Is an amateur capable of changing barrels on a Mauser?

[AbitNutz]

I have a Yugoslavian Mauser with a wiped out barrel. I also have a barrel coming that is new old stock military but chambered, threaded and finished in 7.52x51. I have a barrel vise, action wrench, go-no-go gaiges and the best of intentions. Am I capable of changing barrels? Or do I need a lathe and somone who knows what to do with it?

[RPRNY]

Yes, you can. With some YouTube help and encouragement from folks here, this is possible. The tough parts are getting the old barrel off - gruntwork and much foul language, and setting headspace with new barrel, finesse work and much foul language.

[Texas by God]

You might need a finish reamer(rent) but you may not. I've done several with home made tooling so you are already ahead of the game. Go for it; we are here if you need us.
Best, Thomas.
PS- a relief cut to loosen the tension of the old barrel is your friend.

[AbitNutz]

I have an infinite amount of foul language at my disposal. I've been youtubing the subject for techniques and I'm now confident enough to try it.

Once I get it off is when the fun begins...I have a couple of switch barrel Savages so I know the go-no-go gauge ritual but man it's a worry.

[clodhopper]

Every rifle builder was an amateur once.

A lathe might be very useful for getting the sights to the top, and the chamber the correct length.

[AbitNutz]

Here's a couple of pictures of the the new 7.62x51 Israeli barrel
208266
208267

[Mauser 98K]

when using the reamer take your time and check the go and no go frequently as it is very easy to go too far. all shavings must be out of the chamber when checking.. when reaming you also must keep the shavings clear and if you ever let the reamer back up off the face of the chamber you must clean the shavings out or a shaving can get caught between the reamer flute and the chamber and it can cut a grove in the chamber which will allow the brass to flow into when firing and can mess up your brass or make ejection and extraction problematic. i always chambered mine to where the go gauge would just go with a little drag for extra tightness and on the final few turns of the reamer i would just allow the reamer to spin with the weight of the reamer or very little pressure so as to not remove any metal but to remove any burrs that might develop in the chamber that might mess with the gauge accuracy..

but the only time i think you would need a lathe to change the barrel is if the chamber is too deep and the no go gauge goes. when this happens you need to lightly skin the face of the barrel till the chamber tightens up..

is this going to be the old military sights or is it going to get a scope? if it is the old iron sights then it is no big deal, if it is getting a scope this brings in a whole new set of problems that can arise as the barrel, receiver, and scope rail must be perfectly in line..

oh. one more thing... after you install the barrel and get the chamber where you need it then put a small witness line on the face of the receiver and the barrel and keep an eye on it the first few times you fire it and see if it moves. you want that bugger tighter than hell or it will try to move and if you sights are already on it it causes problems.. the way most barrels are set up the torque of the bullet being fired wants to tighten the barrel as a safety measure but you still want it tight to begin with..

[LAGS]

I was am Amature Many Many Years ago when I changed my first Mauser barrel.
I still have it and still shoot it.
And that was Years before we even Had Computers or cell phones to watch Youtube Videos.
Back then we had BOOKS.
But you too also have friends on this or other forums that can help you and advise you.
But if you have a Question, please wait for the answer before you try things out of your comfort zone.

[Iron Whittler]

If you are not going to put sights on barrel, installation is simpler. Install new barrel, check head space. If correct no further chamber work needed. If short, a finish reamer will be required. If long, some lathe work may be required. Do not forget the crown on muzzle end. A bad crown or lack of one will most certainly cause accuracy issues. As for removing old barrel, try soaking action in a 50/50 mix of atf and kerosene. Let soak for several days. This may help removing old barrel. Bear in mind, original barrel has been there for a long time and was pet on Tight. You will need to firmly secure your barrel vice. Place barrel so as to be able to hit the handle of your action wrench with a 4 lb. hammer. Hit it hard, as the impact will help loosen the barrel. Hope this is a little help to you. If not sure ask question before you do it. Someone will be glad to help. :Fire:

[Clark]

When I did my first surplus Mauser rebarreling job 17 years ago, I had a hard time getting the barrel off.
Before I made my own action wrench and barrel vise with bushing, I broke two bench vises.
If you don't care what happens to the old barrel, it can be gripped with a pipe wrench for removal.
The highest torque I have measured when removing an old rusty surplus barrel was 560 foot pounds.
While pulling the barrels from groups of Mausers, I would demonstrate before and after putting Kroil in the barrel receiver junction.
Everyone that watched my demonstration bought Kroil.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

What you have should enable you to do the job, except possibly for a reamer. There are earlier Yugoslav Mausers which probably tighten up with the barrel shoulder against the receiver face, and for these a shallow saw-cut into the barrel, just as close to the receiver as you can get it, will loosen it up nicely. But this appears to be a Mauser 98 rifle, probably the 24, in which the tightening is of the rear of the barrel against the internal stop-ring. The barrel illustrated has a flange, and many gunsmiths fitting barrels regard perfection as both that flange and the rear of the barrel being tight fits. But it does no harm if there is an almost undetectably slight gap between that flange and the receiver face. A relief cut into that flange will do nothing at all.

