Threading a barrel yourself. Good idea or bad?

[Goober135]

Hello everyone! Had a quick question. Sometime in the (hopefully near) future I plan on getting a take apart 22lr-5.56 suppressor. With that being said, I'd like to be able to put it on my Savage 22lr bolt action rifle. Problem is the barrel on the rifle isn't threaded. I'm terrible at guessing measurements but it looks like I have about a 1/2in length on the barrel to not effect the front sight and the barrel is about 1/4in thick. I also know a guy who knows a guy who is supposedly very good with a lathe and can do threading. Does this seem possible? Is it dangerous? Any other advice?

On a random side note, I got this rifle pretty cheap. So if you advise against this for the sole reason of possibly ruining the gun, I'm willing to take the risk. If this is stupid and dangerous though, let me know. The last thing I want to do is take a trip to the ER or even worse, the morgue.

Thanks!
John

 

[Mr.JAG]

I'd be less worried about ruining the barrel than I would about not getting the threads straight and risking a baffle strike - which will ruin your suppressor.

I believe SSNFA has a machinist who can thread barrels for around $75 bucks or so. Threading dies and tools are going to run you between 40-60 bucks anyways... so it's not like it's that much more of an expense to have it done professionally (unless of course, you already own the tools... or the guy you know that knows a guy who's uncle's father in law owns a lath and you trust he can do it right).

 

[Goober135]

I'd be less worried about ruining the barrel than I would about not getting the threads straight and risking a baffle strike - which will ruin your suppressor.

I believe SSNFA has a machinist who can thread barrels for around $75 bucks or so. Threading dies and tools are going to run you between 40-60 bucks anyways... so it's not like it's that much more of an expense to have it done professionally (unless of course, you already own the tools... or the guy you know that knows a guy who's uncle's father in law owns a lath and you trust he can do it right).

Very good point.

I'm currently living in West Lafayette and my hometown is Valparaiso so i make semi frequent trips back a forth. Who/what/where is SSNFA? Does he/she/it happen to be near either place or even kinda on the way in between? (if i can avoid shipping, that'd be great)

As for my buddy's friend who owns a lathe, i have no idea on his skill level other than what my buddy has told me. But you can bet i'd make DANG sure he was really good before i let him do ANYTHING with my gun, especially after considering what you said!

 

[confused89]

SSNFA is a vendor on here, his name is Corey, and he lives near Indy.

 

[revsaxon]

Go with Corey. He has never disapointed.

Gemtech does a decent barrel threading and have done a few of my more unique barrels. Cost $150 and takes about a month though.

 

[DownByTheTracks]

Cutting threads with dies is not the best method. To properly thread barrels, they should be setup on a lathe between the centers to ensure the threads cut are actually concentric with the bore, not the OD of the barrel. A single point cutter will also give you the best results.

My gunsmiths, CF Gunworks, thread for $120 using this method and the results are fantastic. They measured my barrels at 0.002" of runout at the end of my suppressor, that's about as straight as they come.

 

[42769vette]

most cans have 398 thou thread lenght so you should be able to clear the front sight if you have 1/2 inch

 

[Stainer]

Who/what/where is SSNFA? Does he/she/it happen to be near either place or even kinda on the way in between?

WWW.NFASHIRTS.COM

Corey's guy did my barrel and it looks amazing, highly recommend! Click the link above for more info.

 

[ryknoll3]

Also check out Tornado Technologies. You will have to ship out the rifle. $150 seems steep for a basic thread job to me.

ETA, if you are threading for a can, pay someone who knows what they are doing. A suppressor is basically a for-life purchase.

 

[cherrynutz]

You're close to me. Send me a PM if you want the guy I go to. It's about 50 bucks

 

[billmyn]

as some of the guys have said ( dont do it ) risking hundreds of $$ for a do it yourself thats not even going to save you anything .

 

[lovemachine]

Ive been a machinist for 15 years. I can mill, turn, weld, tap and thread.

Whenever I'm ready to get a suppressor, I'm still sending my barrel to someone who threads barrels all the time. I know I can do it, but why take the chance?

 

[japartridge]

WWW.NFASHIRTS.COM

Corey's guy did my barrel and it looks amazing, highly recommend! Click the link above for more info.

sorry to be off topic, but this reminds me of the line from spaceballs!

 

[DownByTheTracks]

Also check out Tornado Technologies. You will have to ship out the rifle. $150 seems steep for a basic thread job to me.

ETA, if you are threading for a can, pay someone who knows what they are doing. A suppressor is basically a for-life purchase.

That's not too terrible really. They have to strip the rifle down, remove the barrel from the action. Set up the lathe to cut threads concentric to the bore, then put it all back together again and ship it back to you. To PROPERLY thread barrels, it's anywhere between 1-3 hours depending on how much extra work is involved.

I refuse to send any of my guns to a guy in his garage running a die on a drill press for 50 bucks...that's a baffle strike waiting for a place to happen.

 

[ATOMonkey]

Yes, you first have to turn the barrel before you can thread it anyway, since the OD likely isn't the major diameter of your thread.

As others have said, it's easiest to put it on centers, turn the end down, and then use a single point thread cutting tool.

You could also true it up on a mill some how, mill the end down to size, and then use a die or thread mill.

It is NOT a cheap operation, however you choose to go. If you just want to cram a die onto the end of your gun, sure, that'll be cheap, but it won't work right.

 

[w_ADAM_d88]

Just had mine done by the guy Corey (curraheeguns) uses; and he did great work. I had the Barrel threaded, front sight moved, and a thread protector and it cost me $112 cash out the door. Here's a pic with suppressor mounted...

 

[cherrynutz]

I've gotten a couple done by John at Tactical Component. Does great work.

 

[hotrodtba]

Ive been a machinist for 15 years. I can mill, turn, weld, tap and thread.

Whenever I'm ready to get a suppressor, I'm still sending my barrel to someone who threads barrels all the time. I know I can do it, but why take the chance?

I've been a machinist for 12 years myself. I do my own barrels, as well as barrels for others. It's not too terribly difficult. I just wish I had the funds to put up a building, buy some machinery and go into business myself.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Threading barrels isn't rocket-science. That being said, if you or your friend aren't a machinist then it may be above your abilities. The thread runout is critical with a suppressor.

If your friend has the knowledge and equipment to properly set up and indicate runout on the bore of your rifle and single-point thread it, then go ahead. Otherwise, just pay to have it done.

I can, and have threaded my own barrels before. I've made my own suppressor before (legally). It isn't rocket science, just basic machining.

 

[ret]

I asked Tornado Tech if they would thread a KT sub 2000...they were not interested. I am looking for that service if anyone can help...thank you.

Has anyone removed a KT Sub 2000 barrel? Can anyone coach me thru that or point me in the right direction? Thanks.