April 2026
I have not stopped learning, but remembering each step in every process would be easier if I did it
more frequently.
Hundreds of videos and countless forum threads all get to be a little overwhelming. But I am certainly
glad they are at my disposal. Correct or incorrect, they're out there to pick and choose from.
Decided to jump on the suppressor band wagon which opened a huge can of worms. As if deciding on which
suppressor to go with for a 1st one wasn't enough. Then comes threading the barrel(s) which it will be
used on. Horror stories and videos of bullet strikes inside suppressors gets you blood pumping to say
the least.
I did thread a couple muzzles while in the process of turning a barrel blank into something useable.
Didn't do a great job but they work. With suppresssor now in hand, the target has changed so to speak.
Most of the barrel work I have done has left me with a muzzle diameter of .800 or more. Problem one, they
won't fit through the bore of my Atlas lathe. This means removing the barrel from the receiver and somehow
either holding it with the 4 jaw chuck or using a plate and dog to turn on center.
Digressing a little, my threading to this point has been done single point threading with high speed
steel. It has worked out fine but struggling to grind threading tools well has been a challenge to say
the least. More than one source stated that carbide bits and old smaller lathes are not a great
combination. Not saying the sources were wrong but after purchasing boring bars and holders designed for
carbide bits and the carbide bits themselves, I could have saved myself a lot of grief going this route
from the beginning.
So with carbide bits in hand and the task of threading multiple muzzles before me the future looks brighter.
However the potential to create a thread that could allow a bullet strike on a suppressor still loomed over
the process. In short, just because the barrel is running on center doesn't mean the bore is centered. The
bore as it approaches the muzzle could be or is at a slight angle. Looking at ways to deal with this
mis-alignment, a couple of things came to light. Tool manufactures love to sell tools and their accuracy
and quality come at a price. Range Rods (caliber group specific with a multitude of pilot
bushings to precisely fit your particular barrel) which go in the bore 6 to 10 inches and are used to
indicate the bore and not the barrel. Pin gauges (sold in sets in increments of .001) are a much
cheaper route, are maybe 2 inches long and perform the function of showing you what the last inch or so
of the bore is doing. And last but not least, turning the barrel on center and cutting threads based on
that, then simply mounting the receiver and suppressor on the barrel and gazing through the barrel for
obstruction.
I went the Pin Gauge route and it's working just fine. Is it perfect, probably not, but for my purposes
it is.
This page is a work in progress so stay tuned when you get a chance.
Created April 2026