I've never measured the torque necessary to unscrew a barrel, but I think I've encountered quite a bit more than 560ft./lb. If your equipment isn't up to that, you could cut off the barrel flush with the receiver face, and drill or counterbore out enough to release the tightness - even to the roots of the threads, till you can pick out the V-shaped pieces. Even a Dremel tool and cylindrical carbide burr would do, worked slowly enough to avoid over-taxing it.

If you have a barrel from the same arsenal that made the rifles, there is a good chance that it will tighten up with the sights on top, and headspace within acceptable limits. It needs some kind of checking before you fire it, though. I would do that while the barrel can still be screwed in and out by hand, and the bolt closed with the extractor removed. Now please understand that the following isn't a means of achieving perfect headspace (for which you need gunsmith gauges), but of keeping you out of trouble.

The Mauser 98 has a 12 TPI thread, and therefore turns about 4.32 degrees per thousandth of an inch it advances. Well that is your micrometer. Stick a piece of metal shim, say .008in. thick, with superglue or grease to a new, unfired case-head, or one full-length sized in your sizing die. If the barrel hand-tightens noticeably less far with that case in the chamber, than it does with none, your headspace is going to be something less than .008in. over the length of that case.

People like Brownells supply barrels which people will use in any Mauser 98 on the market, and for this reason they offer short-chambered barrels, as the Yuguslav arsenals are less likely to do, but might. This is the kind where you have to adjust the headspace by deepening the chamber with a reamer. They also at one time offered long-chambered barrels, for the 98 alone, since with that rifle you could set the headspace by removing metal from the rear surface of the barrel. (I think they discontinued them because the occasional child of nature would fit a barrel the way came.) But with sights to line up, an arsenal is very unlikely to make military barrels that way.

If the old barrel is to be scrapped, you can do all sorts of things to get a grip on it on the cheap. You can weld on a tab, grind flats on it, or even forge it L-shaped. I haven't done any of those things, but I have bored out a large nut and silver soldered it in place, and bored a fifteen-inch hole in a piece of oak, into which I have epoxied it.

[AbitNutz]

The old barrel is useless so I don't care what damage I do to it...so my big pipe wrench, medium sledge and a good soaking in kroil should do it...no?

[Artful]

The old barrel is useless so I don't care what damage I do to it...so my big pipe wrench, medium sledge and a good soaking in kroil should do it...no?

Probably but be careful to grip the action by the threaded portion so you don't tweak it.

Just for reference I had a #4 SMLE that I put a pipewrench on and 4 foot cheater pipe over the handle and put 300 pounds (me) on the end and the barrel didn't budge, Cut the barrel just in front of the receiver about 1/8" deep put the pipewrench on and tapped with a 2 pound hammer and spun right out by hand.

[vzerone]

The old barrel is useless so I don't care what damage I do to it...so my big pipe wrench, medium sledge and a good soaking in kroil should do it...no?

The trouble with pipe wrenches when you are hitting them with a big hammer is that they are springy. That springyness sucks up some of the hammer hit.

[Stockcarver]

Have at it. I was an amateur at one time, now most folks say I am worse than any amateur.

Pulled my first 98 barrel back in about 1963 when I was in high school. Turned the action into a nice 257 Roberts. My instructions were in Brownells Gunsmith Kinks, Vol. 1, the article written by the machinists at the RCBS manufacturing facility. This is an excellent guide and you should obtain the book.

About 1983 I built the barrel vise in the below photos when I started working with P-14 and P-17 Enfields. Over 200 military barrels. have seen this vise, not a one slipped!

That ratchet on the vise is 3/4" drive with a 30 inch handle. Behind the vise, in the rack, are truing arbors for various actions. Make 'em on the lathe.

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Action wrenches.

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The truing arbors and bushings for the barrel vise.

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/services/mediarender/THISLIFE/004009806423/media/43241623132/medium/1391362107/enhance

Various protective copper and brass "wraps" to go around the barrels when in in the lathe, to prevent marring the barrel with chuck jaws.

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Note the barrel vise and barrel tooling are close to the lathe to reduce steps taken in the shop!

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Where the rubber meets the road:

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Mauser details:

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Make a cheat sheet. This one is for a M70 but the M98 is similar. Precision measuring is the key!

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/services/mediarender/THISLIFE/004009806423/media/43241619255/large/1451774911/enhance

Working with minimal tools will usually get the job done, and it teaches you what to look forward to in obtaining improved tooling and equipment.

If you lived close to my shop I would invite you over for a tutorial.

Good luck. Measure twice and cut once!

[AbitNutz]

Wow...all I can say is that you are so lucky that I don't live near you...

[Stockcarver]

Wow...all I can say is that you are so lucky that I don't live near you...

'Tis addicting. Started playing with gun building in the early 60's, I am now 70 years old. Extra money along the years went into tooling and machinery.

One thing I learned early on is most Mauser receivers are soft and are easily "Sprung". So I turned up a set of arbors to slip up into the stripped receiver prior to clamping the action wrench onto the receiver and torqueing down to remove those sometimes tight Mauser barrels. Photo below: A Husky receiver shown.

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Happiness is having more than one lathe to your disposal. The shop has three.

Below, a receiver being trued in the front lathe, the barrel is set up in the lathe in the background for threading and chambering.

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[Stockcarver]

Tooling, tooling, tooling. Buying a lathe is the first step. You will forever be spending money on tooling or machining time making special tooling that is just not available at any price. Lots of fun, keeps me busy in retirement! The key to all this madness is to purchase the main machinery while you have a good job. And tools & supplies also. Then in your retirement years you will be set without having to expend precious retirement funding.

[AbitNutz]

I was smart enough to be able to retire at 56 but dumb enough to not have adequately planned out what I was going to do with an extra 80 hours a week...I reload and collect but have no delusion about aquiring the skills of even an incompatent machinist. While I'd likely enjoy it, I'm more interested in the initial idea and the finished product.

I may try and visit a gunsmith I found and ask if I can watch and/or help on this minor project...even if he charges me extra :)

[akajun]

You may find that the Yugoslav Mauser has an extractor cut in the barrel that you will have to duplicate with a mill or a file in the proper location. Also the tolerances on mauserscarecall overvthe place so your pre machined barrel may not just drop in due to headspace , bolt clearance, etc. The few drop in Mauser barrels i did convinced me to get a needed lathe and stop bugging the local machinist.
Btw you’ll also need a depth micrometer .

[vzerone]

Use to have a list of "true Mausers" which are the Mausers of other countries that would swap parts with the original German Mauser. I remember one is the 1909 Argentine. A friend of mine has the actual manufacturing prints for the 1909 from Argentina. So this corresponds with the post right before this one that the barrel may not be an exact fit without any work.

[AbitNutz]

If I compare the barreled action and the "new" barrel, the external profile appear to be identical. I don't know if that means anything but all the steps are in the same places.

[Hannibal]

I put a new Zastava take-off in .308 on a Belgium K98. Screwed right into place and headspaced perfectly.

And it's the most accurate 'factory' rifle I own.

Who'd a thunk it?

[john.k]

Stockcarver makes a very important point.....take note.......support the ring with an internal arbor before crushing force is applied,if this isnt done,at least put the stripped bolt in place.Incidentally,I hold the barrel vice in a 50ton hydraulic shop press,never slips and no broken benches.The Mk3 Ross is the tightest military barrel,the Howa the tightest of all,loctited or epoxied.

[vzerone]

I put a new Zastava take-off in .308 on a Belgium K98. Screwed right into place and headspaced perfectly.

And it's the most accurate 'factory' rifle I own.

Who'd a thunk it?

Yeah, that's lucky. Glad it worked out that way for you.

[LAGS]

I picked up three Husqvarna 8mm Sporter take off barrels at a LGS for $10.00 each with excellent bores.
Two of them threaded onto Mauser Military receivers and Clocked Up for the sights and Headspaced very well.
But that was two receivers out of 7 that I tried them on.
Patients and a little Trial and Error paid off.
But having several receivers to play with was a big plus.

[john.k]

Yugo mausers come in two lengths,and some have the shrouded cartridge head feature.So getting the correct barrel has an element of luck,but the differences are apparent without detailed investigation.

[Mauser 98K]

strange.. my M48 Yugoslavian didn't have an extractor cut in the barrel face when i changed its barrel.. i guess the armory where it was reconditioned left it out. i didn't even bother putting the notch back on myself and it shoots just fine.. the 98k didn't have them so i figured why even have one. it has the totally enclosed cartridge bolt face..

