Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

clayne_b

clayne_b

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Nov 18, 2009
1,158
1
40
Saratoga Springs, Utah
#1
Just got the 7mm back from the gun smith. Had him thread and install a muzzle break. First shot the thing blew off the front and went 115 yards! Looking at it there was no baffle strike and the bullet was on target. i think it was the blast that popped it off. the threads look like JUNK. How would you go about dealing with the gunsmith on this issue?

Thank you

Clayne_b
 
#2
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

Well,personally, I'd try and get my money back, and find a new gunsmith.
wink.gif
Something was definitely F-ed up with the install!
 
#5
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

Before you contact him take it to another smith to find out what was done wrong first. This is where it is important to document everything because there are some smiths that give the occupation a bad name. I had to take one to small claims court because he destroyed a first generation Bushmaster that I owned by farming the work out to a guy who worked out of his garage. He failed to follow the manufactures direction for installing a pic rail and ruined the receiver. When I got it back I could not pull the bolt back. He tried to weld it to the receiver which cannot be done. The man had the balls to blame me for the garbage work but the court failed to see that and made him pay for the damages even after his appeal.
 
#6
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

Muzzle Brakes.....alot of them out there...all reduce recoil to some degree.
before you pay to have one installed... have a good shooting rifle.Then load up 20 rnds.Shoot a group of 10 before and after brake install.Brakes change the barrel harmonics...can be good or bad.Most factory barrels and alot of custom barrels suffer from a non concentric bore with respect to the barrel o.d. requireing 2 seperate set-ups in lathe to do it rite.Any competent gunsmith should explain this before....
bad threads on barrel= shorter barrel/nu threads.bad brake threads= new brake.
bill larson
 
#10
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

Well if your gonna still use the break/barrel I would look into chopping the threads off and starting over. Maybe get a Bottom-Tap and check the threads inside the break just to be sure they are not fouled. But this time find a suggested smith from this forum. Pay the extra for shipping and your gonna get it done right. I just bought a Badger FTE break and will be doing this as well. I would at least bring the gun/break back to the smith to give him the opportunity to make things right. If he then doesnt want to cooperate I would look into small claims court. But at least give him a chance. AND DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!
 
#12
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

Im no gun smith, just a mechanic that does a little bit metal fabrication from time to time. From the picture it looks like the barrel may have been milled down to far before it was threaded. Id take that to a reputable gun smith and have that verified.
 
#13
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

The barrel thread OD is way too small. That’s one of the worst threading jobs I've ever seen.

Cut your loss's and get a new smith. The brake may be OK but can really only be checked with a plug gauge.
 
#14
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

Sorry for the language on Easter Sunday but....

my shriveled up old dick has deeper wrinkles then the depth of them thar threads!!!

Did you say the smith was Stevie Wonder????

I am with wnroscoe, that threading job just flat sucks!!!!
 
#16
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

You don't have to be a gunsmith to figure out that if the threaded brake slips over the threaded barrel-without having to thread it on- that he turned the barrel down too far before threading it, then tried to salvage it...the brake looks like it has coarser threads, too...but that's irrelevant anyway now.

He HAD to know he fucked up the job- how could he not? Then left you with it? Wow...

Just show it to him, demand your money back, plus the cost to cut and re-crown the barrel, and move on...to another gunsmith. I wouldn't let him touch an airsoft gun at this point.
 
#17
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

Yeah the barrel threads look pretty badly done. I'd show him and make sure he does it correctly or have him pay another smith of your choosing to fix his mistake.
 
#18
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

That really blows. You would think a smith would been able to see that before he let it go out the door. When I have my barrels threaded and pick the rifle up, I unscrew it and check the fit.

Very lucky you wasn't hurt. Hopefully you can get this taken care of easly, and your smith refunds without and trouble.
 
#19
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

I would get my money back, find a smith with good reviews, and get the work done properly. If he doesn't give you a refund, then what's fair is fair. If you live by the sword, you have to be ready to die by it. The work you have to do to get legal help for a couple hundred bucks isn't worth it to me. I'll loose the money, but he will end up with a bad reputation. Just make sure you give the guy the benefit of doubt, and atleast let him explain. Remember, fair. Best of luck.
 
#20
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

It appears your smith fubar'd the threading and attempted to utilize loctite to attach the brake as there's definitely something all over the threads on your barrel?
 
#21
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

I'd guess he used too wide of a cutting tool, and peeled material off the tops of the threads as he was cutting them to depth.

I did the same thing to a go kart axle as a kid, and got a good ass chewing from my machinist grandfather.
 
#22
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

What's the outer diameter over the male threads? You should caliper or mic it. I guarantee the thread major is way undersized for the thread spec. Shouldn't even need a gunsmith or machinists to verify this.
 
#24
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: clayne_b</div><div class="ubbcode-body">In this picture I can slide the muzzel break on with out threading it on. just slips on down to here...

Breakongun.jpg



this is how far it slips on easily

Breakoffgun.jpg



Threads.jpg


ThreadsonBreak.jpg
</div></div>

Looks like it was cut with a hand thread die...Pleasepost the name of the hack shop so otheres can avoid him.
 
#25
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

Holy crap. Im just glad you werent hurt. This is why i ship my stuff to reputable gunsmithsm even if the wait takes forever. Ill be damned if i let some wannabe hack on my gear.

Hopefully the smith will refund your money and pay to have a real gunsmith install the break.

