39 pm

    You should post the uncensored versiin to full30.com

  • krinkov5.45 February 17, 2017, 12:55 pm

    “NO SERBU FOR YOU NEW YORK” He pissed the Soup Nazi off too!

  • SL Free February 17, 2017, 12:29 pm

    I have a Rohm in really nice shape. I’m ready for a gun buy back.

  • dasreboot February 17, 2017, 7:23 am

    I do admire the simplicity, but… Isn’t a fixed firing pin a no no? The only things keeping this from being an smg are a magazine and extractor.

    • Z February 17, 2017, 9:26 am

      Right. A magazine which it isn’t designed to utilize or accept and an extractor that isn’t in the design.
      The only thing keeping you from being a genius is a higher IQ.

      • dasreboot February 22, 2017, 11:56 am

        except BATF has a real problem with open bolts and fixed firing pins. I can take a sten kit weld up the magazine well, and they will still probably classify it as full auto.

  • Robert Smith February 14, 2017, 9:12 pm

    I am a great admirer of Mark Serbu, both his defiant attitude and his engineering genius. However, I doubt that most home builders have the metalworking skills to make a GB-22. The shapes look very complex for hand tools, and most people do not have a CNC. As for gun buy-backs, remember that the local government doing the buy-back makes the rules. If they want to exclude home built guns they can. If enough people showed up with GB-22s they probably would just refuse to accept them. Of course, someone who actually had the skills to make one would probably be too proud of it to even think about turning it in for a buy-back. I understand Mark might offer it in kit form as an “80%” or even as a finished firearm. I hope he does. I like the simple elegance of it.

  • SuperG February 14, 2017, 11:01 am

    Youtube is owned by Google, Google is evil. They steal your data and sell it, on top of censoring your content.

    • Z February 17, 2017, 9:30 am

      Not sure what you comment has to do with the article. I think I’ll google it.

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