Firearms
How to Thread Your Own Gun Barrel

How to Thread Your Own Gun Barrel

How to Thread Your Own Gun Barrel

Threading a gun barrel is one of the many projects performed by countless gunsmiths throughout the country. Of course, if a gunsmith can learn how to do it, then so can you. If you’ve got the DIY spirit and consider yourself to be pretty handy, then there’s no reason why you cannot put together the right set of tools, combine it with the necessary knowledge, and thread your own gun barrel.

What is Barrel Threading

To the uninitiated, barrel threading might sound like some weird thing involving old whiskey barrels and your grandma’s sewing kit. In reality, it’s actually a very useful feature on a gun barrel.

Barrel threading is actually the process of cutting a specific pitch of threads onto the end of a gun barrel so that you can attach a variety of accessories, including but not limited to things like flash suppressors, muzzle brakes, and suppressors.

If you’re going to shoot suppressed, you absolutely have to have a threaded barrel. A lot of guns sold today come pre-threaded, but not all do. Plus, what if you’ve got an older gun that you want to use with a suppressor? Well, you’ll need to have the barrel threaded. This can be done by a professional company or gunsmith, or you can buy the equipment and do it yourself.

What You’ll Need for Barrel Threading at Home

There are a number of different tools you’ll both need to have and want to have in order to take on a barrel threading process at home.

Thread Pitch

The first thing you’ll need is to determine what thread pitch you’ll be putting on your barrel. This will depend on the thread pitch of the muzzle device(s) you’ll be putting onto the barrel once it is threaded.

Barrel Diameter Measurements

Before cutting anything, you’ll need to measure the diameter of your barrel. This will determine the proper cutting tools that you’ll need to do the job. Without the right diameter tools, you cannot complete the barrel threading process.

Vise

Barrel threading is a precise job, so you don’t want any excess movement while you’re working. For this, it’s best to use a vise to hold everything firmly in place.

Cutting Oil

It’s important to keep everything lubricated while you’re cutting the new barrel threads. Failure to do so could result in chipping and other damage to your barrel.

Barrel Cutting Kit

The barrel cutting kit will include all the items you need to cut threads into your barrel, including handles, die starters, dies, etc.

Other Tools You Might Want for Barrel Threading at Home

The above items are absolutely necessary for the process, while the ones before aren’t required, but are certainly nice to have on hand.

  • Gun cleaning kit
    • You’ll want to make sure that the gun barrel you’re going to thread is as clean as possible before starting, so a gun cleaning kit is a good thing to have on hand.
  • Towels
    • Anything involving guns, cleaning, and gunsmithing can get messy, so some towels would be a good idea.

Step-by-Step Barrel Threading

OK, so you’ve figured out the thread pitch you’ll be cutting, the diameter of your barrel, and you’ve got all of the necessary tools on hand. Now it’s time to start cutting your barrel threads. Here are the steps you’ll need to take.

Place Cutting Tool in the Center of the Barrel

Ensuring that your cutting tool is absolutely centered is essential. If you’re not properly centered, then your threads will be off-kilter and your muzzle devices will not fit properly or safely, which could result in damage to your gun and muzzle device and to you personally.

Turn the Cutting Tool in the Thread Pitch Direction

Start by turning your cutting tool in the direction of the thread pitch, i.e. right-handed or left-handed. After each half turn, reverse the direction to clear away the chips that you’ve cut off. Slow and steady is the name of the game here. Don’t rush.

Repeat to Create Three or Four Cuts

To get a solid start, repeat the above process until you’ve got three or four completed cuts so that you have a good base from which to work.

Remove Cutting Guide and Repeat Cutting Process

Now that you’ve got three to four completed cuts, you can remove the guide since it is no longer needed. Then, continue cutting the barrel threads.

Remove Excess Metal Shavings

Make sure you’re stopping to remove the excess metal shavings that are being produced by the cutting process. Keeping the cutting area clean of these obstructions is paramount to a proper threading job.

Clean the Barrel Before Assembly

Be sure to clean your barrel after you’re done cutting the threads. This will remove any excess metal shavings or other debris that may have accumulated during the cutting process. Failure to do so could result in damage to the threads on your barrel or your muzzle device.

Attach Your Suppressor

With the threads properly cut, your barrel cleaned, and the gun completely reassembled, it’s time to attach your suppressor for the first time. If you’ve done the job properly, everything will thread together smoothly.

If the attachment process doesn’t work effortlessly, don’t force it. You could cause further damage. If things didn’t go right, it’s now time to consult a professional.

Learn to Thread a Gun Barrel – Or Use a Professional, The Choice is Yours

If you’ve got some mechanical knowledge and a DIY spirit, it’s absolutely possible to thread a gun barrel by yourself. Of course, if you screw things up, it’s completely on you.

If you go the professional route, like with the barrel threading service offered by Silencer Central, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that your barrel will be threaded by a qualified, professional gunsmith using state-of-the-art CNC equipment to ensure that a perfect thread pitch is cut for your barrel.

Like everything we do, the entire barrel threading process can be done from the comfort of your home. You can mail your barrels to us, we’ll properly thread them, and then mail them back to you. It doesn’t get any easier than that!

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