Re-indexing a barrel at home ?

A

arcaner

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Vancouver, BC, CA
I would like to know if its even possible to do with regular home tool ?

I would like to re-index my norinco m14 so that the front sigth align correctly (yes, I'm 100% sure my flash hider is perfect and not crocked.)

(the gas system, the flash hider and the op rod guide are all a bit to the left.)


I have look at the sticky but those use a barrel vise that I dont have and would prefer not to buy just to do it once.


Is there some way / instruction to do it with a regular home vise and wood *brushing* ?

I also have a big huge wrench for the action.


Does a 1 or 2 degree turn will require that I test the chamber with headspace gauge ?
 
The mere fact that you asking those questions should be an indication to you that you should leave that kind of work to a pro. Think of it this way, let's say you own a wrench set, screwdriver, hammer and a couple of pliers and a Chilton manual. Would you be comfortable in replacing the piston rings in the engine in your car?

There are some things that we should leave to the experts and pay them the big bucks. By the way, take a look at this post and see whether you really want to mess around with something you are not familiar with.

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=702246
 
I can index barrels in my shop. I have a heavy vise, a barrel vise, a receiver wrench, a precision level, and headspace gauges. Also have the tools to extract the stupid lockscrew on the right side of the receiver.
You might be able to do the job with an improvised setup, without damaging the barrel or receiver. Personally, I think that this is one of those jobs best done with the correct tools.
 
I got your back if you wanna send me the barreled receiver, all stripped down! I can turn this around to you inside a week. Especially since you are next door in Quebec! :D

Send me a PM ....

Cheers,
Barney
 
Hungry said:
I got your back if you wanna send me the barreled receiver, all stripped down! I can turn this around to you inside a week. Especially since you are next door in Quebec! :D

Send me a PM ....

Cheers,
Barney
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lol wow..what a guy!
 
DasJager said:
lol wow..what a guy!
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yes he is , barney helped me index mine on his way to a seminar past ottawa, stopped in my garage and took me through it step by step, hell it took longer to explain the process than to actually do it ..lol hes a great guy and knows wtf he's doing.

ohh and your #### prob wont fall off either ...Laugh2
 
When I indexed my barrel at one of Hungrys clinics it took alot of force to move the receiver, and it finally made a loud crack and a wisp of smoke rose up out of the receiver :eek:
I wouldnt attempt this without the proper barrel vice , but the job is pretty simple .

DSC02938.jpg

I was hanging off the end of the wrench to get it to move and I weigh 210 lbs
DSC02939.jpg
 
I would really like to get the bench open again soon to help all the folks out that have been contacting me since I shut er down recently.
In reality, I have work booked that will easily keep me busy till late spring.
BUT, I do have a spare barrel vice/receiver wrench set. With 5 barrel vices fixed to the bench, the sixth one is a spare hehehe
So I was contemplating a tool rental service. A nominal user fee plus deposit and shipping.... Anyone like that idea?
 
chalkriver said:
When I indexed my barrel at one of Hungrys clinics it took alot of force to move the receiver, and it finally made a loud crack and a wisp of smoke rose up out of the receiver :eek:
I wouldnt attempt this without the proper barrel vice , but the job is pretty simple .
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When I hear stuff like that it makes me wonder if some of these barrels are being over torqued during reindexing causing them to fracture near the threads. I think the barrels should be removed completely from the receiver then some Neverseez applied to the threads before reindexing. It would only add a couple of extra minutes to the process and most likely prevent damage to the barrel.
 
chalkriver said:
When I indexed my barrel at one of Hungrys clinics it took alot of force to move the receiver, and it finally made a loud crack and a wisp of smoke rose up out of the receiver :eek:
...hmmm, reminds me of another thread, where someone had blown what must hve been a cracked barrel off of his chambered round... a very interesting set of pics in this thread, on CGN... looked as though the high pressure gases exacerbated a crack and the barrel from around mid-chamber flew off, in a forwardly direction...!

Hmm, yeah, 'overtorqued at the factory', who knows? My front sight's all crooked looking, but the bullets still seem to fly to the point of aim... tho it sure is weird to look at.

