Hard to remove barrel

guntech

guntech

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I just barrelled a Wby Vanguard. The factory barrel was the hardest barrel to remove I have encountered in many years... the only barrel harder was an Enfield.

Held in my barrel vise and with a large wrench on the action I smacked it hard with a 2 pound brass hammer... a two handed blow. It sounded and felt like I was simply hitting a heavy welders bench... so I set it up in the lathe and made a relief cut close to the action to relieve the shoulder/action pressure and then it came off easily...

Hard to believe how hard the factory snaps these barrels on...
 
guntech said:
I just barrelled a Wby Vanguard. The factory barrel was the hardest barrel to remove I have encountered in many years... the only barrel harder was an Enfield.

Held in my barrel vise and with a large wrench on the action I smacked it hard with a 2 pound brass hammer... a two handed blow. It sounded and felt like I was simply hitting a heavy welders bench... so I set it up in the lathe and made a relief cut close to the action to relieve the shoulder/action pressure and then it came off easily...

Hard to believe how hard the factory snaps these barrels on...
Click to expand...

Not surprised at all. Having to do a parting cut is pretty common on a Howa and it's the same thing as a Vanguard
 
jiffx2781 said:
Not surprised at all. Having to do a parting cut is pretty common on a Howa and it's the same thing as a Vanguard
Click to expand...

Funny, it was a 'complaint' on older ones, but I had two new howas and a new weatherby barreled in the last 2 years, and they came off easy.
 
I've taken barrels out of only 2 of those, one Mossberg and a Vanguard. Both were extremely tight. Cut grooves in both of them. The barrels were garden variety chamberings anyway so they went in the scrap bin....a 270 and an '06 IIRC.

Latest one to give me trouble was a M70 Classic in 7 Mag, had to groove that one also.
 
kamlooky said:
Curious...………..no mention of a bit of heat?
Click to expand...

I had a P14 that I wanted to re-barrel and I couldn't get it to come apart so I took it to a local machine shop and asked the owner to groove the barrel...When I returned to pick it up the action & barrel were laying separated on the bench but no machining evidence on the barrel but the action ring showed significant color change from a "blue wrench treatment... he said "it was just easier & quicker to torch it off"...that action is still kicking around under my bench somewhere "unused".
 
I have had some stubborn barrels and one thing I noticed with the worst ones was bluing salts residues that created rust. Heating helped in most case, but not too hot.

I now use properly fitted vise block that I custom machine on the cnc with the right taper. I can apply a lot more torque than regular straight vise block. I have not had any slippage since, using rosin of course, even with a long cheater bar.
 
If the barrel is worth reusing, it can be set back, or, the shoulder can be cleaned up and a breeching ring made.
 
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