I may have messed up. Went with a new to me smith and am a little concerned about the work quality. 2 of the three rifles have some issues. one has jagged threads that might clean up with a chase but it has me worried about the runout while it was in the jig. the other has a bit of a bumpy shoulder with some tool marks. should i be taking these to another smith to check out?
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Gunsmithing Barrel thread and shoulder machining?
- Thread starter SB545
- Start date
Wow, that’s just garbage.
Edit: Regarding the boogered thread, looks like a few passes we’re made out of time with the rest of the thread, which created two flanks where there should be one. With all the gnarly burrs, I would not torque anything on to that, as it may become stuck.
Get your money back.
Edit: Regarding the boogered thread, looks like a few passes we’re made out of time with the rest of the thread, which created two flanks where there should be one. With all the gnarly burrs, I would not torque anything on to that, as it may become stuck.
Get your money back.
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he said he could chase the one but liked how tight it locked up as it is. i haven't bothered to ask about the shoulder of the other. unfortunately, i was distracted by my other issue on the 3rd gun. threads looked nice but the safety doesn't function and the trigger pull varies. it was a new out of the box rifle from cabelas and the photo i saw of the throat erosion plus worn internal parts lead the smith to believe otherwise.
If he’s not going to refund your money, walk away. Can’t believe anyone would let work like that leave the shop.
Trying to be polite. Take it to an actual gunsmith this time around. This guy does not know what he is doing. Might be learning, but should not be working on other people’s guns.
Then it should have gone straight back to them before he "smithed" anything.
Reach out to some of the reputable Smith's on this site and you will be amazed.
i'm a bit leery now. of the two smiths i used before, one retired and one passed away. both did good work. not sure who to trust. this guy has good reviews online. sounds like he threads a bunch of rifles. i even left them with him for a month. all i asked was that he take his time and do good work...since this was for my first suppressor. didn't want any baffle strikes right out of the gate. maybe i am better off with a factory threaded rifle. i just didn't trust the mass produced stuff.
You’re not better off with factory threaded rifles. Send those to any number of smith’s on this site, they’ll chop off those stumps and give you high quality bore concentric threads.
Without getting too far into it. I’m 99% positive he didn’t even measure the theads on the rough looking one. I would say he just did the guess and try it out method.
I'd be after him for money back and money to replace the ruined goods. There is no excuse for that. Absolutely none.
For future work just hit the easy button and send them to Chad at Long Rifles inc. You won’t be disappointed.
Jeez...
I'm trying to figger out how to get that kind of chatter on the face of the shoulder. I don't think I could do it if I tried.
Looks like there may be enough meat on the tenon to turn down and re-thread with smaller diameter, and use corresponding adapter for the can?
I'm trying to figger out how to get that kind of chatter on the face of the shoulder. I don't think I could do it if I tried.
Looks like there may be enough meat on the tenon to turn down and re-thread with smaller diameter, and use corresponding adapter for the can?
I was thinking the same thing. He must have been turning without a live center to have that kind of chatter, but it looks more like the marks are pressed in. Either way, I would NOT put anything on there. I think you should take them to a smith and get his opinion.
In/out in a few days. The "short one" as you stated will require a new barrel as there's nothing left to pull off the front of it.
Bummer, we can help though and are happy to do so.
C.
Bummer, we can help though and are happy to do so.
C.
One way to save the 16" barrel would be if your suppressor attaches to a muzzle device like a brake or flash hider. You could have someone cut and rethread then permanently attach a muzzle device to bring it back longer than 16".
Another option is to have a Smith who knows what he is doing dial it in on the lathe, pick up the thread, take a clean up pass on the threads and shoulder, and then measure to see if it is in spec. It might be possible to take a clean up cut and still be left with an in spec thread.
Another option is to have a Smith who knows what he is doing dial it in on the lathe, pick up the thread, take a clean up pass on the threads and shoulder, and then measure to see if it is in spec. It might be possible to take a clean up cut and still be left with an in spec thread.
Who ever machined those barrels doesn't understand how to set up their tooling or care about the end result. The barrel shoulder has chatter but can be saved, the threading tool was rubbing and those threads may be a wash. If I had that barrel in my lathe I'd cut it off and start over. Any competent smith/builder will do the same.
If the existing thread is anything close to the appropriate pitch diameter then this option won't work.
Has anyone ever tried an tested a barrel that has been spray welded at the end, to correct anything like this?
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I have had large shafts for machinery spray welded and re machined.
The metallurgy most likely couldnt be matched easily and cost would be too high from my experience.
Too late for my comment and sorry your barrel is toast. Just my uneducated opinion but never, ever have a barrel cut to exactly 16”. 16.5-16.75”. Should there ever be a screw up, accidentally drop it with no thread protector, gunsmith screw-up, friend cross threads your suppressor on. Whatever, there is still enough meat to thread again and not have to buy a new barrel. 1/2-3/4” is not going to make any difference in the long run. Except maybe save you from buying a new barrel.
If it was LRI or one of the other very top tier smiths, I would think about 16.000”. But accidents can still happen after you get it back.
If it was LRI or one of the other very top tier smiths, I would think about 16.000”. But accidents can still happen after you get it back.
I don’t know how the gunsmith took either of those out of the lathe like that. The 1/2-28 one looks like he tried and failed to pick up the thread. You can start that thread on any mark. How do you mess that up?