[AbitNutz]

I'm going to try and take off the barrel and if things don't go as planned right off the bat I'm not going to keep going and damage it. I'll take it all up to the gunsmith I found.

If I can get the barrel off without too much drama, I'll see what the new barrel does when I screw it in. If it looks like it's going beyond my abilities...back to the gunsmith.

The new barrel has no sights on it. I like the M48's hooded sight but that rear sight might as well not be there. The notch is almost invisable. I found a lot of Redfield 70's and Lyman SME's on eBay for fairly reasonable prices. I'm extremely tempted to go that rout. A scope won't work. The stock is way too low for any sort of cheek weld.

The front sight is in good shape and I assume can be removed (silver soldered?) and reinstalled on the new barrel? New ones are readily available if not.

I'm really torn on what to do about the rear sight. It looks like all that would be required is notching the stock and two holes drilled and tapped. The sight would hang off the right side.

[Mauser 98K]

208354 the low stock is easily fixable.. this is my M48 Yugoslavian with a konigsberg barrel for the m67 Norwegian target/sniper rifles.. i made a shark fin for the stock for proper cheek weld..

[john.k]

Most military sights are soft soldered on,and easily moved or adjusted.

[LAGS]

You do not need to have the Yugo barrels Safety Breeched with the additional ring that supports or surounds the base of the cartridge.
But when I put the .308 Konigsberg barrel on the Tactical rifle I built, I had the barrel Safety Breeched.
That one I had to have done by someone else, ( Well the Machining anyway, because I sold my lathe before moving to Arizona )
Safety Breeching doesnt make it shoot any better, but Hay, that is the way the rifle was originally designed.
But most of the other Yugos that I have are not safety breeched, and shoot just fine.

@ Abitnutz
Installing a Receiver sight LOOKS easy, because there are only Two Holes to drill and tap.
But look at the receiver where the holes have to be drilled.
That surface is curved.
And the receiver sight has to be Lined up Perfectly square in two directions ,or it wont work when you try to change elevation or windage.
If it is not square, then every time you change elevation, it will move on the windage.
It can be done without some fancy Drilling Jig.
But take your time and keep double checking everything so the drilled holes in the curve of the receiver dont walk.
You only get one shot at it.
I have Crazy Glued the Receiver sight Base to the receiver first, then checked exerything for square, then checked it with a Laser Bore Sighter to confirm alignment.
Then I marked the Holes for drilling and tapping.
But those were on rifles that I planned to Reblue just in case the Glue screwed up the bluing when I pulled the base off and removed the remaining glue.
P.S.
Mount the receiver sight, THEN do the cut out in the stock.
It makes for a nicer cleaner cut out that fits good around the new rear sight.

[AbitNutz]

You do not need to have the Yugo barrels Safety Breeched with the additional ring that supports or surounds the base of the cartridge.
But when I put the .308 Konigsberg barrel on the Tactical rifle I built, I had the barrel Safety Breeched.
That one I had to have done by someone else, ( Well the Machining anyway, because I sold my lathe before moving to Arizona )
Safety Breeching doesnt make it shoot any better, but Hay, that is the way the rifle was originally designed.
But most of the other Yugos that I have are not safety breeched, and shoot just fine.

@ Abitnutz
Installing a Receiver sight LOOKS easy, because there are only Two Holes to drill and tap.
But look at the receiver where the holes have to be drilled.
That surface is curved.
And the receiver sight has to be Lined up Perfectly square in two directions ,or it wont work when you try to change elevation or windage.
If it is not square, then every time you change elevation, it will move on the windage.
It can be done without some fancy Drilling Jig.
But take your time and keep double checking everything so the drilled holes in the curve of the receiver dont walk.
You only get one shot at it.
I have Crazy Glued the Receiver sight Base to the receiver first, then checked exerything for square, then checked it with a Laser Bore Sighter to confirm alignment.
Then I marked the Holes for drilling and tapping.
But those were on rifles that I planned to Reblue just in case the Glue screwed up the bluing when I pulled the base off and removed the remaining glue.
P.S.
Mount the receiver sight, THEN do the cut out in the stock.
It makes for a nicer cleaner cut out that fits good around the new rear sight.

That's good advice about the receiver sight. I'll certainly follow it. I knew there had to be a catch to making it work.

[LAGS]

It isnt a catch.
It is an Aquired Skill.

