Good barrel vice?

M

MartyK2500

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
278   0   0
Location
Quebec
I have been looking around.
I got the wheeler Savage 10 wrench combo (second wrench for removing smooth nut instead of pipe wrench), and my 308 GO-NO GO gauges.
The only thing missing before ordering my barrel, will be a good vice.

What are you using and how do you like it?
So far i have seen the benchsource barrel vice on X-reloads site that looks decent, but out of stock.

btw, english is not my first language, from one website to another their either spell it vice or vise, so yeah my spelling may be wrong here.
 
Marty,
check out gtsprecision. He is a member here. He sells a good barrel vice and the price was very reasonable when I got mine. He is in Ontario. I am not far from you and shipping was $15 at the time.


EDIT:

if you want a loan of mine. Let me know. You would need to make up your own wooden jaws to fit your barrel. All you need is to drill a hole in a block of LSL and cut it down the middle.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the offer.
I usually like to gear up on my own so i will be looking for one.
The GST vice uses a wooden block, i can see it some benefit to this (less barrel marking) and some drawback (maybe less grip on the barrel?)
 
I use a hydraulic press, wood blocks, and .040" pond liner in between the barrel and blocks for extra grip. With that setup I was able to use ordinary softwood (2x4) for the blocks. The softer wood conforms to the barrel and the pond liner grips it. Plus steel plates above and below the wood to back it up.
 
I don't change barrels that often so no great sample size. But the LSL allows you to clamp down barrel, grips well and surprisingly it does not split. I had my doubts until I used it. I have had home made hardwood jaws split on me before I got this vice.
I did not have to use Rosin with the LSL to grip either and you can make replacement jaws cheap if you need to.

EDIT: LSL = laminated strand lumber.
 
Last edited:
Great idea on the LSL. I'll try that next time. The 2x4 blocks are a single use item, to be honest. I just screw 'em together and then drill down the seam. But I'll try scrounge a chunk of LSL from my construction friends.
 
I am using a viper barrel vise and would recommend it or any vise of that same style. I would not recommend one that requires wood blocks as that is not needed for a switch barrel rifle. With the viper you can put the barrel in with or without a toilet paper cardboard tube and it will still grip the barrel enough to put on a barrel or remove one. The barrels only need torqued to 70 ft lbs and I would recommend you get some metal free anti-seize as well.

Also with a small vise like the viper and a couple C clamps you can swap barrels anywhere with some sort of table to clamp onto.

If you need to take off factory barrels you will need a vise designed for that.
 
X2 for the Viper barrel vice. You can deal with him directly or by one of his from Sinclair’s/Brownell’s.
 
Yep looks very nice indeed

rIqkGW6h.jpg
 
x3 on viper.. get ahold of him direct.

- He uses return springs under the plate. the springs lift the top plate off the vise so you don't have to fight with the vise trying to get your action out.
- the springs lift the top plate out of the way reducing the chance of damaging your crown.
- powder coated for long wear.
- great guy, give yourself an hour :) if calling as he is a wealth of knowledge and very friendly.
- he is on CGN under Bob Pastor

All the best
Trevor
 
Here is the one I use regularly. Made it years ago. Two pieces of 1 1/2" square steel bar, 1 1/2" diameter split aluminum bushings. Have a load of bushings, some brass sleeves as well. 7/8" clamping bolts. I just grab it in a monster vise; with a longer bottom bar, it could be clamped down to a bench. Made and sold a few of these. Time, material and shipping cost resulted in them being more expensive than I thought they were worth for such a simple device. Cut the bars; drill the clamping holes; bolt together with a shim between; set up in 4 jaw chuck, drill and bore hole for bushings; drill, bore and split bushings as needed.
001.jpg
 

Attachments

  • 001.jpg
    001.jpg
    111.3 KB · Views: 195
tiriaq said:
Here is the one I use regularly. Made it years ago. Two pieces of 1 1/2" square steel bar, 1 1/2" diameter split aluminum bushings. Have a load of bushings, some brass sleeves as well. 7/8" clamping bolts. I just grab it in a monster vise; with a longer bottom bar, it could be clamped down to a bench. Made and sold a few of these. Time, material and shipping cost resulted in them being more expensive than I thought they were worth for such a simple device. Cut the bars; drill the clamping holes; bolt together with a shim between; set up in 4 jaw chuck, drill and bore hole for bushings; drill, bore and split bushings as needed.
View attachment 135021
Click to expand...

Simple simply works!
 
I think most older smiths made their own... not much available back then...

This is made from 2 inch stock turned to 1.5 inches 'thick' with a 1.5 inch hole bored for home made steel bushings bored to fit. Bolted to a heavy plate bolted to a solid bench.
barrel_vise.jpg
 
guntech said:
I think most older smiths made their own... not much available back then...

This is made from 2 inch stock turned to 1.5 inches 'thick' with a 1.5 inch hole bored for home made steel bushings bored to fit. Bolted to a heavy plate bolted to a solid bench.
barrel_vise.jpg
Click to expand...

Without a doubt that real gunsmiths made tools for their own special needs.
I feel that today with certain rifles using prefit barrel systems (like my savage)
Anyone with a vise, a wrench, a set of GO NOGO gauges, and a little know how, can bypass the need for a smith.
Not in my case as i'm in 308, but people using barrel burners, it could be a huge advantage to just swap pipes on your own time and terms, and have 1 or 2 extras lying around for next time.

I don't see many savages at the range though, the 700 seems very popular.
 
Mentioning Savage... I put together a little project on a 700 action. Think a bolt action service rifle - .223 700 in a MDT LSS chassis. Retrofitted a Savage 1-9 .223 barrel, using a Savage barrel nut. Dealing with that nut when setting the barrel to correct headspace was a royal pain. And I have purpose built wrench to hold the nut, the barrel vise shown above, external action wrench, internal action wrench. So much easier to work with a barrel shoulder. Do it once, and its done.
029.jpg
 

Attachments

  • 029.jpg
    029.jpg
    50.1 KB · Views: 155
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom