Pick your caliber or platform and get the standard muzzle thread pitch, the gotchas that cause cross-threaded barrels and wrong-bore devices, and every muzzle device, suppressor, and piston in the catalog that actually fits.
Pick a caliber or platform to see its standard thread pitch and every matching device in the catalog.
A muzzle thread spec has two numbers: diameter and pitch. Imperial specs like 1/2x28 mean a 1/2 inch major diameter with 28 threads per inch; metric specs like M14x1 mean a 14mm diameter with 1mm between threads. Two specs with the same diameter but different pitch, like 1/2x28 and 1/2x36, will start by hand and then gall the threads, which is how 9mm AR barrels get ruined. If a device stops after a turn or two, stop turning.
LH means left-hand: the device tightens counterclockwise. AKM rifles and European factory pistol barrels use left-hand threads so the rifling torque tightens the device under fire. Direction matters as much as pitch; a right-hand device will not start on a left-hand barrel at all. For the full picture of how direct-thread compares to QD systems like HUB, KeyMo, and ASR, see the suppressor mounting systems guide.
Thread match is necessary but not sufficient. 1/2x28 alone spans .22 LR, 5.56, 9mm, and 5.7x28, so the checker above also gates on bore: it only lists devices whose caliber rating covers your cartridge, using the same compatibility tags that drive the rifle builder. A 9mm can on a 5.56 barrel threads on beautifully and blows the baffles out on the first round in the reverse pairing.
These are the factory-standard pitches by caliber. Manufacturers deviate, especially on imports and older barrels, so confirm against your barrel's spec sheet before ordering anything that torques onto the muzzle.
| Caliber / Platform | Standard Thread | Watch For |
|---|---|---|
| 5.56 NATO / .223 AR-15 | 1/2x28 | |
| .22 LR (pistols & rifles) | 1/2x28 | |
| 9mm handgun (US barrels) | 1/2x28 | |
| 9mm HK factory barrel (VP9, P30L) | M13.5x1 LH | |
| 9mm PCC / AR-9 | 1/2x28 | Colt-pattern 9mm ARs use 1/2x36 |
| 5.7x28 (Ruger LC Carbine) | 1/2x28 | |
| .40 S&W / 10mm handgun | 9/16x24 | |
| .45 ACP handgun | .578x28 | HK USP45 / HK45 Tactical use M16x1 LH |
| .300 Blackout | 5/8x24 | |
| .308 / 6.5 CM / .243 to .300 WM | 5/8x24 | |
| 7.62x39 AK-47 / AKM | M14x1 LH | |
| 5.45x39 AK-74 / AK-100 | M24x1.5 RH | |
| 8.6 Blackout | M18x1.5 | Some AR-10-pattern 8.6 barrels ship 5/8x24 |
| .45-70 lever action | 11/16x24 (Marlin) | Henry X Model uses 5/8x24 |
The most expensive mistake is bore mismatch on a shared pitch: rimfire cans on 5.56 barrels and .223-bore devices on .300 Blackout barrels both end with destroyed equipment. .300 Blackout runs a 5.56-size upper but a .30-caliber 5/8x24 muzzle, which is one of several traps covered in the AR-15 suppressor setup guide.
On pistols, the trap is piston thread. A tilting-barrel 9mm needs a booster, and the piston must match the barrel: 1/2x28 for US barrels, M13.5x1 LH for HK factory barrels. Our pistol suppressor setup guide covers boosters and fixed-barrel spacers in detail, and the best 9mm suppressors guide ranks the cans that show up in the checker above.
On rifles, the trap is assuming your muzzle device choice is settled by thread alone. Brakes, flash hiders, and comps trade blast, flash, and recoil differently; the muzzle device guide ranks the 1/2x28 field, and niche cartridges have their own thread cultures, like the M18x1.5 standard covered in our 8.6 Blackout explainer.
Standard 5.56 NATO and .223 AR-15 barrels use 1/2x28 right-hand threads. It is the most common muzzle thread in the US, which is why the same pitch also shows up on 9mm handguns, 9mm PCCs, .22 LR rimfire barrels, and 5.7x28 carbines. Thread pitch only tells you the device will screw on; the device bore still has to match the bullet diameter.
5/8x24 is the .30-caliber standard. It covers AR-10s, .308 and 6.5 Creedmoor bolt guns, .300 Blackout ARs, and factory-threaded bolt actions from .243 Winchester up through .300 Win Mag. If you own one suppressor mount in 5/8x24 it will move across most centerfire rifles above .22 caliber.
Usually yes: 1/2x28 covers US-market 9mm threaded pistol barrels and nearly every modern PCC, including the CZ Scorpion carbine, SIG MPX, and Ruger PC Carbine. The two exceptions to check for are Colt-pattern 9mm ARs, which use the original Colt SMG pitch of 1/2x36, and European factory pistol barrels like HK's VP9 Tactical, which thread M13.5x1 left-hand.
Mechanically yes, because both are threaded 1/2x28 and a .223-bore device passes a .22 LR bullet. The dangerous direction is the reverse: a rimfire suppressor threads straight onto a 5.56 rifle, and a single round of 5.56 will destroy it. A shared thread pitch is never a pressure rating; always check the device's caliber rating, not just the threads.
AKM-pattern 7.62x39 rifles use M14x1 left-hand threads, so devices unscrew clockwise and are retained by a spring-loaded detent plunger on the front sight block. AK-74 and AK-100 series rifles use M24x1.5 right-hand threads instead, and the two patterns do not interchange without an adapter.
LH means left-hand: the threads run the opposite direction, so the device tightens counterclockwise and loosens clockwise. AKM rifles (M14x1 LH) and European factory pistol barrels like HK's M13.5x1 LH use left-hand threads so muzzle torque from the rifling tightens the device under fire instead of backing it off. A right-hand device will not start on left-hand threads.
.578x28 is the US standard for .45 ACP threaded pistol barrels, and every mainstream .45 suppressor ships with or offers a .578x28 piston. The exception is HK: the USP45 Tactical and HK45 Tactical factory barrels thread M16x1 left-hand, so they need either an M16x1 LH piston or an aftermarket .578x28 barrel.
The Configurator applies these same thread and caliber gates across a whole build: pick a platform and barrel, and it only offers muzzle devices and cans that fit.
Launch Configurator