@ AbitNutz
A lot of the Youtube Videos make everything seem so simple.
But thay fail to explain the Fine Points, or the special conditions that may Pop Up for your model of rifle or the condition of what you are working on.
Do your Research, Take your time.
You are planning to have this rifle for a long time, or you wouldnt be putting all this effort into it.
Bolt on parts do bolt right on.
Or how can a Drop in Fit be so Universal.
Because they are a Sloppy Fit
But, Do they Bolt on or Drop in Correctly correctly ?
That is where Knowledge is King

[Texas by God]

I love Mausers. Just thought I'd throw that in about now.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Stockcarver]

I was smart enough to be able to retire at 56 but dumb enough to not have adequately planned out what I was going to do with an extra 80 hours a week...I reload and collect but have no delusion about aquiring the skills of even an incompatent machinist. While I'd likely enjoy it, I'm more interested in the initial idea and the finished product.

I may try and visit a gunsmith I found and ask if I can watch and/or help on this minor project...even if he charges me extra :)

You are smarter than me. I retired at 62.

My father gave this one to me when I was 14. It now has a sacred place in my shop.

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/services/mediarender/THISLIFE/004009806423/media/43241622931/medium/1426297706/enhance

Here it is with a Mark V Weatherby action.

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[LAGS]

I forgot to mention in my previous post that that Third Husqvarna 8mm sporter barrel.
Well it wouldnt headspace up on any of the receivers.
So I found one receiver that it would Torque up and Clock with the sights aligned.
But the headspace was .006 over the No Go Gage.
So I just ran a reamer into the chamber and took it out to 8mm-06.
That way it reset the headspace and made it into a Poor Mans Magnum
I let a friend talk me out of that rifle before I had time to really see how it did.
He loves it, and uses it for hunting Elk.
I dont build these with the intention to sell.
It is just my hobby.

A Tip on Gunsmiths.
Sad to say most of them are Grumpy Old Farts that like to be left alone to do their work.
But if you offer to Apprentice and clean their shop you can make a friend in a hurry.
That gives them more free time to do what they like to do, that makes them money, and are willing to take some of it out in labor.

[AbitNutz]

I did an 8mm-06 years ago that failed. The chamber on the 8mm Mauser was over sized so when the reamer for the 8mm-06 was run in it left a step in the neck where the old 8mm neck stopped and the new 8mm-06 started. The gunsmith that was doing it couldn't figure a good way to fix it so we just re-barreled it. I had high hopes but it was not to be.

[LAGS]

I could see where that could happen if the old barrel had a Severly Erroded or oversize neck area.
But that is why I do a chamber cast before I ream out a chamber to a new caliber.
That should have shown that their was a potential problem.
And with the chamber being so bad, what was the condition of the bore.
If the bore and throat were also erroded, then the Pilot on the reamer can wander all over the place.
The three Husky barrels were like brand new.
I guess some shop got in a bunch, probably at a good price, and no one wanted to buy 8mm rifles for hunting.
So they just rebarreled them and sold off the barrels.

[vzerone]

I believe some of those old war horses had oversized chambers from the get go. SAAMI redid lot of specs too. Most the reloading manuals say the 8mm-06 is not much of an improvement over the standard 8x57. I do understand why many owners done that though.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

We have seen a lot of extremely professional equipment and professional expertise. But very often what the amateur needs is the guerrilla warfare of gunsmithing - devising sneaky tricks to do the job in a way economical enough for one-time use, without damaging the gun.

[6bg6ga]

I'm going to say the average Joe here on this site isn't capable of changing a barrel. Even something as simple as a FAL barrel must be done correctly. Most here don't have the equipment to do the job correctly. I question the quality of the store bought barrel vices and tools because I have seen the vices slip simply because they weren't machined correctly. My vote is to take it to the expert that has the tools and experience and let them do the job and when they are done the gun is safe to shoot.

[Moleman-]

I'm a firm believer in "where there's a will there's a way". An action wrench can be made or bought and resold as can barrel vises. Headspace gauges and chamber reamers can be rented, but I feel you're better off just buying them and reselling them if you think you'll never use them again. Depending on what your local smith charges it may not be any cheaper for you to change the barrel. If it's something you want to do then research, come up with a plan, make/ acquire your tooling and go for it. Ballistics in Scotland hit upon a good point. Simply changing barrels to get a functional rifle isn't the same as trying to build an accurate or match type rifle which requires much more specialized tools and techniques. With no sights your barrel is going to be easier to install than one that must be clocked to match a different rifle.

Would you plan on making your action and barrel vises and if so what tools do you have at your disposal?

