More and more, I hate the look of the thread protector and it is on the top of the "your gonna lose this" list...

And that got me thinking... What in the heck could I ever do to the hardened steel barrel that would actually display the need for a protector?

I don't make a habit of dropping it on concrete and I am not in combat (although I bet you a doughnut that they don't use thread protectors in combat anyways)... The pros are really outweighing the cons here; the thing is a PITA.


What say you??



.

You can damage the threads over time just by leaning it against stuff (even gently) and by putting it in, pulling it out of cases...

The thread protector is to protect the threads from wear, not from dropping it.

quote:

Originally posted by joshrunkle35:
You can damage the threads over time just by leaning it against stuff (even gently) and by putting it in, pulling it out of cases...

The thread protector is to protect the threads from wear, not from dropping it.

Being an engineer, I may be a bit biased to the wear theory....
I cannot see how the threads of a hardened steel barrel would ever wear from abrasion-type contact with soft nylon.

You would have to grind the thing on cinder blocks to see significant wear.
Ok, that may be an extreme example, but you should be able to drive the end of the barrel into a block of wood, with a sledge, without a hint of damage to the threads.

My opinion, pistol cans are more civilian toys then military weapons. I have to ask, outside of some super secret squirrel unit behind enemy lines, taking out a lone guard, are they really used by the troops?

That being said I've never bothered with thread protectors. In the unlikely event that I wear the threads out, I will just buy a replacement barrel. And I think that screwing and unscrewing parts onto the barrel will cause more damage overall.

While I'm new to the suppressor game, I think the only real value in a thread protector would be if you plan on shooting the weapon for a long time w/o the suppressor. But if you are going back and forth, or just shooting suppressed (and are taking the can off a lot), it might just add more wear that it protects against...

But that is just my opinion and could be way off base...

They look super cool!

quote:

Originally posted by PPGMD:
My opinion, pistol cans are more civilian toys then military weapons. I have to ask, outside of some super secret squirrel unit behind enemy lines, taking out a lone guard, are they really used by the troops?

The buys a crap load of suppressors... They are getting much more common.

I had the threads fill up with burned carbon so much so that I could not attach the suppressor when I needed to. After about 30 minutes of cleaning the threads I bought a thread protector.

I had never damaged one and I suspect that the abrasion of metal on metal threading the protector on and off is far greater than any abrasion done by nylon or fabric.

However, I never intend to drop a firearm but I have....

Good luck

I like them on bolt guns.

Pistols, I don't.

Tacticool,people!

Having damaged barrel threads on a seat belt buckle ( the metal part ) I'm going to have to disagree with the theory that thread protectors are just tacticool.

I paid way too goddam much for the gun and can to worry about losing a $19 part. It stays on unless the can is on. When the can is on, the thread protector goes into the pouch that used to hold the can (and where the Form 4 copy is).

quote:

Originally posted by bdavis:
I had the threads fill up with burned carbon so much so that I could not attach the suppressor when I needed to. After about 30 minutes of cleaning the threads I bought a thread protector.

I had never damaged one and I suspect that the abrasion of metal on metal threading the protector on and off is far greater than any abrasion done by nylon or fabric.

However, I never intend to drop a firearm but I have....

Good luck

I've got to agree with bdavis, carbon build up in the threads is a major PITA.

quote:

Originally posted by wired:
Having damaged barrel threads on a seat belt buckle ( the metal part ) I'm going to have to disagree with the theory that thread protectors are just tacticool.

How did you damage it on a seat belt buckle? This doesn't sound like normal wear and tear.

quote:

Originally posted by American Pit Bull:
The buys a crap load of suppressors... They are getting much more common.

Rifle cans yes which tend to be QD, I've rarely heard of a solider using a pistol can.

quote:

Originally posted by American Pit Bull:

quote:

Originally posted by wired:
Having damaged barrel threads on a seat belt buckle ( the metal part ) I'm going to have to disagree with the theory that thread protectors are just tacticool.

How did you damage it on a seat belt buckle? This doesn't sound like normal wear and tear.

One of those "minimalist" holsters with the end of the gun extending out the bottom. Seat belt had a metal shank below seat level that the latch attached to . The barrel of the gun got dinged up on the threads where the latch and shank came together. Most all of my guns have threaded muzzles and I rarely shoot without a silencer. It wasnt the end of the world. I just had to chase the threads with a die.

The barrels aren't super hard. RC is somewhere in the range of 28-32 typically. With the muzzle sticking out, it's a good idea to cover it. The TP should protect the crown and threads. I made my own TP's since my can isn't approved. I haven't carried without a TP and mine hasn't come loose, even after putting a few hundred rounds through the gun without tightening it.

Thread protectors might be for keeping the threads clean as much as for protecting them.