Coordinating suppressor type & thread pitch for multiple countries

[Datchew]

Good afternoon,

I'm putting together a plan to hunt domestically (USA) with a suppressor for my blaser and when I go to Europe & Africa, buy (or rent?) one in-country while there so as not to bother with all the stupidity of our customs laws.
Also - I found this thread VERY informative:
Traveling with a suppressor

I would prefer to not work with an adapter but instead attach directly to the barrel threads.

Assuming I can get domestic can makers (and blaser barrel people or machinist vendors) to cut any thread pitch I want for my home-use can and barrel, I'm trying to determine what is the most common type of suppressor and thread pitch in Europe and Africa.

For example, if there is a high quality brand that is so ubiquitous in the USA, Europe, and Africa that I can just use the same one everywhere, that's a preferred option.
If that's too far of a fence to swing for, I'd be satisfied choosing a thread pitch for my barrel that works everywhere and I'll re-zero in-country with slight differences in suppressors.

Will be doing this for 300WM and 375H&H and I don't intend to attempt a can that will switch between calipers.
Thanks much for any insight or experience.

 

[Daisy]

The two main thread pitches for cans are 1/2x28 and 5/8x24. Those are going to be common everywhere.

A 375 can would easily suppress both your calibers. Unless you just have to have multiple cans, one would do the job for both rifles.

When I went to gun store in SA they had supressors everywhere and cheap. You can call your PH the week before you go and just say “I need a 375 caliber can with 5/8x24 thread” and he would have one when you arrive for about 200 dollars.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Just get one of these

 

[WI-2021]

I also did some research on this, but only for SA. 5/8"-24 suppressors are available in SA as mentioned above, but appear to be less common than various metric thread types, as one would expect. Not sure about any other countries. I didn't see any US-made cans available there in my online research.

I'd imagine that there's not much demand for US made cans in countries where they're unregulated. Our suppressors are designed to be lifetime purchases due to the NFA, so they're built to last and more expensive as a result.

I ended up going with 5/8"-24 on my .300WM. The rifle will spend most of its life in the US, and it's a 5/8"-24 world here. I plan to have a 5/8"-24 can waiting for me when I get to SA and leave it there when I'm done. I know it's possible to export/import a suppressor but I'd rather not deal with it, especially since I might have to travel through airports in states that aren't NFA-friendly.

You said you'd prefer to not use thread adapters, which makes sense since it's another thing to go wrong, but in your shoes, I'd probably keep a variety of thread adapters in my gun case, along with any required tools, just in case. Stick with 5/8"-24 cans when available, but you have options if they're not. An over-bored can will allow for minor concentricity issues

 

[112Savage]

Probably the smallest common centerfire muzzle thread pitch is 1/2x28. If you look at Blaser’s configurator then you will see they use 15x1, 17x1, 18x1, and 20x1 depending on the barrel weight. In my head on a 30 caliber I would do 1/2x28 and then Have adapters for all other threads.
** a lot of people are going to start screaming about 1/2x28 threads on a 30 caliber. I will say it is thin but manufacturers like weatherby do it and specifically say for suppressors not “just for muzzle brakes”.

 

[mdwest]

Probably the smallest common centerfire muzzle thread pitch is 1/2x28. If you look at Blaser’s configurator then you will see they use 15x1, 17x1, 18x1, and 20x1 depending on the barrel weight. In my head on a 30 caliber I would do 1/2x28 and then Have adapters for all other threads.
** a lot of people are going to start screaming about 1/2x28 threads on a 30 caliber. I will say it is thin but manufacturers like weatherby do it and specifically say for suppressors not “just for muzzle brakes”.

1/2x28 is what I’ve gone with on all of my bolt actions .30 and below.

 

[WI-2021]

I'll be that guy: Minor diameter on 1/2-28 class 3 male threads is 0.4562." Given a groove diameter of .308, you only have 0.0741" of wall thickness, assuming everything is nominal. Will it work? Yes, but that's pretty thin.

Also, if you ever decide to go with any of the QD systems, the .30 bore muzzle devices are much more available in 5/8-24. Unless you have a barrel diameter that won't support 5/8-24, there isn't much reason to go smaller in my opinion. You can get thread adapters from 5/8-24 to pretty much any metric thread, same as 1/2-28.

 

[mdwest]

Unless you have a barrel diameter that won't support 5/8-24, there isn't much reason to go smaller in my opinion. You can get thread adapters from 5/8-24 to pretty much any metric thread, same as 1/2-28.

That is exactly the issue. Most hunting weight barrels won’t support 5/8…

 

[Datchew]

It seems having enough meat on the barrel isn't something I considered.

I'm planning standard blaser barrel (the lightest version) and fluted for 300wm, non-fluted on 375.
I believe the OD is 17mm on each.

