Threaded barrel question

Pahoo

New member
Lately, I am seeing more "threaded barrels", on the market. To be more specific, these barrels are threaded at the muzzle end and covered by a cap or protector. My question is, are there any concerns/considerations physically? Regardless of the nut, the barrel is thinner and possibly weaker at the muzzle. I don't see the protector affording much strength and mostly there to protect the threads. I thank you for your time and replies. ..... :)

Be Safe !!!
 

Roughedge

New member
There's still enough meat on the barrel to hold up. The bigger the bullet the bigger the threads. most are 1/2x28 or 5/8x24. With suppressors being so popular they will be threading everything soon.
 

tobnpr

New member
When threading, we consider the groove diameter of the barrel, and the minor diameter of the threads to determine the actual thickness of the barrel.

This is a frequent topic of discussion among those of us that do this, with no particular consensus or "rule of thumb" as to what minimum barrel wall thickness should be.

There was a post here recently somewhere about a rifle factory threaded 1/2" for .30 caliber. Major manufacturer, I'm sure they've done all the necessary calcs to know it's safe- but that's smaller than I'd ever go (9/16" for me).

There are many gunsmiths that feel even 9/16" is too small for .30 cal- but consider that the AK-47 is threaded 14 mm (roughly the same as 9/16") and the FAL is also threaded 9/16"...and I've not heard of barrels/muzzle devices failing on the millions of these in service.

When done by the manufacturer or competent machinist/gunsmith, no reason for concern.
 

ballardw

New member
Swedish Model 96 Mausers had threaded muzzles for attaching a "blank firing" device that was basically a small cage to shred the wooden bullets used in their blanks.

I doubt that would have been done and used for as many years as these rifles were around if there had been an issue. The pressures involved with the live cartridges and the way soldiers tend to treat weapons would have revealed any inherit weaknesses in the threaded muzzle a long time ago.
 

Dixie Gunsmithing

Moderator Emeritus
I do not think the muzzle being threaded will hurt it any. The pressure at the muzzle is much lower than the chamber pressure, when the bullet reaches that point, and then, it suddenly drops to zero. The time that pressure is acting on the muzzle is down to nanoseconds, I would think.
 
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