ok, so i have 1 16 inch barrel that was post-banned. I’ve slowly been trying to learn to do more of my own work, and I finally decided to try my hand at taking it off. It’s almost a given that anything i do the first time is going to be less than perfect, i learn by error! Well, as suggested, i used a cutter to shave down to the pin and got just a tiny bit into the threads before i stopped, no big deal. Well, it still wouldn’t twist off so i cut down from the front of the comp to split it. that’s where it got ugly. i cut too far up, and now have a bit more than quarter inch long cut that goes parallel to the bore, as deep as the threads and a bit deeper. a flash hider will screw on and index fine, but i am worried about this cut’s effect on accuracy. How much trouble is this going to cause me? I thought about cutting it to 14.5 and putting on a vortex, but don’t want to spend the money roght now if the barrel is still going to be fine from an accuracy standpoint. As i sidenote, i’ve seen 14.7" barrels advertised, with an a2 hider pinned. does 14.7 plus the a2 = 16"?
When in doubt, send it out!
I doubt it’ll have any effect on accuracy being it’s on the outside of the barrel.
If I understand correctly you cut into some of the threads? If you did not damage the bore or crown and the flash hider threads on you should be fine.
Go shoot it and check the accuracy.
Should have sold off the barrel with the perm flashhider and bought a new one instead of messing around with this.
just to clarify what it looks like (and i’m not a guru at this stuff, i just enjoy learning and doing, i appreciate your patience):
the cut that concerns me is on top of the barrel, parallel to the barrel. its maybe an 8th of an inch deep, so it goes a bit below the depth of the threads, whihc other than the cut are not affected- the hider went on slickly and positively. i wish i had a picture but don’t have a camera. if you look from the front of the barrel, the cut is into the area of the crown. As i understand it (again, as a newb to anything other than shooting and cleaning) the crown effects accuracy, but only in that the area around the lands and grooves (i.e. the hole in the middle of the barrel!) must allow equal pressure at the point where the bullet would exit the barrel. the cut does not go anywhere near this area. I’m also wondering if the cut somehow effects density which would effect accuracy or maybe even safety.
I’m really just trying to get educated on this stuff. do i have a ugly but inconsequential cosmetic blemish (albeit one that is hid by the hider) or something bigger?
I’ll get to the range, hopefully on Friday, and have a better idea. just wanting to get an educated guess beforehand.
sounds like it’s fine to me… and to offer some encouragemnt, good job for having the balls to get to it. i started out doing my own “gunsmithing” years ago, and though i’ve had some mishaps, i’ve never ruined anything and never had to take anything to a gunsmith.
in fact, the only outside help i’ve ever needed, and still need, is welding. fortunately, i have a local fabrication shop less than a mile away that TIGs my pins for me for free.
never be afraid to rip into something yourself- just make sure you do you research and have contingency plans for when things dont go exactly like they should.
and for future reference, use the cutting wheel to graze the threads, then switch to a bullet grinder ($3 dremmel tool, probably came in your dremmel kit) and grind/drill straight down into the pin until you can twist the muzzle device off smoothly.
thanks for the replies, guys. it’s always more fun to do something yourself, even if it doesn’t go right every time.
if my range trip turns up any problems, i’ll post the results.
You should be GTG, and I doubt you’ll notice any lack or difference in accuracy(even if there is any) plus the Flash hider will also lend strength if you are concerned about a weakened barrel
Id bet you’ll be fine!
I think you’ll be OK on this one.
One of the biggest things with doing your own work, be it gunsmithing, carpentry, mechanical etc. is to know when to stop and take a break. I do auto restoration/auto body for a living and it involves a decent amount of fabrication. I’m used to dealing with things that aren’t “cut and dry” and have learned that sometimes all that is needed is to walk away for a little bit and come back to a job later. All too often I see people hit a roadblock and rather than taking time to think it through, they get frustrated and push through with less than favorable results.
Keep your cool when doing this stuff and you’ll be just fine in the future.