Just to clarify:
the one with really bad threads is cut 5/8-24 and is a savage 12 LRP in 6.5 CM. the one with a horrible shoulder is a savage 223 w/ a target bbl threaded 5/8-24 as well. not sure if threads can be salvaged there either. they look better but still doesn't thread anything on with out some effort. the 3rd rifle is a kimber hunter pro threaded 1/2-28. it was supposed to be 17" inches. i wanted 18" but we agreed there would be more meat to thread with a good shoulder at 17". not sure how it ended up at 16" but i haven't had time to measure it since the smith still has it in his possession. he found it had a bad chamber and inoperable safety.
here's the email to the mfg stating the issues:
so, with the smith still involved in the situation, i'm kind of in a pickle for now. trying to weigh my options but limited on funds. easiest option is to slap on a thread protector and forget about shooting those suppressed.
the one with really bad threads is cut 5/8-24 and is a savage 12 LRP in 6.5 CM. the one with a horrible shoulder is a savage 223 w/ a target bbl threaded 5/8-24 as well. not sure if threads can be salvaged there either. they look better but still doesn't thread anything on with out some effort. the 3rd rifle is a kimber hunter pro threaded 1/2-28. it was supposed to be 17" inches. i wanted 18" but we agreed there would be more meat to thread with a good shoulder at 17". not sure how it ended up at 16" but i haven't had time to measure it since the smith still has it in his possession. he found it had a bad chamber and inoperable safety.
here's the email to the mfg stating the issues:
so, with the smith still involved in the situation, i'm kind of in a pickle for now. trying to weigh my options but limited on funds. easiest option is to slap on a thread protector and forget about shooting those suppressed.
Now 3 of the 3 rifles have issues. You know what you need to do. It will cost less money in the end by spending more now elsewhere.
Well, waiting to hear from Kimber but I'm pulling the two that I have down to barreled actions and going to box them up and get ready to send them off. Time to start saving my Amazon bubble wrap.
Thanks for the help. I'll update when I get them back.
Thanks for the help. I'll update when I get them back.
The 5/8"-24 threads can be easily turned off and fully cleaned up for a 9/16" tenon of whatever common pitch is desired.
9/16" still leaves adequate barrel wall thickness for a 6.5- unless you must have the 5/8" tenon there's no reason to cut the barrel.
5/8" minor is .575, well above the .562 and under needed.
9/16" still leaves adequate barrel wall thickness for a 6.5- unless you must have the 5/8" tenon there's no reason to cut the barrel.
5/8" minor is .575, well above the .562 and under needed.
In my current situation I realize that I never updated the thread. I sent the barrels off to morgan at class III machining and they came back looking great. He had to start over with the worst one but saved the others. Now to my reason for revisiting this thread. I was looking for these pics to compare the new barrel I had built. For whatever reason I just have bad luck with getting clean threads the first try. I'm returning this barrel due to a separate reason but the treads alone would be enough for me to send it back. Fwiw, this was after I tried to chase the threads with an adapter. They look better here than when I took it out of the box.
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I’m not sure what they did to make such bad threads but I’d be ashamed of that personally and surprise they let it leave the shop.
Almost looks like they had the tooling low and work was trying to crawl over the tool or it was carbide and going to slow and easy.
I’m new at cutting barrels and my stuff is WAY better!
Almost looks like they had the tooling low and work was trying to crawl over the tool or it was carbide and going to slow and easy.
I’m new at cutting barrels and my stuff is WAY better!
Who was the original smith who did your barrels?
You could save other's here on the forum the same grief you experienced by ousting the offender. I wouldn't want any others to spend their hard earned cash there, or waste their precious time if that happened to me. And yes, time is money!
A good reputation is not solely based on producing a great product the first time around, but also what one does to rectify a situation if a problem should arise.
Sorry for your grief, you could prevent more!
TM6
You could save other's here on the forum the same grief you experienced by ousting the offender. I wouldn't want any others to spend their hard earned cash there, or waste their precious time if that happened to me. And yes, time is money!
A good reputation is not solely based on producing a great product the first time around, but also what one does to rectify a situation if a problem should arise.
Sorry for your grief, you could prevent more!
TM6
The first smith was a local out of Sandy, Utah. The guy that fixed his work was awesome. He's out of Texas and has great prices with fast turnaround. He does referral work for silencerco. The current issue is a known barrel maker. I talked to the owner today and he's going to make things right and even throw in some extras for free. After expressing my concerns I feel like his machinist will do it right. With so many positive reviews on here I'm chalking it up to my curse of bad thread jobs.
I've seen newbies make cuts with a dull tool and no coolant and they still looked better than your first pics.
Somebody up above suggested he used a loose chuck and I don't think that would even do it.
Somebody up above suggested he used a loose chuck and I don't think that would even do it.
Hey, it's me again. Sorry I keep coming here with the same issue but apparently I learn the hard way. I got the new barrel back with the correct chambering but it appears the threads are still a bit rough. What is the best way to smooth these out? It seems like the rough major does not contact the minor on my suppressor adapter, which is good.
Is there a safe way to smooth these out without damaging the threads or loosening the lockup between the suppressor and the barrel?
Is there a safe way to smooth these out without damaging the threads or loosening the lockup between the suppressor and the barrel?
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Who did that last one? No good way to fix them without a lathe, and a band saw.
It's a custom barrel from a known mfg out west. I'll give him a chance to make it right but I really need my action back. He offered to cerakote it with the barrel but it didn't come back. I'm hoping they didn't lose it.
I make good decisions elsewhere in life, I promise.
