# Rifle barrel threading - Internal vs external.



## Chrisoro (May 28, 2015)

I'm going to thread a Ruger 10/22 takedown for a suppressor. As it is the stainless variant without factory threading, and there isn't room for threading in front of the front sight, I seem to have two options, both involving going to a gunsmith.

1. Remove the front sight, have the barrel externally threaded, and reattach the front sight a little bit further in. According to most people I have talked to, external threading won't affect the accuracy of the firearm, but as this involves two different processes(i.e. threading + moving the front sight), it is likely the most expensive alternative.

2. Have the barrel internally threaded, which would not mess with the front sight, but might compromise accuracy according to some people. 

Does anyone here have experiences with either form of threading, and/or can give me good reasons as to why I should do one as opposed to the other?


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## elder999 (May 28, 2015)

Chrisoro said:


> I'm going to thread a Ruger 10/22 takedown for a suppressor. As it is the stainless variant without factory threading, and there isn't room for threading in front of the front sight, I seem to have two options, both involving going to a gunsmith.
> 
> 1. Remove the front sight, have the barrel externally threaded, and reattach the front sight a little bit further in. According to most people I have talked to, external threading won't affect the accuracy of the firearm, but as this involves two different processes(i.e. threading + moving the front sight), it is likely the most expensive alternative.
> 
> ...



Despite the large number of firearms enthusiasts on this board and in the states, suppressors have murky legality here in the U.S., and most people don't have much experience with them, or, if they do, don't talk about it much......though they do put it up on Youtube...go figger....in any case, go with option #1.....


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## Tgace (May 28, 2015)

If you can legally get one. External.

Never mess with a barrel crown unless you have no choice.


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## Blindside (May 28, 2015)

Any particular reason you are fixed on iron sites?  How about going with an optic and getting rid of the need of your front sight altogether, especially since the stock sights on a 10/22 suck.


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## Dirty Dog (May 28, 2015)

elder999 said:


> Despite the large number of firearms enthusiasts on this board and in the states, suppressors have murky legality here in the U.S., and most people don't have much experience with them, or, if they do, don't talk about it much......though they do put it up on Youtube...go figger....in any case, go with option #1.....



What's murky about it? The laws are pretty straightforward.
Suppressors are regulated by the National Firearms Act (NFA). All NFA devices (suppressors, short barrel rifles, explosives, etc) require either a Class III Federal Firearms License (dealer) or a background check and tax stamp from the ATF to possess (but not to purchase).
Check your state laws. They either allow or disallow possessing these items. I they are allowed, then continue...
To possess an NFA device, you first have to purchase it through a Class III FFL dealer. Yes, you have to purchase it BEFORE you do the paperwork. After the device arrives at the shop (assuming it's ordered, not something they have in stock), you get the serial numbers and a pile of paperwork.
You will need to get two sets of fingerprints from your local PD, and the top cop (Chief of Police, Sheriff, whatever) for your area signs the papers. That's their notification that you're buying the NFA devices. They will likely run a background check on you themselves.
Once the papers are signed, you send them, with the fingerprints and a couple passport photos to the ATF. They will cash your check, then send the forms to the FBI for a background check. Once that's done, you are issued a tax stamp for the item, and papers are sent back to you.
You present the tax stamp at your FFL dealer, and they give you your NFA device.
Nothing the least bit murky about it. It's time consuming, since the ATF takes 6-8 months to process the paperwork, but it's pretty straight forward. Far simpler than filing your taxes.

NFA devices are legal at the federal level. They may be banned at the state level. It's not the least bit difficult to find out if your state allows them.According to Advanced Armament (a company that manufactures NFA devices):


> At this time, the following states allow private ownership of silencers: AL, AR, AK, *AZ*, CO, CT, FL, GA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NV, NH, NM, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, *WA*, WI, WV, and WY.



So 38 of 50 states allow them.

If you live in one of those 38 states, you will have no difficulty finding a Class III FFL who can walk you through the process . I certainly didn't have any trouble at all.

And for the OP... go with external threads.


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## elder999 (May 28, 2015)

Tgace said:


> If you can legally get one. External.
> 
> Never mess with a barrel crown unless you have no choice.


True, that, with one exception-and one that might apply here: get a heavy barrel, and have the muzzle ported. With a .22, it's about as good as a suppressor, with minimal reduction in muzzle velocity, and completely legal.....


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## Tgace (May 28, 2015)

OP is from Norway.


