I have a takedown rifle chambered in 9mm w/ a 16.5" barrel. I was thinking about shortening the barrel to 12.5" to covert it into a SBR or pistol.

About how much should I expect to pay to have it cut & crowned? How about to have it threaded? Would I take it to a gunsmith or machine shop?

No personal experience with them, but Silencer Central offers a threading service for what seems like a good price plus convenient service.

https://www.silencercentral.co...es/barrel-threading/

The site doesn’t say anything about cutting barrels, but it couldn’t hurt to ask.

Thunder Beast also offers the threading service, but at a somewhat greater price and perhaps less convenient service. After I had a Thompson/Center Contender barrel threaded by another company and the results weren’t concentric to the bore, I had TBAC redo the job and it was done right. After that experience, I would never have anyone besides a suppressor manufacturer that has extensive experience with threading do the job.

https://thunderbeastarms.com/products/services

Added: TBAC had to remove the improperly threaded portion of the barrel, so, not surprisingly, they obviously had the capability of shortening and recrowning the barrel.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sigfreund,

Shorten and thread 16" to 12" should be in the neigherborhood of $100.
Tax stamp for SBR is $200
Engrave receiver to comply with SBR is $50

I emailed the manufacturer for advice, and they said since the rifle was made & sold as a rifle, it is illegal to convert it into a pistol, but I can convert it into an SBR as long as I follow NFA rules & pay tax stamp. Is this accurate?

Converting an AR rifle to a pistol is as easy as swapping complete uppers and a stock for a pistol brace. You can do this in 30 seconds. Hell, you can leave the buffer tube bare if you like.

It is correct to advise that a rifle cannot be converted to a pistol.
An SBR is fine.
The other way is fine you can go from a pistol to a rifle and back all you want.
But since the end of pistol braces is literally a few months away you might take that into consideration. I'd just SBR it.

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Originally posted by SIGfourme:
Shorten and thread 16" to 12" should be in the neigherborhood of $100.
Tax stamp for SBR is $200
Engrave receiver to comply with SBR is $50

And turning it into a pistol cost as much as $10k and 10 years in federal prison.

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Originally posted by iron chef:
I have a takedown rifle chambered in 9mm w/ a 16.5" barrel. I was thinking about shortening the barrel to 12.5" to covert it into a SBR or pistol.

About how much should I expect to pay to have it cut & crowned? How about to have it threaded? Would I take it to a gunsmith or machine shop?

As others have said; rifle cannot be converted to a pistol. SBR it and pay the tax man.

My recommendation would be to reach out to Retro Arms Works. Outstanding company with the fastest turn around times I’ve ever experienced. John’s work is beyond excellent and his prices are perfect.

He’s done a bit of work for me in the past with upper builds and I’ll be sending him more.

Another option for cut/crown/thread is ADCO Firearms (Ohio). Cost is $75 + return shipping. They have done a shit-ton of AR's (I use them too).

ADCO

Not sure where you are in Texas, but if you’re anywhere near DFW do yourself a favor and drop it off with Class 3 Machining. Morgan does phenomenal work.

How much should you expect to pay an experienced gunsmith or machinist for access to his shop, use of his precision lathe, wear and tear on his tooling, set-up time, clean-up time, all for a one time job unlikely to be repeated anytime soon?

Gee, I don't know. Back when I was in business I was paying rent for the shop, utilities (about triple the residential rates for a business), insurance, wages/workers comp/unemployment insurance/social security/medicare, self-employment tax, city & state licensing fees, and a lot of other costs that any one-time customer with a simple little job never thought about.

Write a small businessman a check, he pays a fee to have it processed by his commercial bank. Pay by credit card, he pays a percentage to have the transaction factored into his account.

Maybe he will do your little job while you wait. Maybe you can watch and ask questions while he is doing your little job. Maybe he will put aside the other dozen little jobs that were waiting when you walked in so your little job can be done right away.

Sorry! Sometimes I need to vent a little bit. Just bring it over to the house sometime, I'll put it into the vise, cut it with a hacksaw, re-crown the muzzle with a carbide bit in a hand drill, and turn some threads with an old plumber's kit. Should work pretty well, and we can share a six pack while I have a little fun.

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And turning it into a pistol cost as much as $10k and 10 years in federal prison.

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I'd take it to a gunsmith. A gunsmith is a machinist that works on guns.

Said gunsmith would also be able to pin and weld a flash hider onto it to bring it back to 16" barrel length, which is what's required to keep you out of jail without a tax stamp.