[country gent]

an informed amaturer that's read up and studied the process and "learned" how to can do it. The difference between this type amaturer and professional is the time they take to do the job. The amaturer is going to be checking and double checking his books and information following it step by step. The Pro will just run thru the steps knowing what to do. Most things with firearms are well documented with the procedures and step by step how to available> The amaturer just needs to look and read for them first before jumping in. Another thing to remember is years ago a lot of mausers springfields and others were rebarreled sporterized in garages by people who were reading the different books and magazines.

[Stockcarver]

an informed amaturer that's read up and studied the process and "learned" how to can do it. The difference between this type amaturer and professional is the time they take to do the job. The amaturer is going to be checking and double checking his books and information following it step by step. The Pro will just run thru the steps knowing what to do. Most things with firearms are well documented with the procedures and step by step how to available> The amaturer just needs to look and read for them first before jumping in. Another thing to remember is years ago a lot of mausers springfields and others were rebarreled sporterized in garages by people who were reading the different books and magazines.

Very true.

All pros were amateurs. And many of today's amateurs turn out better work than some pros.

I am neither. Just a retired 'ol machinist that enjoys playing in my backyard shop. I was fortunate enough to begin acquiring tools and machinery many years ago.

I learned threading and chambering by reading Brownells tips, Brownells Gunsmith Kinks books, American Rifleman "Gunsmithing Guide" and many other books.

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[Ballistics in Scotland]

Use to have a list of "true Mausers" which are the Mausers of other countries that would swap parts with the original German Mauser. I remember one is the 1909 Argentine. A friend of mine has the actual manufacturing prints for the 1909 from Argentina. So this corresponds with the post right before this one that the barrel may not be an exact fit without any work.

The manufacturing print? It would be very interesting to know how they specify the angle or pitch of the helical locking surfaces.

[John Taylor]

I started off as an amateur but I had the chance to work for a couple gunsmiths along the way. Some barrels are easy to change but most military barrels are a bit tough to remove. There are quite a few gunsmiths that like to cut the barrel shoulder with the hope that it will come off easier. A good strong action wrench is a must. Holding the barrel can be a big problem. I have a large selection of barrel blocks made out of aluminum that I have made over the years. My barrel vice has a 20 ton jack so I can hold the barrels very tight. Even with this setup it sometimes takes a little heat or a big hammer. Some of the companies are using loctite on the barrel threads now, that's where the heat comes in.

[vzerone]

The manufacturing print? It would be very interesting to know how they specify the angle or pitch of the helical locking surfaces.

Yes the actual blueprints. He got them from an Argentine General. Ask the specific question you want to know and on what part. Next time I get in touch with him I'll ask him if I remember.

[Wolfer]

Even though Ive built several rifles I still consider myself a rank amateur. I am however a hillbilly who often thinks outside the box. My barrel vise and action wrench I copied from another hillbilly gunsmith and it's worked pretty well.

The vise is heavy angle iron welded into a rectangle. The inside dimension is about 6" wide by tall enough to hold a 4"x4" and an 8 ton jack. I bore a hole slightly smaller than the barrel through the oak block and saw it in half across the holes. A little powdered rosin in the grooves helps the bite.

My action wrench is a piece of 1/2" x 1-1/2" mild steel. About 1-1/4" of one end is bent at 90 deg. A little grinding on the edge lets it go into the lug recess and up against the barrel.
This has fit everything Ive used it on. Mauser, Remington, savage, ruger.

Military barrels will require all the 8 ton jack has to offer. Bigger would be better. It's what I have.
Minimum 3' cheater pipe on the wrench.

Ive never had a shop in my life but have built several accurate rifles on the tailgate of my truck. Where there is a will there is a way.

I have several books on the subject. Most are dog eared from reading and rereading. Weren't no internet when I started.

My point is don't be afraid to tackle this. I met lots of naysayers early on. I'm glad I didn't listen but I was careful and give everything lots of thought before I did it.
Woody

[skeettx]

Did the old barrel come off?

[HollowPoint]

The old barrel is useless so I don't care what damage I do to it...so my big pipe wrench, medium sledge and a good soaking in kroil should do it...no?

I redid both my Lee Enfield and my K31 and both of those barrels were on pretty darn tight. So much so that even with the barrels held tightly in the barrel vice I still couldn't get them to break loose. I had to use an additional length of galvanized metal fence post as a cheater bar to finally get them to break.

I know you can do it too. It's doing it for the first time that makes it seem like a daunting task sometimes. Kind of like sex but not really? No, not really.