I once called around to local gunsmiths to have a barrel threaded, after i explained the goal was to put a silencer on it, they all balked. A couple said silencers were illegal, one said only manufacturers are allowed to thread barrels, and one said sure, ill give it a try..,

OP, let us know how this turns out. Id love to hear what the smith says
 
#27
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

somebody needs a lot of JB weld, just kidding, sorry about your situation, get your money back and go to a reputable smith, maybe he can sleeve the old threads and recut new ones, that way your barrel won't get any shorter.

Good luck.
 
#30
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: cactusbrew</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
I once called around to local gunsmiths to have a barrel threaded, after i explained the goal was to put a silencer on it, they all balked. A couple said silencers were illegal, one said only manufacturers are allowed to thread barrels, and one said sure, ill give it a try..,
</div></div>

If they can't cut a good set of threads with confidence then I'd really want to know why they own a lathe and then why they have a gunsmith license. This was pretty much the first thing I learned/mastered, and I'm a nothing/nobody hobbyist.
 
#31
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Lofty</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Lol......looks like it was threaded with a fork.</div></div>

A rusty fork at that.. hope you get a refund.

Question though, did you ever take it off and inspect the threads and check bore alignment?
 
#32
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: clayne_b</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Just got the 7mm back from the gun smith. Had him thread and install a muzzle break. First shot the thing blew off the front and went 115 yards! Looking at it there was no baffle strike and the bullet was on target. i think it was the blast that popped it off. the threads look like JUNK. How would you go about dealing with the gunsmith on this issue?

Thank you

Clayne_b </div></div>

I'm sorry, but I just can't stop laughing. Get rid of the gunsmith forever though.
 
#36
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

I am surprised the smith didn't add Reynold wrap to the threads to build them up. Joking of course..thats a pathetic job. I could wreck a barrel that well in metal shop class in junior high.
 
#37
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

Curtis, do you want the # of the guy who does my stuff? I know he won't F*@K it up.

That was pretty intense watching that thing fly off!!! HOLY SHIT !!
 
#38
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

I too can't stop laughing at the thought of you firing one off and seeing your brake shoot down range 115 yards! Really hope you get it resolved (I have a lot of sympathy when it comes to bad gunsmiths) but that had to be hilarious when it happened.
 
#39
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

Wow you are lucky, and I would be royally pissed at the piss poor job on that brake. Poor craftsmanship and business.

Let us all know who he is, as to avoid him like the plague.
 
#45
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

People who do shit work like that need a good thumpin. I am glad that is all that happened and you did not get injured.
 
#46
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

Like everyone said, I would find yourself a new smith.

You will most likely need to cut the portion of the barrel where it is threaded, have new threads cut and have the barrel recrowned.

At least you only had this smith do your muzzle brake. I would be nervous to fire any sort of rifle that had been rebarreled by your smith.

I would ask for your money back and take your rifle somewhere else.
 
#47
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

I have limited experience cutting threads on a lathe but those threads look familiar. If that was done on a lathe there are a number of reasons why the threads could be jacked up. Yes, I think those threads are screwed up.

(disclaimer: esoteric information in post)

When you setup a lathe to turn threads you calculate a feed rate for your carriage (device that holds your thread cutter). Your feedrate is based off your major diameter, TPI, and spindle speed. Once you have all of this setup you must engage the carriage. There is a dial that turns, usually with numbers 1-4 on it. To turn threads you position the cutter where you want threads to start and then (depending on your TPI) throw the carriage engagement handle on a even number, lets say 2. Then your carriage will slowly begin to cut threads til you disengage the carriage where you want threads to stop, move the carriage back to the starting position, advance the cutter in more and repeat. There is a potential problem that may arise is that when you engage the carriage again it must always be on the number 2, If you dont the carriage will start in the wrong place and cut your threads in a slightly different position. If you do this your threads will look like the above picture. You may be able to get your mating part to fit on your thread, but your thread engagement wont be nearly what it should be and it wont stay on long.

Then again Im not a machinist so take my observations with a grain of salt.
 
#48
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

Cpt Obvious may have a point regarding someone not competent in using the thread cutting features correctly on most lathes. Hardinge's and their copies are a little different though.

I <span style="font-style: italic">AM</span> a machinist, and I do work for a gunsmith shop occasionally.
It is difficult to tell exactly where the 'hack' that cut those threads went wrong. However examining the relief cut at the shoulder and the fact that the brake slides down to the last few threads suggests to me that the threads were cut with a die, and <span style="font-style: italic">not</span> on a lathe.
The brake looks 'commercial' and is most likely not the cause of the problem. Machinists never assume anything though, and the brake should be checked to determine that it was made correctly.

I am with everyone else. You need to bring this to the attention of the 'Smith. Even if the 'Smith farmed out the job, it is his responsibility to ensure it was done correctly.
I have seen some pretty bad hack-jobs, but that one is pretty bad.
I did see the exact same thing done before by a 'smith who was inexperienced with cutting threads on a lathe. He didn't understand the characteristics of a thread either. He spent about 4 hours making a beautiful shop-made brake from scratch.
First shot it launched about 90 yards into a pond. It was funnier than hell. After examining the threads cut on the barrel, and his explanation of how he did it, it was immediately apparent that he needed some training on how to do it right. He does beautiful work now.
 
#49
Re: Muzzel break blew off on the first shot!

Shoot the break down range a few more times to see what kind of groups it will print. Could be onto something here.
 
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