technics for screwing off rifle barrels

[danyboy]

Is a barrel vise the only way to screw off a barrel ? Gunsmiths are pretty rare around here. I have to change my barrel and just received a new one. I looked at youtube where some guys screw off their barrels with vises and homemade hard wood bushings. I have had to screw off tight threads in my life ( I worked as a plumber and steamfitter) and sometimes had to use strap wrenches to preserve the finish of chromed piping.
Has anyone ever tried using leather to avoid finish dammage ? Any idea would be welcome.

[HollowPoint]

What kind of gun?

Are you wanting to salvage the existing barrel? If not, it doesn't really matter what's used to hold the barrel while you unscrew it from the receiver.

If you have a large enough and secure enough Shop-Vise you can do it the way the YouTube guys do it. Look at it like a hot dog with a bun on either side of it. Your barrel is the hot-dog and the hard-wood is your buns.

Wether you use a dedicated barrel-vise or a large-secured shop vise, you're basically doing the same thing with them.

When I re-barreled my Enfield I wasn't to concerned about the old barrel so I filed some flats on the top and bottom of the barrel near the chamber end. It was on so tight that even that didn't help. In the end I made my own barrel vice with some scrap metal I had laying around. I bought some small odd-ball pieces of hard wood at a local wood-craft store and was finally able to get the barrel off.

I was more concerned with the way I held my receiver so as not to bend or twist it when applying the pressure to unscrew the barrel. I ended up milling an action wrench out of scrap metal as well.

HollowPoint

HollowPoint

[MtGun44]

Gripping the receiver without hurting it is the key if you don't care about the old bbl.
Properly shaped oak blocks in a BIG vise should do for most receivers, and a BIG pipe
wrench will work if you don't care about marring the bbl. Tightening the new one
with a strap wrench may work if you put some rosin on it, never tried that part.

What rifle and how will you set the headspace?

Bill

[Blanket]

I have drilled a hole thru a barrel to put a pin thru to help hold even with a barrel vise, taken a cut off tool in a lathe to relieve the barrel shoulder in front of the action and so on. All depends on if you are worried about saving the barrel. If you are trying to break loose a barrel on a military rifle, wood blocks and a vise won't cut it. Take a picture and post what gun you are trying to take apart and may be able to give you some pointers

[DCM]

+1 on what Bill said!
I must admit to using a B.A. pipe wrench for removing a JUNK barrel. This allowed me to get the wrench very close to the receiver for removal, reducing awkward twisting and maximizing torque where I needed it.
Proper action wrench/blocks are a must though.

[enfield]

made a barrel vice and action wrench with 3 old engine main bearing caps and laid them on a flat surface, pour lead in the halves with a piece of pipe to make a half circle mould. this will make 2 halves to pinch the barrel and then make one for the action wrench , weld long bolts to some angle iron to clamp in a vice for the barrel and weld 2 bolts to a piece of heavy square tube to use the other bearing cap for the action wrench. a wrap of very fine emory paper makes it grip a whole lot better and then give the action wrench a wack with a hammer ( o.k maybe 3 or 4 wacks ) and most barrels will brake free. I will try to post pictures but if you look at most action wrenches you will get the idea.

[Blanket]

Heck, I have a barrel vice that fits into a reciever hitch, and have bounced the action wrench against a tree to pop an early 1903. Had the fortune to know some of the old boys that put them barrels on and they to a man said they had a wrench with a 6 ft handle to snug them up a 1/4 turn past tight

[David2011]

You can pad a makeshift barrel vise and receiver wrench with sheet lead and use powdered rosin to improve the friction. The main thing is to not damage the receiver. Think ahead for screwing th new barrel in as well. Proper tools make the job far easier. If you have machine tools you cam make a very good vise and receiver wrench. Old military barrels take a LOT of holding power to break loose.

David

[Mk42gunner]

Much better to buy or make a real receiver wrench than to try to use a strap wrench, I saw a 1909 Argentine get bent when a strap wrench slipped once. As otheres have mentioned, a 24" pipe wrench works for taking junk barrels off. New barrels don't need to be nearly as tight as old milsurps are when removing them; so a strap wrench may work for installation, but no guarantees.

Robert

[deltaenterprizes]

sheet lead and use powdered rosin to improve the friction

That works well for me!

[HollowPoint]

On the re-barrel job I eluded to I had to use a combination of the pipe-wrench method, filing flats on the old barrel and the barrel vise. To top it off, it was my first time re-barreling anything; this just added to my stress levels.

That barrel was on so tight that I was sure that the threads had welded together with rust. It turned out that it was just on increadibly tight.

I had an old five-foot galvanized fence post laying out back that I used as an extension handle for my action wrench and that finally did the trick. Just needed more leverage. And the threads looked as sharp and clean as you can imagine. Those military armorers must have put some muscle into it when they tightened these barrels down.

