My Monday was in need of some sort of tinkering on the job and I decided today was a good day to start the barrel vise project. Having my new Cadex chassis in the mail and a barrelled action staring back at me was also a good motivational push.
For the vise block I used two slabs of metal 6x7x1. I wasn't particularly fussy with the dimensions and with my luck I found a piece that was 6x7x1 with the corners drilled and tapped for 5/8 bolts. Good enough for the intended purpose, I made a matching piece but instead of threading the holes I oversized them to 3/4" so the bolts would slide through and mate with the bottom plate. I added coil springs to the shank of each 4" bolt for cosmetics and ease of use. This isn't required but makes for a professional looking tool.
Assembly now consisted of the two plates, 8 washers, 4 springs.
I welded a piece of 1/2" flat bar to the bottom so I had something to grip the device in my bench mounted vise. This could of been anything really angle, or any SS shape. YMMV.
I needed a v block of sorts to clamp the barrel. I decided on some maple 2x2 strips we had at the shop and cut them into 3" sections. I drilled two at 7/8" and two at 1". I went back to the saw and halved them through the hole to make a two part saddle. With this I could manipulate to fit the barrel as far back or forward as I needed and exchange size if need be.
I ended up using both of the 7/8" jigs, and certain the one furthest from the muzzle was doing all the work.
With a little messing around, and a couple cracks in the wood to tell me pressure was right, I had my barrel secure.
I read online that MAP gas was the gas to use because propane heats up way to fast and it might ruin the finish. Well I didn't have MAP gas and I have half a wit of common sense so I just held the propane torch about 5 " away from the piece. I went from 3oclock to 9oclock with a slight pause on the ends. When the temperature gun read around 200F, I stuck two screw drivers in and it broke off with about 20lbs of force.
Once it broke free it easily spun the rest of the way off and the threads where in perfect shape.
Confirmed the 5/8 x 24 tpi for new break.
I hit the threads with the wire brush and removed the remaining locking agent from the factory.
Now to decide on the MX1 or APA Fat Bastard.
Even after roasting the muzzle a quick wipe yielded no damage and was none the worse for damage.
This job seemed daunting at first and I was really impressed with the ease of which it unraveled.
So I decided to type this damn thing on my iPhone and hopefully one Remmy owner gets something useful out of it. If anyone wants a specific angle or has a question about any part of the process don't be shy.
I'll do what I can to help, or ship you the vise block to borrow on your dime
For the vise block I used two slabs of metal 6x7x1. I wasn't particularly fussy with the dimensions and with my luck I found a piece that was 6x7x1 with the corners drilled and tapped for 5/8 bolts. Good enough for the intended purpose, I made a matching piece but instead of threading the holes I oversized them to 3/4" so the bolts would slide through and mate with the bottom plate. I added coil springs to the shank of each 4" bolt for cosmetics and ease of use. This isn't required but makes for a professional looking tool.
Assembly now consisted of the two plates, 8 washers, 4 springs.
I welded a piece of 1/2" flat bar to the bottom so I had something to grip the device in my bench mounted vise. This could of been anything really angle, or any SS shape. YMMV.
I needed a v block of sorts to clamp the barrel. I decided on some maple 2x2 strips we had at the shop and cut them into 3" sections. I drilled two at 7/8" and two at 1". I went back to the saw and halved them through the hole to make a two part saddle. With this I could manipulate to fit the barrel as far back or forward as I needed and exchange size if need be.
I ended up using both of the 7/8" jigs, and certain the one furthest from the muzzle was doing all the work.
With a little messing around, and a couple cracks in the wood to tell me pressure was right, I had my barrel secure.
I read online that MAP gas was the gas to use because propane heats up way to fast and it might ruin the finish. Well I didn't have MAP gas and I have half a wit of common sense so I just held the propane torch about 5 " away from the piece. I went from 3oclock to 9oclock with a slight pause on the ends. When the temperature gun read around 200F, I stuck two screw drivers in and it broke off with about 20lbs of force.
Once it broke free it easily spun the rest of the way off and the threads where in perfect shape.
Confirmed the 5/8 x 24 tpi for new break.
I hit the threads with the wire brush and removed the remaining locking agent from the factory.
Now to decide on the MX1 or APA Fat Bastard.
Even after roasting the muzzle a quick wipe yielded no damage and was none the worse for damage.
This job seemed daunting at first and I was really impressed with the ease of which it unraveled.
So I decided to type this damn thing on my iPhone and hopefully one Remmy owner gets something useful out of it. If anyone wants a specific angle or has a question about any part of the process don't be shy.
I'll do what I can to help, or ship you the vise block to borrow on your dime
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