For those young enough to have the time left to get new equipment and learn to use it; you might benefit from a couple you tube machinist that show various projects with casting and making molds; some with traditional pattern making, and some with 3D printed molds. A challenge would be finding metal suitable to cast gun parts from. You might check out MrPete222, Keith Rucker at Vintage Machinery.org, and maybe Sand Rammer would help with mold making. This is not my "thing", but it seems to have some application to the things that interest us.
Mike
