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Gunsmithing Need help threading a muzzle.

Re: Need help threading a muzzle.

A die is the wrong way to go about this project, especially for a precision rifle.

The money involved sending it to a rifle builder for a good, indicated, single point threading job is going to pay for itself in spades when you consider:

Buying the tools to half-ass the job
Ammo spent fiddling around trying to get it to shoot
Potentially screwing up your brake from a really bad job (seems hard to do but I saw a die job from a gunshop the would strike a brake.)
Sending it off to a rifle builder or a machine shop to do it anyway.
 
Re: Need help threading a muzzle.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Keith at PCR</div><div class="ubbcode-body">How were you planning on turning the barrel down to .625" to run a die over it? </div></div>

Was wondering the same thing, thankfully he changed his mind very easily.
 
Re: Need help threading a muzzle.

I grew up raised by a mechanic for a father and farmers and ranchers make up the rest of my family. I've never had any of my cars worked on by anyone else but myself and my father. I was raised with a do it yourself mentality. I just always want to fix things myself rather than pay someone else to do it. DIY is not always the best option. However with most things I look into it anyway just to see if it is viable. I will always research something before going off half cocked. I'm just getting into long range shooting so I have a lot to learn. I've learned a lot working on and building my own rifle as of late. I've built and inletted my own stock. Seems like it's the only thing I wanna do nowadays. This shit is kinda addictive.

I appreciate the advice guys. This forum has helped me a lot with my build.
 
Re: Need help threading a muzzle.

while even if you were able to file down to the correct diameter, and if you were to die cut the threads and open the brake so it would seat....you are only dealing with a few thousandths of an inch of bullet to brake clearance. that would be a tough place to learn ablout runout....my new guy $.02

I admire the ambition though.
 
Re: Need help threading a muzzle.

I understand about the DIY mindset. It is fun to do things yourself. And cheaper most of the time.

I wasn't trying to say you didn't have a way to turn it down to 5/8, I was just curious how.

Its the shoulder that keeps the break straight anyways. So if you had a good way to turn a nice 5/8" diameter tenon, and it had a nice square shoulder, a die would work fine. I was just worried about your shoulder being square.
 
Re: Need help threading a muzzle.

i like to do stuff my self on my guns, but its usually something i can change or fix. but when it comes to the machine work... my gunsmith handles it. one little screw up ... well u get the point.
 
Re: Need help threading a muzzle.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Keith at PCR</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I understand about the DIY mindset. It is fun to do things yourself. And cheaper most of the time.

I wasn't trying to say you didn't have a way to turn it down to 5/8, I was just curious how.

Its the shoulder that keeps the break straight anyways. So if you had a good way to turn a nice 5/8" diameter tenon, and it had a nice square shoulder, a die would work fine. I was just worried about your shoulder being square. </div></div>

Keith, this is only true if the threads have enough total clearance and are "straight enough" that the brake can actually contact the whole shoulder.

I know that might sound like a "well, yeah, duh" stipulation but the last "die job" that I saw almost cost the owner a brand new suppressor. The threads were so crooked you could easily see daylight on one side of the shoulder.
 
Re: Need help threading a muzzle.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bohem</div><div class="ubbcode-body">the last "die job" that I saw almost cost the owner a brand new suppressor. The threads were so crooked you could easily see daylight on one side of the shoulder. </div></div>

That guy didn't start out with a good tenon/shoulder then. Are you saying he took the time to indicate the barrel into a lathe, cut a perfect tenon and shoulder, then he took the barrel out and ran a die down it blindfolded?

If someone has the means to cut a good tenon and shoulder, they wont be using a die for the threads
smile.gif


Unless its one of those tailstock die holders... in which case there is no argument.
 
Re: Need help threading a muzzle.

I have fixed many DIY threading jobs where they used a die and the die did not cut straight threads.
I have also had a few come in that had oversized threads as someone probably had an adjustable die and did not use it correctly.
 
Re: Need help threading a muzzle.

Again, I bet they didnt start with a good tenon and shoulder for one..

And two, the guy didnt know how to use a die.



Id never use a die to thread anything. But if the tenon and shoulder are right, and the guy doing it knows how to use a die, it will work fine.

Im not encouraging the use of dies, but its not fair to blame the die for a bad thread job. The guy doing it is to blame every time. Some people thread in lathe with those die holders, after theyve lathe turned a good tenon and shoulder. The die holder holds the die square to Z, and those people buy quality made dies.
They work when the operator knows what he's doing, just like most things.
 
Re: Need help threading a muzzle.

That's correct, the die is not the fault, it's the guy who tried to push it off as "good work" and took money for the work.


I used a die in a pinch on a muzzle thread for a 5/8-24 rifle. I sold it to a friend and my suppressor threads are looser than his, so my "thread to fit" muzzle didn't fit his and I didn't have access to a lathe for a while. So, we used the existing threads and an adjustable die to cut the threads into working with his suppressor.

It works really well in that capacity.

The point I was making was that just because the shoulder was cut with the lathe doesn't mean that the die will allow it to shoulder up.

The shoulder was much "straighter" than the threads were. I fixed the screw up for this guy when the place he took it told him "there's nothing wrong, go away". He brought it over and we fixed it one evening. I don't know how the original hack held the die but the shoulder and tenon max material condition were pretty close to "right"
 
Re: Need help threading a muzzle.

Yep, I understand, I wanted to clarify before a rumor along the lines of "dies cut shitty threads" got started, that's all.

Some dies cut really nice threads when the operator knows what they're doing... then again, that's pretty much the story with anything.