Barrel Threading - legalities?

ssapach

ssapach

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Not sure if this is an appropriate question, or maybe a bit silly/stupid, but I figured this might be a decent place to get an answer.

If a person isn't any sort of certified gunsmith, or ticketed machinist, are there any legal issues with threading barrel blanks and selling them? Or installing the newly threaded barrel onto a rifle and selling it?

Or is this one of those "under the radar" topics, that maybe doesn't get brought up until a problem arises?
 
If you are doing it for sale then you bear the liability for anything that goes wrong. Its not a licensing thing although I suspect Feds would like you to have a business licence if you are handling other people's firearms.

An incorporated company can limit your personal liability.
 
It's not as if I plan to do it for any steady employment, I just happen to have a machine capable of cutting a rather tricky thread. So I'm only doing a few barrels here and there and a few of my own, which may or may not get sold in the future.
 
ssapach said:
Not sure if this is an appropriate question, or maybe a bit silly/stupid, but I figured this might be a decent place to get an answer.

If a person isn't any sort of certified gunsmith, or ticketed machinist, are there any legal issues with threading barrel blanks and selling them? Or installing the newly threaded barrel onto a rifle and selling it?

Or is this one of those "under the radar" topics, that maybe doesn't get brought up until a problem arises?
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If you are doing it for yourself and then selling it - no big deal.

If you are taking it in from a 'customer' and charging for it... there could be issues.. (no firearms business license)
 
I'd like to avoid taking in someone else's rifle and doing the whole job, as I doubt I'd be able to do it in a timely matter......considering it's mostly when I have spare time.

But I was thinking more along the lines of buying the blanks, threading them and then just selling the threaded blanks. Whoever wants one would be responsible to find a gunsmith to do the final install and chambering. Whether or not that option would fly with many people, I'm not sure.
 
Maybe it's just me but if had to take my barrel to get chambered I'd just get the same smith to thread my barrel, that way if there is ever an issue I only have to go back to one person. To many cooks in the kitchen is never a good thing.
 
ssapach said:
I'd like to avoid taking in someone else's rifle and doing the whole job, as I doubt I'd be able to do it in a timely matter......considering it's mostly when I have spare time.

But I was thinking more along the lines of buying the blanks, threading them and then just selling the threaded blanks. Whoever wants one would be responsible to find a gunsmith to do the final install and chambering. Whether or not that option would fly with many people, I'm not sure.
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You would still need to register as a biz. And I'd get alot of insurance.
Best bet is still to get a bfl.
 
I don't know why anyone would want to buy a threaded barrel blank. Absolutely no benefits there...
 
guntech said:
I don't know why anyone would want to buy a threaded barrel blank. Absolutely no benefits there...
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I know, it sounds completely crazy, but this oddball thread is apparently tough to produce as lots of lathes will not cut the pitch required.

mr.e moose said:
Would we be talking about a 3TPI left hand buttress thread?
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Yup....

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I would say as long as the barrel is made by a known manufacturer, and the threads that you cut are within tolerances all you need to do is find a smith that would be comfortable doing the install and chamber reaming.
 
mr.e moose said:
Would we be talking about a 3TPI left hand buttress thread?
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There will be an extremely limited market** for that thread ... in two years of gunsmithing school and 49 years of gunsmithing I have never come across that.

extremely limited market** - the biggest reason - who would want to spend the dollars required to replace that barrel to start with?
 
ssapach said:
So I'm only doing a few barrels here and there...
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guntech said:
There will be an extremely limited market** for that thread ... in two years of gunsmithing school and 49 years of gunsmithing I have never come across that.

extremely limited market** - the biggest reason - who would want to spend the dollars required to replace that barrel to start with?
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It's only my opinion, but if you are simply adding a thread onto a barrel and you are doing more work than a gunsmith has seen in 49 years... then do it. Maybe you will be the one to make replacing that barrel cost effective, maybe that you can do it will give guntech more business installing them.

My fear would be, looking at what guntech said, is that without someone able to do them for a reasonable cost (likely because it is a hobby and not a business, but again, IMO) they are not getting done when they should be.
 
Aniest said:
It's only my opinion, but if you are simply adding a thread onto a barrel and you are doing more work than a gunsmith has seen in 49 years... then do it. Maybe you will be the one to make replacing that barrel cost effective, maybe that you can do it will give guntech more business installing them.
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My point was - in 49 years of installing thousands of barrels I have never come across this odd thread, and the two years of gunsmithing instruction never mentioned a firearm with this thread...

So if one were to thread a few barrel blanks (in various calibers) investing possibly $400 + per barrel, one might not sell one of these barrels for many, many years... not a wise investment.

It would be much more wise to let gunsmiths know one can thread extremely odd ball threads so if they need your services they can contact you. Let them stock the blanks that they make no money on...

What weird rifle requires this 3tpi thread?
 
Mk II Ross?
I cannot comment on the legalities and liabilities, but there is quite a bit of interest in restoring these old milsurps back to shooting condition. I have seen a number of threads on several sites in which folks inquired where they might find replacement bbls.
 
guntech said:
What weird rifle requires this 3tpi thread?
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It is the 1905 Ross.

It's not that I think it would be a huge money pit I'd like to fall into, but there always seems to be interest in restoring milsurps. There are also the factory sporter rifles, which damn near all seem to be smooth bore firearms now, which people would like to restore to usable condition.
 
With people like Flying Pig and Alberta Gun Stocks making reproduction wood stocks, and Altadiver and others making repro nosecaps and sight hoods I think that we will see quite a few Ross rifles start to get restored.
The only component that there isn't a source for is a full length replacement barrel. With prices for a full length unsporterized rifle approaching the $2,000 mark, I think it would be a viable venture.
 
I'm sitting on a 1905R myself.

the throat is completely eroded and the only way to save it would be to have a new barrel or reusing a barrel. The problem is always that 3TPI left hand buttress thread.

all the other bits are minor inconveniences compared to finding a barrel.
 
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