Wish I'd never sold my ol' Winchester '14...
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WWIII said:
When I hear stuff like that it makes me wonder if some of these barrels are being over torqued during reindexing causing them to fracture near the threads. I think the barrels should be removed completely from the receiver then some Neverseez applied to the threads before reindexing. It would only add a couple of extra minutes to the process and most likely prevent damage to the barrel.
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I 'break' free heavily torqued bolts in my job on a daily basis. Its nothing new for a loud snap, pop, creak, 'smoke'/dust/rust whisp to occur when breaking them loose. And there is nothing wrong with the bolts 99.9% of the time.
Now anti seize has copper and aluminum mixed into a graphite bearing grease.
Two metals I would like to keep out of precision mated steel (ferrous) surfaces. And you want the barrel to be dry torqued so it will stay put once its there.
 
ciphery said:
I 'break' free heavily torqued bolts in my job on a daily basis. Its nothing new for a loud snap, pop, creak, 'smoke'/dust/rust whisp to occur when breaking them loose. And there is nothing wrong with the bolts 99.9% of the time.
Now anti seize has copper and aluminum mixed into a graphite bearing grease.
Two metals I would like to keep out of precision mated steel (ferrous) surfaces. And you want the barrel to be dry torqued so it will stay put once its there.
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x2 it's nothing abnormal. And I would certainly not want to apply antiseize in this application (or most), you going to throw off your friction coefficient and likely overtorque the barrel. Or it's going to come loose.
 
Sorry the threadjack btw, but I just picked up a 2009 poly and the barrel is slightly out of index (canted slightly to the right side when looking through the rear sight), that means it's slightly undertorqued?
 
Correct , yours is undertightened as was mine , If you look at the second photo I supplied I pulled down on the wrench to tighten the barrel and yours would be done the same way
 
ciphery said:
I 'break' free heavily torqued bolts in my job on a daily basis. Its nothing new for a loud snap, pop, creak, 'smoke'/dust/rust whisp to occur when breaking them loose. And there is nothing wrong with the bolts 99.9% of the time.
Now anti seize has copper and aluminum mixed into a graphite bearing grease.
Two metals I would like to keep out of precision mated steel (ferrous) surfaces. And you want the barrel to be dry torqued so it will stay put once its there.
Click to expand...

Breaking bolts loose is quite different from torquing a barrel in or a bolt for that matter. Never Seez has different formulations, some with nickel, SS or moly. Most jacketed bullets have copper jackets, some with moly and foul the barrel rifling and has no effect to barrel metallurgy. Applying a lubricant to threads won’t make the barrel come loose otherwise Never Seez would defeat its purpose and become “Never Use“, besides the Chinese M14’s have a retaining screw to prevent the barrel from loosening. For the extra two minutes, backing the barrel off, cleaning and lubricating the threads then re-torquing just makes good sense IMO.
 
WWIII said:
Breaking bolts loose is quite different from torquing a barrel in or a bolt for that matter. Never Seez has different formulations, some with nickel, SS or moly. Most jacketed bullets have copper jackets, some with moly and foul the barrel rifling and has no effect to barrel metallurgy. Applying a lubricant to threads won’t make the barrel come loose otherwise Never Seez would defeat its purpose and become “Never Use“, besides the Chinese M14’s have a retaining screw to prevent the barrel from loosening. For the extra two minutes, backing the barrel off, cleaning and lubricating the threads then re-torquing just makes good sense IMO.
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Cleaning threads is a good idea. I'm not a m14 (or firearms in general) expert by any means, but lubricating the threads on most fasteners may not be recommended. Lubricating fasteners will change the friction coefficient between the two surfaces and will not allow the fastener to be torqued to the proper spec, unless the manufacturer specifies that the fastener is to be torqued wet, and it is usually specific to an exact lubricant. Slapping on a bunch of antiseize may result in the fastener being torqued to it's yield threshold, while only applying the same amount of force as you would on dry threads. I've seen plenty of backyard mechanics slap antiseize all over their vehicles only end up with a bunch of broken studs/bolts and pulled threads. Just my 2cents, like I said I'm new to m14's.
 
chalkriver said:
Correct , yours is undertightened as was mine , If you look at the second photo I supplied I pulled down on the wrench to tighten the barrel and yours would be done the same way
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Perfect, thank you sir. So the barrel simply needs to be tightened another degree or two, is that pretty much the extent of the job (vs. Removing a barrel that's been over torqued and reinstalling)? I don't really have the aspiration to do this myself without the vice, but I'm just curious.
 
The barrel does not rely on the threads persay. It is the torque shoulder that determines "tightness" of the threads. An m14 barrel is not a fastener. I have never seen an issue with metallurgical reactions or barrel loosening on antiseize treated m14 barrels. Some riflesmiths use it as the chinese receiver has a pesky set screw that when removed, allows moisture direct access to the barrel threads. The compounds used also offer excellent vapour barrier/corrosion resistance and also prevent thread binding and galling while barrel is torqued to the necessary 80 to 90 foot pounds.
 
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