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Posted: 8/15/2008 10:02:24 PM EDT
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When an AR-15/M16 barrel is manufactured, the barrel extension is screwed on. THEN it is finish reamed for the correct headspace, the index pin hole drilled, index pin installed, gas port drilled, and front sight base installed. Those steps are done afterwards so that everything will line up correctly and the locking lugs will be correctly timed. You can't just screw on an extension later and expect this to all line up. The machine work involved to try to fix this problem will likely cost more than buying a new barrel assembly. No matter how cheap, no matter what the seller says, don't buy a barrel without the barrel extension. Anyone that tries to sell you a barrel without extension is screwing you. You have now been warned. That is all. |
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This month the poor schmuck was Mike G: www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=4&t=390363 There must be a gun show vendor doing the tour and suckering these guys. I just can't imagine a reputable vendor selling these extensionless barrels. I've looked on all of the well known online vendors' and manufacturers' sites and NONE of them offer barrels with no extensions. If you know of a vendor selling barrels without extensions (it would probably have in the description, "all you gotta do is screw on a new extension and you're good to go") please post it here. 
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I keep expecting to see the news headline, "Gunshow vendor beaten with a rifle barrel". And I read the article and it says the attacker was dragged off in cuffs mumbling, "He said all I gotta do is ... ". Well, you know the rest.  I would also like all the guys that bought barrel threading dies in 2004, and in a mere 15 minutes threaded the end of their previously "post ban" barrels, and screwed on their new flash hiders, please post pictures. |
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This issue often comes up with the "should I switch to an extension with M4 ramps?" threads. People seem to think you just buy one of those extension wrenches that all the vendors seem to sell (why do they even sell them?) and a new barrel extension that they also sell (why?). Do vendors and manufactuers even know you can't just swap an extension? I understand that they could be intending to sell them to folks who actually manufacture their own barrels professionally, but couldn't they make a note that not just anyone can do this in the garage? Del-Ton extension Del-Ton wrench RRA extension DPMS extension DPMS extension wrench ...the list goes on and on. I keep waiting for someone who actually manages to get an extension part-way screwed on (and timed so the gas port is up where it should be) using it and blowing himself up with excessive headspace or something. These extensions and wrenches and apparently the barrels without extensions are an attractive nuisance for WECSOG AR noobs. Hopefully, people will just keep wasting money and not harming themselves. I would say that they should do their research, but a Google search of "replace AR15 barrel extension" yields tons of stores selling extensions and unrelated rebarreling info. Only one of the results is helpful, and it is a "lite" version of the tacked headspacing thread here on ARFCOM. The average researcher will most likely miss it. |
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Somebody's selling them in the EE. www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=7&f=22&t=572355 To be fair the description is accurate but is seems kind of odd to market them like that. How many people are set up to finish a barrel in the white? |
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Let's see... $105.00 - 91.20 = $13.80
Hmmm... $110.00 - 94.00 = $16.00 You know, I'd gladly pay someone $13.80 or $16.00 to include and install an extension, alignment pin, and drill the gasport. And I forgot... headspace, too. The barrel extension from Bravo Co. is $22.95. And Bravo plainly states
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I can see places selling the barrels, extensions, and respective wrenches to gunsmiths. But most here are 'assemblers' not gunsmiths. Most buying these haven't bothered to do the research before clicking on the 'order' button. After all, how many times have we seen the post: "I just ordered an AR kit from Blackthorne. How did I do?"; despite the plethora of posts detailing the same. Don't worry, the amount of extension wrenches sold helps keep production up and the cost down for the gunsmiths. In turn the gunsmith doesn't have to purchase a $500.00 limited production tool and hopefully passes the savings down to the customer.  Tack it all you want but the rubes still won't bother to read this until it is too late or someone links the post in reply to yet another thread bitching about the subject.
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I'm glad to see this topic as I was thinking about having a barrel made up in 17/223 and was wondering about the barrel extension bit. The manufacturer did say all he needed was the bolt I was going to use so he could headspace it for the bolt. This clears all that up. Thanks |
I bought mine here on the EE. In fairness to the seller, he didn't exactly sucker me ( though there were no photos and no disclosure about potential problems) , I was very uninformed. I turned around and sold the barrel (with photos and full disclosure) to a guy with access to a machine shop and the skill to do the work. One thing is for certain, I won't be buying any barrels without extensions in the future. |
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IMHO, a "barrel" without an extension is a blank. Now I'm all about making AR barrels from blanks... I've seen some fantastic, inexpensive, 6mmx45 barrels made from Adams and Bennet blanks... but this was by an excellent smith, with all the proper tools, training and experience. Making an AR barrel from a blank is not that much more difficult than rebarreling a bolt action, but again, is beyond the scope of an assembler. Too bad people are getting ripped off. - AG |
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A barrel that has no extension and a gas port already drilled isn't a barrel, it is a pipe with rifling. If there is not gas port you *may* be able to headspace by relieveing the shoulder the barrel extension bears against until the headspace works out. This only works iff the shoulder has enough materail to make it headspace long. This was actaully the method efxguy used to headpace two 5.45 AR uppers made out of Bulgy AK-74 virign barrels. He actaully bored and threaded the existing gas port hole and installed a screw in it and then drilled the gas port in the correct location. Note that there was about 3 hours ofmachining works and shop time inolved for each barrel, so this is by no means a good or efficient method for doing 223 AR-15 barrels, it happened to be the only obvious solution to make 5.45 chambered uppers. |
It was this seller, I think, who made an EE ad. It now appears to be completely gone, or at least I can't find it by any kind of search I've tried. www.shop.dezarms.com/main.sc |
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