Removing a Rem. Barrel

[scpaul]

I found a length of old lead pipe that I cut to use as extra barrel grip for vise. Too bad AFTER my fun with .270TH build. The lead conforms to any barrel contour and just provides better grip. When it breaks down, some great jig material!

I do have a stash of some old sheet lead from when they used it for pipe flashing on roofs. Great idea, I hadn't even thought about or remembered that I had it. I guess that now that it causes all kinds of problems you probably have to have a hazardous material certification to buy any assuming that it's still made. Thanks for the idea.

 

[tony d willIiams]

I pulled a factory barrel from 700 SPS for 300WSM build and it was like little pressure and spun off easy peasy.!

Then:

Anybody recall the joy I had removing a 700 barrel for .270TH build?
Barrel vise
Wheeler action wrench
4' cheater bar
MAC gas
Kroiled for a week
21/2 lb anvil hammer
Jim Beam

I tried everything from beating crap out of it, bent schedule 80 4' pipe putting pressure on it, MAC gas torch heat and could not get it off. I finally brought rifle to Mark Penrod Penrod Precision. It took extraordinary amount of effort to remove. We found out previous build used thread locker. It worked great!

Having been a huge fan of the different types and uses of thread lockers over the years, 140℉ breaks them down. Fine unless a scope or tiny parts are in the area to be heated. Can still be done, (usually), I have an old soldering gun, tip turns red hot.

 

[scpaul]

I have the tools to cut the wooden blocks to fit into my vise. I have one of the old ones that turn around horizontally but rotates the jaws around 360*. The fact that the action wrench will work makes me feel better. I thought both being 2 lug bolts, I was hoping.

This is the original barrel on this Sportsman 78, made prior to '81 as best as I can remember. Remington didn't use any type of thread locker back then, did they?

 

[scpaul]

I do have a stash of some old sheet lead from when they used it for pipe flashing on roofs. Great idea, I hadn't even thought about or remembered that I had it. I guess that now that it causes all kinds of problems you probably have to have a hazardous material certification to buy any assuming that it's still made. Thanks for the idea.

Just caught the jig reply. What you jigging for walleyes?

 

[Rocketeer77]

I pulled a factory barrel from 700 SPS for 300WSM build and it was like little pressure and spun off easy peasy.!

Then:

Anybody recall the joy I had removing a 700 barrel for .270TH build?
Barrel vise
Wheeler action wrench
4' cheater bar
MAC gas
Kroiled for a week
21/2 lb anvil hammer
Jim Beam

I tried everything from beating crap out of it, bent schedule 80 4' pipe putting pressure on it, MAC gas torch heat and could not get it off. I finally brought rifle to Mark Penrod Penrod Precision. It took extraordinary amount of effort to remove. We found out previous build used thread locker. It worked great!

Heat works well on loctite very well, assuming the old barrel is going then heat that near the action say to around 200C is enough. The action won't get that hot so no effect on the metal. Turn the action off while it's still hot use leather gloves. If it's not high temperature Loctite then about 120C should do it?

 

[Mike Matteson]

I pulled a factory barrel from 700 SPS for 300WSM build and it was like little pressure and spun off easy peasy.!

Then:

Anybody recall the joy I had removing a 700 barrel for .270TH build?
Barrel vise
Wheeler action wrench
4' cheater bar
MAC gas
Kroiled for a week
21/2 lb anvil hammer
Jim Beam

I tried everything from beating crap out of it, bent schedule 80 4' pipe putting pressure on it, MAC gas torch heat and could not get it off. I finally brought rifle to Mark Penrod Penrod Precision. It took extraordinary amount of effort to remove. We found out previous build used thread locker. It worked great!

Like my dad alway said. Use a bigger hammer son. Do force it!

 

[scpaul]

Never been much for a hammer/brute force, you have heard of hydraulics, haha.

 

[44-40]

I take off many barrels from Remington 700 factory actions. You need the right tools for the job. Warning the worst case...You can bend a 1 " solid steel bar with a cheater bar and not budge some barrrels, they have to be machined off. Rusted on? Is what it looked like. Get the heaviest duty action wrench and vise you can find all steel and weighs a bunch. The wooden oak blocks will crush and slip in the barrel vise. Use aluminum machined to the exact barrel diameter and slit in half. Lube the 1" dia hardened barrel vise bolts so as not to gall the threads as you tighten the nuts 1 1/2" nuts use a 2 foot cheater and your weight. I do this on a big heavy Bridgeport mill table. Tape the action with black electrical tape cause you're gonna reuse it. Use the recoil lug cutout and the 5/16" bolt through the bottom of the 700 action clamp up the action tight. The process begins..it's all heavy duty and requires strong vise and heavy bench ...don't give up until you start to damage the barrel take off tools...then it's over to the lathe, and use a parting tool backed off .001-".002" from the recoil lug cut down below the recoil lug diameter of the barrel ...release the pressure against the recoil lug. So the barrel and action are now under no pressure...just sitting there like a bolt and nut you can thread on with your fingers...not so fast the **** thing is rusted on, glued on cause it's gonna still take a fair amount of effort to get it started...use penetrating oil ...it helps some. Then remachine your damaged factory action wrench. That's about all I know about that. Some are very difficult especially if 50 yrs old. I iuse my own internal action wrench for installing new barrels at 95 ft/lbs that uses the whole action not just the front lugs...never attempt to take off a Rem 700 barrel with an internal action wrench ..too much pressure is need to take off and damage your reciever...its okay if the action is designed for that or reworked for that but not an off the shelf Remington 700.