As far as "head spacing" was concerned, I re-barreled using the Savage-Barrel-Nut method. It made head spacing a breeze. (this was on an enfield rifle) I haven't had any problems with at all.

HollowPoint

[flounderman]

You need to be more concerned about the receiver than the barrel. with an action wrench and the barrel secure, you put some pressure on the wrench and hit it with a hammer and it will break free. just pulling on the wrench it will come a lot harder, and will be more likely to spin the barrel in the vise. with a flat bottom receiver, you can make an action wrench with a flat bar and a u-bolt. I probably overtighten the new barrel. I have seen where it says hand tight on the switch barrels is enough. supposedly the torque from the bullet going down the rifling tightens it more. Having the right tools makes the job a lot easier and it isn't likely the headspace will be perfect just screwing in another barrel. If it is too tight, you need a reamer and too loose, the barrel needs some fitting.

[andremajic]

I've read of a technique I'd like to try, but haven't tried because I have a barrel vise.

Wrap a large cotton rope the entire length of barrel after generously dusting rosin on your barrel, with a the ends tied together to provide a loop at each end. Insert a cheater bar into the loop and twist it until all slack is out of the rope, then use your giant "strap wrench" to unscrew the barrel. The rope provides an enormous amount of friction, like wrapping a cloth around a tight fitting jar before opening it.

The reciever would have to be protected to prevent it from twisting/warping.

[Goatwhiskers]

Here's one used by some engravers particularly on stuck pistol barrels as they can't afford to put any marks in the metal. This evening put about a 4 or 5' cheater on the action wrench, then hang a 5 gal. bucket of wet sand on the end of it. When you come back to work tomorrow the bucket will be sitting on the floor and the barrel is loose. Oh, forgot to say a little penetrating oil comes in handy. GW

[belongtotom]

A sturdy barrel vise for removal and also for replacement is a must , a good fitting action wrench is also essential otherwise the action will be damaged.
Without the proper tools sending the action and barrel to someone who does you would be better served, there is no sense in damaging your barreled action

[danyboy]

Thanks to all and sorry for long response delay as I just realized I had never followed through. It was for a Carl Gustav 6.5 X 55mm Swedish mauser and finally decided to take it to a 2nd generation gunsmith who also happened to be a machinist. He apparently had 'fun' doing it but got the job well done as the rifle shoots fine and safe. He also told me he wasn't too keen on repeating it since it was a PITA to screw off.
Thanks to all for advice
danyboy

[44man]

Made my own tools to change a Swede barrel. Worked like a charm. I had no machines to adjust head space so I stoned the receiver front to get the new barrel in farther.
I can tell you it was TIGHT, took a 6# sledge to break it loose. You MUST prevent receiver damage. I did not even hurt the finish on the barrel.
But you got it done. I can understand what the gunsmith said but darn if I can do it, anyone can.
I used a barrel I bought from a take off from a company in PA that sold stripped parts, cost me $20. That rifle shot so good I customized it with a new stock from a cherry tree that fell in my woods. It will take .410 shells off the rail every shot at 100 yards. I shot a .432" group with it and the barrel still has some pits in it.157055 I checkered it.

[John Taylor]

Barrel vice using a 20 ton jack and aluminum blocks. Action wrench is the same type used on Remington bolt actions. Aluminum blocks are set in a four jaw chuck with a few layers of paper between for a spacer and then bored to fit the barrel. The bore should be done to match the taper of the barrel if there is one. A piece of paper can be wrapped around the barrel to protect the finish. Some actions will not come loose without a little heat or a big hammer on the end of the wrench ( an 8 pound hammer is close by).
157103

[Wolfer]

My homemade setup is very near to John Taylor's. My action wrench is forged instead of welded. My jack is an 8 ton. It could certainly use more. My blocks are wood with powdered resin.
My cheater bar is whatever piece of pipe that's laying around. 4' to 10'

[B R Shooter]

Side entry wrenches aren't as common as rear entry, but they do work. I use rear entry. Some people like to torque barrels to a value, so a rear entry wrench is needed. I made a rack to use a hydraulic jack, they work fine, but a bit clumsy to me. But I still use it on occasion.

[KenT7021]

Best available action wrenches for military actions are the ones sold by Brownell's.They have various attachments for different receivers.I never use a cheater handle.I use a heavy brass hammer on the action wrench.I use either aluminum or brass inserts in the barrel vise.

[Hannibal]

If you're handy, buy the base/handle unit and one head and make your own after that. Or for $40/head average, you don't have to fool with it. Win-win, either way.

[country gent]

One trick if the barrel is to be scrapped on tight fitted barrels is to set up in lathe and with a cut of tool plunge to depth of tennon .010-.015 from reciever ring. This removes the shoulders tension and allows barrel to be easily unscrewed. Another is to stand barrel up and soak for several days with kroil before attempting to break it lose.