Thread: Threading an AK barrel

I am looking to buy an AK47 or AK74 and some models don't already have a threaded barrel. Does anyone know how much a gunsmith will typically charge to thread a barrel? I'm trying to decide how big of a deal it would be to buy an AK that doesn't have a threaded barrel vs. one that does. Thanks for your input.

Sounds like more trouble then its worth. buy one that's already threaded if you can..

15 minute job with the correct tools you need the 14mm LH thread die and a 14mm LH threaded bore alignment pilot to keep your threads true .......easy peasy

$40 in tools, or you can rent the die & tat kit aswell

when it come to AK Variants and all the upgrade kits and goodies ... when you are buying the cool addons.....they all seem to require "modify as NOT shown" in the directions or or sales ads

considering the amount of work it takes to pull the barrel from an AK I would look for one that is already threaded. it isn't like an AR that goes together with a barrel wrench. Now I suppose it depends on if you are simply going to thread the barrel for a flash hider/break or if you are going to put a can on it. If you aren't going to put a can on it you might get away with threading it with a die, even if that is the case I would lean toward pulling the barrel and doing it on a lathe in case you want to put a can on it down the line.

Originally Posted by Swedish K

considering the amount of work it takes to pull the barrel from an AK I would look for one that is already threaded. it isn't like an AR that goes together with a barrel wrench. Now I suppose it depends on if you are simply going to thread the barrel for a flash hider/break or if you are going to put a can on it. If you aren't going to put a can on it you might get away with threading it with a die, even if that is the case I would lean toward pulling the barrel and doing it on a lathe in case you want to put a can on it down the line.

Why would it make a difference whether I am putting on a brake or a can?

Originally Posted by WasrNwarpaint

15 minute job with the correct tools you need the 14mm LH thread die and a 14mm LH threaded bore alignment pilot to keep your threads true .......easy peasy

$40 in tools, or you can rent the die & tat kit aswell

when it come to AK Variants and all the upgrade kits and goodies ... when you are buying the cool addons.....they all seem to require "modify as NOT shown" in the directions or or sales ads

+1

Originally Posted by stlarm88

Why would it make a difference whether I am putting on a brake or a can?

A lot.

The tolerance needed for use with a silencer is very precise as in you have a .311" bullet (.30 cal AK) going though a hole that is 8" long with a hole about .35". Not a lot of room for error. You will not be able to get that precise without a lathe. Even then you have to do it right since it has to be threaded concentric to the bore and not the barrel.

With brake the it is very short in length with a very wide diameter and even if you are off by a lot it wont make a difference.

Originally Posted by Nwcid

A lot.

The tolerance needed for use with a silencer is very precise as in you have a .311" bullet (.30 cal AK) going though a hole that is 8" long with a hole about .35". Not a lot of room for error. You will not be able to get that precise without a lathe. Even then you have to do it right since it has to be threaded concentric to the bore and not the barrel.

With brake the it is very short in length with a very wide diameter and even if you are off by a lot it wont make a difference.

That makes sense. Good to know

The deal with a can is........ the tighter the bore of the can to the diameter of the bullet the quieter it will be. When you make a form 1 you can slightly compensate for misalignment by making the holes in the baffles larger at the end, not that I would do that, I would have it true to begin with. When you purchase a form 4, the manufacturer would assume the threads on your barrel are true to the bore. If you do the trig......if your threads are off by 1 degree and your can is 8" long, the bullet will be .14" off center of the bore of the can as it exits.....pretty much destroying you new expensive toy.

So, long story short.....thread your barrel with a die nut for your brake/flash hider. Have it threaded with a lathe if you want to add a suppressor.....I would even check bore suppressor alignment after installation with custom turned bore pilot to check my work......Thats just me though, I would assume others don't check that.

I see that Nwcid and eganx have explained it before I got back to the thread. As they stated the tolerances on a can/suppressor are tighter than most breaks and as stated above - being off one degree probably won't cause interference with most breaks but with a suppressor the error is amplified the longer the can is. After seeing the results of a baffle strike on a can that was being demoed on a customer's gun that wasn't threaded "square" I wouldn't want to have that mistake happen to me - and it was on a 22 lr. in 7.62 it would be something akin to a small grenade on the end of your gun. Essentially about 1/2 way through the can it hit a baffle and launched chunks of the rest of the baffles down range - ripping the end cap out and deforming the tube quite a bit. Essentially the only parts that could be salvaged was the barrel nut and the blast baffle. Fortunately no one was hurt.

Well I decided to get one that already has threads. Got a Saiga AK-74. Seeing how Saigas are one of the better models out there the threads should be true to the barrel right? Eventully I would like to have a suppressor for it.