A 3D printer and suspected "homemade" gun components have been seized during police raids in Manchester.
A plastic magazine and trigger, which detectives suspect could be fitted together to make a firearm, were found in Wythenshawe on Thursday.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said forensic experts were assessing whether the parts could make a viable gun.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of making gunpowder and remains in custody.
A force spokesman said if the tests showed the parts could make a functioning weapon it would be the "first ever seizure of this kind in the UK".
'Important milestone'This discovery in Manchester, if proven to be viable, was almost inevitable.
Britain has relatively little gun crime because we have so few firearms in circulation.
We know that organised crime gangs loan firearms to overcome their scarcity - police ballistics experts can often link one weapon to crimes that occurred far apart.
But if gangs get over that shortage by printing guns, the policing challenges cannot be under-estimated. The worst-case-scenario would be a cheap and 100% reliable device that could be made overnight and then destroyed after just one use, disposing of crucial evidence to pin to a suspect.
So police will be seeking intelligence on who has the capability to make these guns - not just who wants them.
Detectives know they need to get one step ahead and stop these people before they do anything with the blueprints.
Det Insp Chris Mossop, of GMP, said: "If what we have seized is proven to be viable components capable of constructing a genuine firearm, then it demonstrates that organised crime groups are acquiring technology that can be bought on the high street to produce the next generation of weapons.
"In theory, the technology essentially allows offenders to produce their own guns in the privacy of their own home, which they can then supply to the criminal gangs who are causing such misery in our communities.
"Because they are also plastic and can avoid X-ray detection, it makes them easy to conceal and smuggle."
He added: "If what we have seized today can, as we suspect, be used to make a genuine firearm then today will be an important milestone in the fight against this next generation of homemade weapons."
The raid was part of GMP's Operation Challenger, which aims to "dismantle" organised criminal gangs.
Counterfeit goods worth £2m, more than £330,000 of drugs and £25,000 cash, have been seized in a crackdown.
3D printing technology works by building up layer upon layer of material - typically plastic - to create complex solid objects.
Desktop 3D printers can be bought on the high street for less than £1,000, but prices can be as high as £10,000.
The world's first gun made with 3D printer technology was successfully fired in the US in May.
The group that created the firearm, Defense Distributed, said it planned to make the blueprints available online.
At the time, Europe's law enforcement agency Europol said it feared criminals would follow suit as the technology became cheaper and more user friendly.
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