While YouTubing it I ran across a video extracted from AGI’s Bob Dunlap’s evaluation of one of the new wonder plastic tactical semi-auto center fire handguns with a threaded muzzle. Bob made a claim that the concept of a suppressor on the threaded end of a pistol barrel that has to fall at the breech to unlock is bad as the threaded end of the barrel may break off in as little as 200 rounds. A bit controversial! The comments were all very negative calling him an idiot, etc.. Well, Bob has been a gunsmith for over 50 years, trained in gun smiting in the beginning and by Colt and S&W later, and taught gunsmithing for years at one of the prestigious gunsmitihing schools. In fact he ran the program. It may have been an exaggeration (200 rounds) but there is science behind his statement.
As the breech falls, the muzzle has to raise as the gun unlocks in recoil to allow the slide to travel. With the mass of a suppressor hanging on the muzzle that could delay the timing of the gun.The constant rocking of the muzzle up and down during firing could induce a failure at the end of the threaded section nearest the breech as the end of the threads is a stress riser. The threaded portion could be “tin canned” right off the barrel EVENTUALLY.
But there is more to it than the absolute. It depends on the mass of the sound suppressor, how far its center of mass is from the end of the barrel, how thick the barrel is under the threads and how smooth is the transition is from the end of the threads to the barrel diameter.
There are solutions. One is to put the threaded section of the suppressor inside the the bushing that fits over the barrel and make the unthreaded part of the bush a tight fit to the barrel so that the barrel supports the suppressor and not the threads. A thicker barrel would help as would a really light weight suppressor.
While Bob may have exaggerated, there is science and engineering behind his comment. The threaded portion of the barrel was mighty thin on this gun.
I have no need for a suppressor as my hearing has been degraded by 50 years of riding noisy motorcycles without hearing protection and tinnitus that is always there. But for young shooters and the fact that some 40 states now allow sound suppressors, the future is sound suppression. The manufacturers need to get it right or we’ll end up with a bunch of broken off barrels.
LDBennett
As the breech falls, the muzzle has to raise as the gun unlocks in recoil to allow the slide to travel. With the mass of a suppressor hanging on the muzzle that could delay the timing of the gun.The constant rocking of the muzzle up and down during firing could induce a failure at the end of the threaded section nearest the breech as the end of the threads is a stress riser. The threaded portion could be “tin canned” right off the barrel EVENTUALLY.
But there is more to it than the absolute. It depends on the mass of the sound suppressor, how far its center of mass is from the end of the barrel, how thick the barrel is under the threads and how smooth is the transition is from the end of the threads to the barrel diameter.
There are solutions. One is to put the threaded section of the suppressor inside the the bushing that fits over the barrel and make the unthreaded part of the bush a tight fit to the barrel so that the barrel supports the suppressor and not the threads. A thicker barrel would help as would a really light weight suppressor.
While Bob may have exaggerated, there is science and engineering behind his comment. The threaded portion of the barrel was mighty thin on this gun.
I have no need for a suppressor as my hearing has been degraded by 50 years of riding noisy motorcycles without hearing protection and tinnitus that is always there. But for young shooters and the fact that some 40 states now allow sound suppressors, the future is sound suppression. The manufacturers need to get it right or we’ll end up with a bunch of broken off barrels.
LDBennett