Hey guys, first post! Name is McCord, from Santa Ynez, ca. Anyways, I just got myself a R700 ADL in 6.5CM and in going to make it my project rifle and get tuned in before I can afford a nice action/barrel setup. I was thinking about putting a Area 419 brake on the barrel. I was looking at the CNC warrior kits and they seem pretty sweet. Any of you guys threaded your own barrels? How easy or hard was it? Also will the 5/8”x24 work on a factory Remington barrel? It’s just the stock contour, not a bull. And yes I did search first, didn’t find any threads on it. Thanks! ??????
Gunsmithing DIY barrel threading
- Thread starter MBowersox
- Start date
What is the diameter of your muzzle? I would take it to a smith. You want a straight thread job.
California? Did you get permission from your local police chief and congress person before you were able to post that question? ?. As stated above, unless you have the right equipment to get the threads concentric to the bore. I’ve used parts of that kit, but only to clean existing threads, as well as thread an AK barrel and 22lr barrel that will only get flash hiders/brakes. Don’t trust them if you’re looking to use on a gun you’ll use a suppressor on.
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Don’t know the diameter at the moment, also don’t have calipers so it would be hard to get a good accurate number. Also, yea living in CA is sure a pain in the ass haha. So the kit comes with a tap guide that slips inside the end of the barrel and is supposed to keep it inline with the bore. The length it sits inside the bore looks pretty short, maybe an inch or two.
http://www.cncwarrior.com/5-8-24-RH-Barrel-Threading-Kit-p/25444.htm
This is the kit I’m thinking of. Haven’t measured barrel diameter to see if it’ll work with 5/8” ? if not I’ll just downsize. Just wanted to see if anyone has done it and how it went
This is the kit I’m thinking of. Haven’t measured barrel diameter to see if it’ll work with 5/8” ? if not I’ll just downsize. Just wanted to see if anyone has done it and how it went
No calipers is a red flag for people wanting to do machining work.
For a good deal, you can buy a set of Clockwork tools 6" digital calipers for about $19 on Amazon, so cheap you should buy a spare too.
The right way to thread a muzzle is to indicate the bore and hold the barrel so it is concentric with the lathe spindle within about 0.0002".
You can't get that with a Spud in the bore.
What you can get is an acceptable result that probably won't be off so far as to cause a problem but it may interfere with the bullet exit from the bore and accuracy.
Any way, if you want to do stuff like this, try to learn some basic machining and shop technique. When you know how to hold a 0.001" tolerance, you'll understand what it means to hold 0.0002".
For a good deal, you can buy a set of Clockwork tools 6" digital calipers for about $19 on Amazon, so cheap you should buy a spare too.
The right way to thread a muzzle is to indicate the bore and hold the barrel so it is concentric with the lathe spindle within about 0.0002".
You can't get that with a Spud in the bore.
What you can get is an acceptable result that probably won't be off so far as to cause a problem but it may interfere with the bullet exit from the bore and accuracy.
Any way, if you want to do stuff like this, try to learn some basic machining and shop technique. When you know how to hold a 0.001" tolerance, you'll understand what it means to hold 0.0002".
$60 plus shipping for a shade-tree kit? You're nearly at the cost of having a 'smith do it for you the proper way. Have some ramen for dinner for a week and then take it to a professional.
Then again, with some of the Remington 700's I've seen in recent years, You couldn't do much to it that would make it worse. If it shoots alright today then take it to a pro, if not then have at it with the amateur tools.
Then again, with some of the Remington 700's I've seen in recent years, You couldn't do much to it that would make it worse. If it shoots alright today then take it to a pro, if not then have at it with the amateur tools.
I totally agree with you guys. And I do understand and respect the tolerances of machining. I didn’t really do any research for gunsmiths around my area, will do that in the near future! This build isint going to top notch but I still want to do things the right way. Thanks for the input guys! ?? Also will be ordering some calipers from amazon soon ?? I’m still green, give me time lol
If its the normal adl (pinky size) and not the varmint (thumb size) I wouldnt bother spending anymore time thinking about it. Not enough meat at the end of the barrel.
First of all, the end of the barrel needs to be turned down to thread major diameter (.6178 - .6250" for a 5/8-24 class 3 external thread) before you even begin to cut the threads themselves.
The ADL might be thick enough for a 1/2-28 thread but you need to leave this to those who know what they are doing.
The ADL might be thick enough for a 1/2-28 thread but you need to leave this to those who know what they are doing.
I think you have your answer, but just for everyone's awareness or whatever...
Typical suggestion/rule of thumb is to go 0.100" over the thread diameter as a MINIMUM. You need enough meat to cut the thread then have a shoulder (in this case, .050" tall). This is because a lot of muzzle devices (or female threads in general) have a relief cut that is a certain diameter over the major diameter of the thread. With too small a shoulder you run the risk of either damaging it, or swallowing the shoulder with the relief cut and bottoming out on threads, not a shoulder at all, which is almost certainly not going to end well.
From what I recall, I think most Remington sporter barrels end up around .650" at the muzzle, so you'd have to turn it down to .623" or so, then cut threads. That would leave you a .013" shoulder. Not enough to torque anything down onto without damaging the shoulder. So for a 5/8" thread, .725-.750 is the typical recommendation for minimum barrel thickness before turning down and threading. Typically you also want .100" of thickness in the barrel wall in the threaded section (thread OD .200" more than bore ID). So for example, a 1/2-28 thread is cutting it close for a .308" bore because you've got slightly less than .100" wall thickness. If you go too thin you can run into accuracy problems or even have the threads break/shoot off.