 

[112Savage]

The Blaser factory thread for standard weight barrels is 15x1. This apparently isn’t a super common thread world wide. 17mm barrel diameter isn’t large enough for 5/8x24 unless your gunsmith fits permanent shoulder onto a 5/8x24 thread.

 

[Datchew]

sounds like the 300 will be 1/2-28.

Any feedback or in-country knowledge for the 375? Would also appreciate hearing feedback on barrel length for the 375. I'm considering shortening while threading or starting with the shorter barrel offering.

 

[Doubleplay]

The two main thread pitches for cans are 1/2x28 and 5/8x24. Those are going to be common everywhere.

A 375 can would easily suppress both your calibers. Unless you just have to have multiple cans, one would do the job for both rifles.

When I went to gun store in SA they had supressors everywhere and cheap. You can call your PH the week before you go and just say “I need a 375 caliber can with 5/8x24 thread” and he would have one when you arrive for about 200 dollars.

True but their quality is nowhere close to the ones manufactured here unfortunately.
However this is what I'll be doing next time I bring rifles to SA.

 

[mdwest]

if you desire US suppressor quality, you can get several european brands for marginally more than a SA manufactured suppressor... the last I checked most were in the $250-$350 range (for sweedish, finnish, etc suppressors of high quality)...

 

[Doubleplay]

if you desire US suppressor quality, you can get several european brands for marginally more than a SA manufactured suppressor... the last I checked most were in the $250-$350 range (for sweedish, finnish, etc suppressors of high quality)...

Some are.. but last month when we were at Safari Outdoors the ones I saw was also very bulky.

 

[Datchew]

Some are.. but last month when we were at Safari Outdoors the ones I saw was also very bulky.

That's another aspect i didn't consider.
I know it's subjective without doing a proper dimensional stackup, but I'm asking for group experience so...

Do you see that the OD of some of the local options are too large for iron sights?

The 300WM will have glass for distance. Not an issue. However, I was on the fence with the 375H&H barrel as far as irons. Perhaps just have a 1-6x straight tube and/or an aimpoint H1 red dot and don't bother with irons??

 

[Doubleplay]

That's another aspect i didn't consider.
I know it's subjective without doing a proper dimensional stackup, but I'm asking for group experience so...

Do you see that the OD of some of the local options are too large for iron sights?

The 300WM will have glass for distance. Not an issue. However, I was on the fence with the 375H&H barrel as far as irons. Perhaps just have a 1-6x straight tube and/or an aimpoint H1 red dot and don't bother with irons??

I'm not sure about how they would fit with iron sights...

 

[Inline6]

sounds like the 300 will be 1/2-28.

Any feedback or in-country knowledge for the 375? Would also appreciate hearing feedback on barrel length for the 375. I'm considering shortening while threading or starting with the shorter barrel offering.

You are about to play with fire in my personal opinion. When you cut that much material off the end of your barrel it can flare open if the heat treating and stress relief are not correct. It's just a can of worms of things that could go wrong. Then you have the what if you drop the rifle and it land on the suppressor? With so little support you risk deformity. Just some factors to consider.

 

[Datchew]

You are about to play with fire in my personal opinion. When you cut that much material off the end of your barrel it can flare open if the heat treating and stress relief are not correct. It's just a can of worms of things that could go wrong. Then you have the what if you drop the rifle and it land on the suppressor? With so little support you risk deformity. Just some factors to consider.

Appreciate that. Good input, especially the consideration of dropping it and having a can on there cantilever. I'll call Blaser and while i probably won't be able to get the sales guy to tell me if the barrels are surface or through hardened, he should be able to tell me if they'll do it or warn me it voids a warranty or some such.

I have a machinists handbook and an old shigley's for thread dimensions but where are you guys finding the specs on bore/groove on the calibers? I can't seem to dig up for 375H&H.
I'm thinking it's most likely I'll need to go with the 19mm OD barrel for that one.

 

[Datchew]

I'm not sure about how they would fit with iron sights...

Let me specify a bit more on my potentially harebrained plan on the irons. And I'm open to feedback such as "you're a daft git!" as I'm thinking this through.

For the 375, I'd hunt suppressed except when on DG when i go to Africa. In that situation, drop the suppressor and use a 1-6x scope or drop the scope and go old school irons. Keep it as simple as possible considering the environment. At a bare minimum, a backup for an optic. I grew up on irons and peep sights and my eyes can still manage them.

Thus, buy a barrel with no sights, cut & thread to 22" or 23" for a can, and then add iron sights at the end with the front sight behind the threads so as not to interfere with the suppressor when installed.

 

[Datchew]

I'm assuming .375" isn't the groove OD but the bore OD