Doable? Could you take a piece of wood and shpe it to the action and then clamp it in a vise? Or am I just asking for trouble? Trying to keep my costs down if I can, but also not totally opposed to spending the money now if it'll save me in the long run. Thoughts?
Homemade Action Vise
- Thread starter TPB12335
- Start date
coolpoolken
CGN Regular
- Location
- Cold Lake, Alberta
Might depend on the action. I made one out of wood to hold a Savage action for barrel removal. Works real good!!.....Ken
Not really, clamping in a vise doesn't usually give enough gripping power. For any action vise, a very easy set up is two 1" thick x 1.5" x 4" plates with bolts through them. If the bottom plate is 6" wide it can be bolted down to the bench. Tightening the bolts gives a much higher clamping force than a even the best bench vise. The only real difficult part for a guy with no decent tools or shop would be making the appropriate sized insert. I bore a 1.350" hole in a short piece of 2" x 2" aluminum then split it. Your local machine shop should be able to do that for you quickly and cheaply. 10" of 1"x1.5" stock cut at the 4" mark, and a piece of 2x2 aluminum bored to 1.350" can't be that expensive and will last you forever. Buy the barrel nut wrench, the SSS is better. Google brownells action vise for pics.
If you're going super cheap and don't have the resources for a proper action wrench, you could conceivably make a heavy hardwood version of an action wrench and wrap heavy iron straps around it, then bolt though it. It would take a fair bit of work, and would wear out eventually, but if you don't have another option it should work. Maybe add a lead or brass shim to the wrench that would take the direct pressure and deform before deforming the wood, and so could be replaced each time.
I have made a bunch of action wrench and barrel vise stuff. I usually start with 2"x2" steel bar. I have given up on 1/2-13 bolts for barrel vises, and now use heavier stuff, like 7/8-14.
I sometimes need 600 foot pounds of torque to get 70 year old barrels off military receivers.
I found squeezing a round action like a 700 onto the barrel threads makes it harder to remove... I much prefer the internal 'spade' wrench for round actions.
On military actions I found the shock of a hammer blow to be more effective than torque in breaking a barrel loose.
On military actions I found the shock of a hammer blow to be more effective than torque in breaking a barrel loose.
I use both vises often. On a factory Savage barrel it tapers almost randomly and making a tapered insert would be a lot harder than holding the action. The original barrel nut is hard to get off and takes a good clamping. An action vise is just easier. On a second install, I use the barrel vise if the barrel has significant non tapered shank for the insert and internal wrench, I use a torque wrench with the internal wrench.
gunrunner8
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Kamloops, B.C.
X2. Those advices are as good as they come. The two 7/8x14tpi bolts on barrel vise are an overkill IMO and so would be two 3/4x16tpi. My own barrel vises have two 5/8x18tpi 8 grade bolts with min 1 1/4" long thread to engage in to and if they are very, very tight then the chamber would be in danger of being squashed! I also use my own internal wrench b/c collection of external ones would be very, very expensive and marring the receivers would be the ever present danger....
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I used one of Gunrunner8's bbl vices that he makes (with an internal wrench ) on a 96 Swede of mine - and boy that sucker was on sooo tight -- it took one hell of a "T" snipe but it did the job witout twisting the old action.
I dont think it would have worked out with an external wrench.
my 2 cents
I dont think it would have worked out with an external wrench.
my 2 cents
gunrunner8
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Kamloops, B.C.
Even so-so machinist is able to turn tapered bushing on the lathe, the secret is to use liberal amount of rosin or powdered sugar for slip free and marr free barrel change.
by internal action wrench, do you mean one that imitates the bold and locking lugs, extends out of the end of the action so you can put some form of bar on it?
what material do you use to make this?
I assume these require a Good RAP with a hammer as opposed to increasing torque to break a military barrel loose?
have you ever twisted one of these off?
Military actions are best held with a clamping wrench over the top of the action and across the recoil lug. The barrel held in a sturdy vise. Round actions like the Rem 700 can use an internal wrench.
Barrel Vise
Clamping Wrench
Internal Spade Wrench
Barrel Vise
Clamping Wrench
Internal Spade Wrench
