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Old December 31, 1999, 08:30 AM   #10
artech
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 1, 1999
Location: Southern Maine, Bushmaster Country
Posts: 275
Maybe I can clear some of this up here. There is nothing SPECIFICALLY stating that threads are illegal on a postban AR, but if you carefully read the stupid law, it is the only legal option left at the end. That or a brake permanently covering those threads, or a complete redesign of the rifle.

To the best of my knowledge, ATF still requires blind pinning with the pins welded over or straight welding to be considered permanently attached. This was still the case earlier this year. Solder is not going to do the trick.

Modifying a barrel at home is not easy, but if you are careful, it can be done. Cutting off the bayonet lug can be done with a hacksaw and filed smooth, then cold-blued, that's pretty easy. The muzzle is a different story.

If the barrel is chrome lined, I do not advise cutting it down, as this damages the chrome lining and will eventually cause the chrome to erode away from the muzzle, causing accuracy problems. In this case, getting a brake and taking it to a machine shop or gunsmith to have it installed is probably your best course of action.

If it is not lined, cutting it down(unless it is a 16 inch barrel) would be simplest, a 10 minute job on a lathe, again at a gunsmith. Or you can do it yourself, but if you do you must use EXTREME caution when working on it not to damage the inside of the bore, as the rifle will be inaccurate and that's no fun.

The 16 inch barrels were actually issued and MILSPEC at one time, though they aren't any longer. There really isn't much you can do with a bayonet on a carbine anyway, so it's kind of a moot point.

If someone is bound and determined to mount one, probably modifying a Garand bayonet(much longer)to fit a carbine would be easier than making an adapter, the ones Bushmaster sells are actually for the old model rifles they used to build, and they won't fit an AR's heavy barrel.

Hope this helps.

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