HollowPoint

[john.k]

Im just a machinist who can do plumbing .My definition of a gunsmith is one who repairs expensive doubles,making parts where necessary.Backboring chokes and the like. Something as seemingly simple as repairing the forend latching on a O&U is beyond all but the best.I used to discard barrels,but anything ex military now has a value,so removal is carefully done.I use a 50ton shop press to hold barrel clamps.No bolts are required,and the weight of the press makes it immovable with the most force I have ever had to use.

[Texas by God]

Wolfer- we must be kin. I clamped a 43 Spanish 98 Mauser action onto the frame of a tandem disc out back and used a pipe wrench to install a 1935 Chilean 7mm barrel to it. I checked the headspace with beer can shims. Draw filed the wrench marks off the barrel and shot some decent groups. I reblued the barrel and dropped it in a sporter stock someone gave me and went hunting. After killing a deer with it, one of the hunting party offered $200 for it.
In 1981 200 was 200 so I took it.
The last I heard he was still using it despite owning much nicer rifles.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Wolfer]

Yes sir. Ive always had more want to than I had means.

[10x]

When I did my first surplus Mauser rebarreling job 17 years ago, I had a hard time getting the barrel off.
Before I made my own action wrench and barrel vise with bushing, I broke two bench vises.
If you don't care what happens to the old barrel, it can be gripped with a pipe wrench for removal.
The highest torque I have measured when removing an old rusty surplus barrel was 560 foot pounds.
While pulling the barrels from groups of Mausers, I would demonstrate before and after putting Kroil in the barrel receiver junction.
Everyone that watched my demonstration bought Kroil.


When a barrel is set tight.
A) an 8" (or larger) vice solidly mounted on a solid base. Any play or movement will thwart your attempt at removal.
B) hard lead blocks at least 3" long with a groove to match the barrel channel.
C) mount the barrel using the blocks and resin (Baseball pitchers resin) with the receiver as close to the vice as possible. Make sure the action wrench is slightly up from horizontal.
D) have an action wrench that fits the action with no play, you can shim bearing surfaces with copper or brass. A clamping action wrench will work better
E) Heat the receiver ring slightly with a propane torch - not hot enough to sizzle water but hot to the touch
F) After a few seconds of heating the receiver it does not take long to expand the ring - place your body weight on the action wrench
G) have a friend give the action wrench a short sharp tap with a 2 pound hammer -

If you have done everything right there will be no marks or rubs on either the barrel or the action. The barrel, if shot out or badly pitted, can be saved for that larger caliber wild cat you never realized you wanted to build. I have a couple of 8X57 barrell that may become 338 x 57 or 35x57 if I get the urge to learn how to rebore and rifle a barrel

I have only ever had one barrel NOT come out of the action when this method was used.

[10x]

I redid both my Lee Enfield and my K31 and both of those barrels were on pretty darn tight. So much so that even with the barrels held tightly in the barrel vice I still couldn't get them to break loose. I had to use an additional length of galvanized metal fence post as a cheater bar to finally get them to break.

I know you can do it too. It's doing it for the first time that makes it seem like a daunting task sometimes. Kind of like sex but not really? No, not really.

HollowPoint

A sharp tap with a heavy hammer on the action wrench can reduce the amount of leverage you need to apply.
Never force anything when you can use a bigger hammer.
Many blows from a small hammer will destroy an object that a big hammer will loosen with one blow.

[David2011]

In our gunsmithing classes we used a bar of steel about 2" x 18" to strike the handle of the action wrench. The students built sporting rifles based on Mauser actions so we had lots of them to rebarrel. The barrel vice was a Brownell's with aluminum inserts bolted to a very heavy table which was bolted to the floor. The barreled receiver was put in the vice with the handle pointing up and the bar of steel was swung like a baseball bat. The threads released on the first strike most of the time and even on the most stubborn yielded with a few tries. A two pound hammer would never have broken some of them free. Some that wouldn't give with body weight yielded so easily that you hardly felt it, swinging that heavy bar of steel. The solid impact made a huge difference.

[Speedo66]

Just read 3 pages. So???? lol

[AbitNutz]

I did get it off without much of a problem and then...the barrel was short chambered. So....I needed to vivist the gunsmith. The project was in need of someone with skills and and a lathe.

[David2011]

You don't need a lathe for a short chambered barrel. If you can snug the barrel up (it doesn't have to be farm tight) you can complete the job. It's probably only .050" short, easily cut with a finishing reamer, lots of good gutting oil and a "go" headspace gauge. You can rent the parts. Remove all of the parts from the bolt so it has no resistance to closing. The reamer can be turned with a 3/8" drive speed handle and appropriate 8 point socket. Cut, clean the chamber and reamer thoroughly, try and repeat until the bolt handle starts to engage the lugs with the go gauge in place. Once you get that far continue in very small increments and stop just as soon as the bolt will close all the way without feeling springiness as you close the bolt.

