I’ve been really considering threading my USR barrel (either finding someone who will do 13x1lh or just 1/2x28) but the only thing holding me back is wanting to be able to revert the rifle back to factory if I ever wanted/needed to. At the same time though it’s a rifle I’m never going to sell so any collector value in keeping the barrel original is mostly non relevant to me. I was scammed out of $700 for a 20” barrel last month and don’t really want to shell out another $700 for a new nitrided barrel so the next best thing seems to be just thread the 20” I already have, but it feels wrong permanently modifying the matching barrel to the rifle.

Hope is wasn't EE. What happened?

I vote no.  If I had an intact USR, I wouldn't change a single thing.  

I'd really like to end up with one myself before unmodified examples become extinct.

No it was over on Steyr Club. He’s already been banned and I reported him to the Postal Inspectors but I doubt anything will come from it. I had a WTB add up for a chrome lined 20” barrel and this guy took the money and gave me a fake tracking number before ghosting me. I can only hope he gets the gnarliest most jagged kidney stones imaginable.

Ban era rifles are gross.  Un-ban it, thread it, and work it like a part time job.

I had mines threaded and I've found it to be pretty accurate compared to my 16 inch setups.

I say do it.

Same

Agreed, mine are stored away for exactly this reason.  Sucks that you got robbed, but I think replacement barrel is the right choice.

Have it threaded if you’re sure about not selling the complete gun.

Since barrel and receiver have matching SN, Selling just the barrel won’t make much sense to me from a collector point of view..

I had mine threaded as well.  Works great.