The other issue is alignment. Taps and dies are terrible for this without rigid fixturing and even with it... single point cutting is more likely to do a straighter job. This is why most of the time you see barrels set up in lathes and indicated both axially and for position (center axis of the bore at the muzzle aligns and coincides with the center axis of the lathe spindle). This ensures there are no stikes, even if you screw on a 9-10" long suppressor.
Typical suggestion/rule of thumb is to go 0.100" over the thread diameter as a MINIMUM. You need enough meat to cut the thread then have a shoulder (in this case, .050" tall). This is because a lot of muzzle devices (or female threads in general) have a relief cut that is a certain diameter over the major diameter of the thread. With too small a shoulder you run the risk of either damaging it, or swallowing the shoulder with the relief cut and bottoming out on threads, not a shoulder at all, which is almost certainly not going to end well.
From what I recall, I think most Remington sporter barrels end up around .650" at the muzzle, so you'd have to turn it down to .623" or so, then cut threads. That would leave you a .013" shoulder. Not enough to torque anything down onto without damaging the shoulder. So for a 5/8" thread, .725-.750 is the typical recommendation for minimum barrel thickness before turning down and threading. Typically you also want .100" of thickness in the barrel wall in the threaded section (thread OD .200" more than bore ID). So for example, a 1/2-28 thread is cutting it close for a .308" bore because you've got slightly less than .100" wall thickness. If you go too thin you can run into accuracy problems or even have the threads break/shoot off.
The other issue is alignment. Taps and dies are terrible for this without rigid fixturing and even with it... single point cutting is more likely to do a straighter job. This is why most of the time you see barrels set up in lathes and indicated both axially and for position (center axis of the bore at the muzzle aligns and coincides with the center axis of the lathe spindle). This ensures there are no stikes, even if you screw on a 9-10" long suppressor.
RE threaded barrel shoulders, you can get away with a jam nut so long as the brake/jam nut mating surfaces are square and the barrel threads are concentric to the bore. Think of it like a Savage style attachment at the muzzle-end instead of the breech end.
Yes, it's got more potential to work loose and potentially cause a baffle/brake strike.
Yes, it's not ideal, but in a pinch it can do the job if you Loctite/Rockset it and monitor it for working loose.
Case in point, I currerntly have a 5/8-24 threaded .30 cal brake-attached suppressor mounted on what was a Ø.705" muzzle. I shoot .224" projectiles through it and it has survived approx. 1000 projectiles since April without issue holding about .6MOA accuracy.
2¢
Yes, it's got more potential to work loose and potentially cause a baffle/brake strike.
Yes, it's not ideal, but in a pinch it can do the job if you Loctite/Rockset it and monitor it for working loose.
Case in point, I currerntly have a 5/8-24 threaded .30 cal brake-attached suppressor mounted on what was a Ø.705" muzzle. I shoot .224" projectiles through it and it has survived approx. 1000 projectiles since April without issue holding about .6MOA accuracy.
2¢
If you're looking for a brake and you're planning on sticking with this barrel for a little bit, look into Witt Machine clamp-on brakes. Once you get your calipers, you send them your muzzle diameter and they make a brake to fit your barrel. I've got a friend using them and they work well. $89
And if you don't like how Witt's clamp-on brakes look (and I don't) he also sells a clamp on device with the threads of your choice on the front. Then you can buy a regular, threaded brake that you can re-use when you rebarrel (with a threaded barrel) or in a new rifle.
Make sure you follow his barrel measurement instructions to the letter. You need to measure the barrel OD in two places: at the muzzle and (if I remember right) one inch back. Anyway, the ordering page tells you exactly what to do.
Here's what it looks like on my heavy barrel Howa. The brake itself is a VG6 Gamma 762
Randall is a great smith... If you set up an appointment, you can probably grab lunch and wait while he turns the threads.... about a 1 hour drive from you
http://ar15barrels.com/
http://www.700barrels.com/index.html
if you are going to tackle the job yourself, you need a bore alignment tool. You cannot cut the threads in alignment with the outside of the barrel as the bore is not always in perfect alignment with the bore.
There are a few companies who sell the tools to allow you to home thread without a mill. It is far cheaper to take the gun to a smith and have them do the job as the tools are not inexpensive
If you go through with the kit way please post pics. im curious on how well it works.
I'm not sure how to say this any other way, so here it goes......trying to DIY this without a lathe and some basic machining knowledge (including indicating the workpiece true and understanding thread specifications) is just stupid and an easy way to ruin a barrel.
That's not even going into the material issues such as enough stock to turn the barrel down to major diameter while retaining an adequate shoulder and wall thickness (which I forgot about in my previous answer).
Just get a clamp on brake, or clamp on threaded adapter and a conventional brake, and go shoot.
That's not even going into the material issues such as enough stock to turn the barrel down to major diameter while retaining an adequate shoulder and wall thickness (which I forgot about in my previous answer).
Just get a clamp on brake, or clamp on threaded adapter and a conventional brake, and go shoot.
I know. The message was mostly for someone else who sees that kit and thinks it might be a cheap way to thread a barrel.