 

[LuvDog]

I have a factory R700 that is putting up a great fight right now. I need to try heat next.

 

[44-40]

I have a factory R700 that is putting up a great fight right now. I need to try heat next.

I do not use heat...the gun metal is heat a critical heat treatment by the manufacturer that affects the pressure the metal can repeatedly handle.
I would mill 2 parallel flats on the barrel, put in the Kurt milling vise tighten down hard with the vise handle with your weight, then 2 good smacks with a rubber mallet. The barrel will now stay put with the flats and 100,000 lbs of pressure on it. But will it still come off with a properly tightend and installed action wrench.. cheater bar or hammer taps on handle, like an impact wrench, will usually do the trick. If not then use the lathe and parting tool method, cut a relief groove next to the barrel lug with .001" clearance. Tap the lug away from the orginial shoulder with a rubber mallet as you will reuse this recoil lug...now the action and barrel are free to turn, but stubborn barrels need to add penetrating oil and back to the barrel removal vise & action wrench. Even the most stubborn barrel are removed with this procedure.

 

[scpaul]

Thanks, but if I go through all of that and a 3' pipewrench I'm headed for Ga.

 

[44-40]

Thanks, but if I go through all of that and a 3' pipewrench I'm headed for Ga.

Ya gotta do what ya gotta do...life is not always instantaneous gratification... sometimes ya got to work to accomplish a particular task.
Barrel removal is like that, but with experience and learning curve, the tough projects are always solved and become much easier each time. Cutting the recoil lug loose is easy a matter of minutes...now it's free to turn...except for the helical cam action against the threads and maybe a little rust...pour on a little penetrating oil, and after a few minutes the action unscrews.
A struggling 8 yr old girl could now do it...under supervision and if she weights at least 65 lbs.
Teach the kids a little gunsmithing, swing building, tree climbing, painting, driving nails and screws. So 2/3 of the girls around here have guns they shoot with dad supervised of coarse, they are under 10, one received a bolt 223 for her 10th birthday, she wanted an AR. I would have her building her own AR. Learning trigonometry, machine tools, reloading , gunpowder, knives, problemsolving, critical thinking, & safety. "Quit whining, those kids won't let ya play on their swing, so build your own, kid." And we did, these are all girls only one boy in the neighborhood. "What did ya learn in school today?" I ask. And 95% of the time, the answer is "nothing." I tell them you have to learn something new every day, and give them a short lesson.

 

[scpaul]

Man after my own heart. I wish that we could abolish 1 word from the American language. "CAN'T"!!!!!

 

[Jasbo]

I take off many barrels from Remington 700 factory actions. You need the right tools for the job. Warning the worst case...You can bend a 1 " solid steel bar with a cheater bar and not budge some barrrels, they have to be machined off. Rusted on? Is what it looked like. Get the heaviest duty action wrench and vise you can find all steel and weighs a bunch. The wooden oak blocks will crush and slip in the barrel vise. Use aluminum machined to the exact barrel diameter and slit in half. Lube the 1" dia hardened barrel vise bolts so as not to gall the threads as you tighten the nuts 1 1/2" nuts use a 2 foot cheater and your weight. I do this on a big heavy Bridgeport mill table. Tape the action with black electrical tape cause you're gonna reuse it. Use the recoil lug cutout and the 5/16" bolt through the bottom of the 700 action clamp up the action tight. The process begins..it's all heavy duty and requires strong vise and heavy bench ...don't give up until you start to damage the barrel take off tools...then it's over to the lathe, and use a parting tool backed off .001-".002" from the recoil lug cut down below the recoil lug diameter of the barrel ...release the pressure against the recoil lug. So the barrel and action are now under no pressure...just sitting there like a bolt and nut you can thread on with your fingers...not so fast the **** thing is rusted on, glued on cause it's gonna still take a fair amount of effort to get it started...use penetrating oil ...it helps some. Then remachine your damaged factory action wrench. That's about all I know about that. Some are very difficult especially if 50 yrs old. I iuse my own internal action wrench for installing new barrels at 95 ft/lbs that uses the whole action not just the front lugs...never attempt to take off a Rem 700 barrel with an internal action wrench ..too much pressure is need to take off and damage your reciever...its okay if the action is designed for that or reworked for that but not an off the shelf Remington 700.

44-40, Nicely done work plan. Would you elaborate on this, "Use the recoil lug cutout and the 5/16" bolt through the bottom of the 700 action clamp up the action tight."?
I don't understand this step of your work plan. That is, the 5/16" bolt insertion step.