My test for perfect chambering is that I like to feel the shoulder of the loaded cartridge just contact the chamber as I close the bolt.

[John 242]

I fix guns on a regular basis that were "gunsmithed" by amateurs. In many cases, they should have left the guns alone and taken them to someone that knows what they're doing. Books often give bad or incomplete advice and Youtube is ten-times worse. I've seen a lot of unsafe work, a lot of hack jobs and a lot of old or poor quality guns that should have been left alone that were turned into money pits. Lots of damage to what were fine guns, caused by someone with the urge to "fix" things that aren't broken. Danny Dremel lives among us.

Another problem is that there are many ways to perform the same job in gunsmithing (more than one way to skin the cat) and all of them can be "right." For example, someone mentioned torquing the heck out of a barrel, but I've been taught that it's wrong to do that; that it causes distortion of the chamber which causes dogs and cats to live together. Is it right or wrong to torque the heck out of a barrel? Depends on who you ask.

The positive side is that there are many amateur gunsmiths that are more skilled than myself, who do better work than myself, and are more knowledgeable than myself, right here on this forum. I never fail to to learn when I read through the threads here. Every day, is a day to learn something new.
When I get to the point that I don't know what I'm doing, which is often, I research the web, I refer back to my book shelf, and if I'm short of time, I ask someone with more experience or expertise than myself. Often I'll do all three together, just to make sure I'm getting all the information I need. Never be too proud to ask for help or take advice and there is no shame in finding competent, professional help.

Two days ago I was trying to reassemble a Savage Model 24 and Youtube, in particular https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBH9lgYdMTM saved my bacon. I made the tool depicted in the video and it saved me a considerable amount of pain, literally. Worked like a absolute charm.

Some good advice I've been given when it comes to gunsmithing is to avoid getting in over your head. Sometimes that's hard to do. Another word of advice was that everyone screws up and most things can be fixed, one way or another.

[Texas by God]

Amen, John 242. Excellent advice. Any one who thinks they know everything can be proven wrong when they least expect it. "Do no harm"- do your research before you turn a screw.
Thomas

[ulav8r]

My test for perfect chambering is that I like to feel the shoulder of the loaded cartridge just contact the chamber as I close the bolt.
If you get that with a loaded cartridge, it is an indication that the cartridge is over SAAMI spec or the chamber is under. That is the feel you should get with a go gauge IF you want the chamber to just barely meet the low end of the SAAMI spec.

[trenches]

Always good advice here. I have a Greek Mannlicher Schoenauer that I bought off of gunbroker. It was listed as a 6.5x54 MS. However when I got the rifle i noticed a 7x57 stamped on the barrel. Which was strange as it is the original barrel. Sometime in it's life is was rebored and chambered for the 7x57. And many of the Greek stamps were gone. In other words it was scrubbed.
I have a Green Mountain 6.5 barrel that I will install on it. And a chamber reamer coming from PTG.
I have to make an action wrench as the receiver is different from a Mauser in profile.
Years ago I made a wrench to remove the barrel from a Turk 95.
I'm going to make a stalking rifle out of it.
Being the poor guy that I am I make many of the tools I need to do a certain job. Sometimes I'm on the lathe or mill longer then the job will take. LOL.
But as they say, money saved is money earned. Along with gaining new knowledge.

[Scrounge]

I have an infinite amount of foul language at my disposal. I've been youtubing the subject for techniques and I'm now confident enough to try it.

Once I get it off is when the fun begins...I have a couple of switch barrel Savages so I know the go-no-go gauge ritual but man it's a worry.

I don't know about anyone who needs to youtube to learn foul language! I got my training in that in the USAF! ;)

You can find copies of Roy Dunlap's Gunsmithing a number of places, and he has descriptions and drawing of the tools you need. Probably lots of others. I've got copies of James Howe's 2-volume set as well. Check out Archive.org with "gunsmithing" as the keyword in your search, and you'll find a lot of stuff there, too. Though Dunlap isn't one of them, for some reason. I have a paperback of his book, a reprint, I got from Amazon, and found a hardback 1979 8th reprinting here on the forum. Love books, but I have a 500gb microsd card each in my phone and tablet with all my metalworking & shooting and other workshop stuff on it except that I haven't gotten scanned yet. I can carry a lot more books around on them than I can in my briefcase. ;) Though there is not much better than sitting down in a comfy chair with a good book...