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## elder999 (May 28, 2015)

Dirty Dog said:


> What's murky about it? The laws are pretty straightforward..



Yeah. Try having one-legally-and interacting with the cops, away from the range. See if you don't wind up in the "murk."

And Chris is from Norway-I have no idea what the laws are there.....


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## Tgace (May 28, 2015)

elder999 said:


> True, that, with one exception-and one that might apply here: get a heavy barrel, and have the muzzle ported. With a .22, it's about as good as a suppressor, with minimal reduction in muzzle velocity, and completely legal.....



Some barrels...such as the stock barrel on the Mini14...have been shown to improve accuracy after lopping an inch or two off and recrowning.


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## Dirty Dog (May 28, 2015)

elder999 said:


> Yeah. Try having one-legally-and interacting with the cops, away from the range. See if you don't wind up in the "murk."
> 
> And Chris is from Norway-I have no idea what the laws are there.....



I do have one. It's legal. This strikes me as every bit as silly as the nonsense floating around about how you'll go to jail if you do a trigger job on your carry gun.
I own it. It's legal. I'm not doing anything illegal.
Paranoia aside, there's nothing murky about it.

I don't know the laws in Norway either, but you were talking about the US. So was I.


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## Chrisoro (May 28, 2015)

Here in Norway, we have to go trough a little bureaucracy in order to get licenses to buy firearms in the first place, but once you own firearms, getting them threaded and buying suppressors is pretty much just a question of bringing your gun to a gun shop or gunsmith, have them thread it, and then you can pretty much buy as many suppressors as you want. There isn't really any questions asked, no legal restrictions as far as I know, and no one seems to care what you are going to use it for. The bothersome part is getting the firearm license in the first place, as this involves some obligatory courses in firearm safety, hunting practices and ethics, and then applying for each firearm that you want to buy, and its intended use(e.g. hunting, competition, etc.), at the local police station (which pretty much always goes trough, provided you have gone trough the necessary coursework and you don't have a serious criminal history or serious mental health issues).



Blindside said:


> Any particular reason you are fixed on iron sites?  How about going with an optic and getting rid of the need of your front sight altogether, especially since the stock sights on a 10/22 suck.



I'm using my rifles under conditions where the possibility of optics getting ruined isn't that remote, and having iron sights as a backup is therefore preferable. Also, I think removing the front sight makes the rifle less aesthetically pleasing, which bothers someone semi-OCD like me.


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## Dirty Dog (May 28, 2015)

Chrisoro said:


> I'm using my rifles under conditions where the possibility of optics getting ruined isn't that remote, and having iron sights as a backup is therefore preferable. Also, I think removing the front sight makes the rifle less aesthetically pleasing, which bothers someone semi-OCD like me.



Suppressors generally block iron sights anyway... 
If you want to use iron sights, you're likely going to need to change to some specifically made for a suppressed gun anyway, so just pull the sight, have the barrel threaded, and mount the new sights further back than the original.


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## Blindside (May 28, 2015)

Chrisoro said:


> I'm using my rifles under conditions where the possibility of optics getting ruined isn't that remote, and having iron sights as a backup is therefore preferable. Also, I think removing the front sight makes the rifle less aesthetically pleasing, which bothers someone semi-OCD like me.



NoDak Spud NDS-22 receivers

Look at the NDS-44 on the bottom of the page.


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## Chrisoro (Jun 3, 2015)

Thanks for all the replies, folks. I ended up going for the 10/22 Takedown Tactical instead, as it is pre-threaded from the factory. The only major difference between the stainless model and the pre-threaded one, is that the barrel is blued instead of stainless on the pre-threaded one (the reciever is aluminum on both models, and the internals are otherwise identical), but as long as I wipe it down and oil it regularily, as I do with all my guns after use anyway, I don't think it would be much of a problem, even at sea. 

I also decided to get a new Norwegian-made A-Tec CMM-4 silencer, as i traded in the old one with my old Marlin 70PSS when buying the Ruger, for a small discount. The old one was probably close to full of lead and powder residue anyway, as I haven't been able to open it for several years.


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## Chrisoro (Jun 11, 2015)

Turns out that the A-Tec silencer is slender enough that it clears the frontsight. 

The ruger weaver rail that came with the rifle, however, does not, so I have ordered a new rail from Brownells, so that the iron sights are easily available should optics fail.

The two objects below the silencer is the pointless flash supressor that came with the rifle, and a new thread protector that I bought as a replacement when not using the silencer.


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