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Gunsmithing 400 pound gorillas at Remington

Beepy

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Nov 18, 2008
156
0
The Northwest Mountains
How in the bleeding blue blazes do they get those barrels screwed on so Damn tight! I have the correct action wrench, I have a barrel vice block that I've even used with resin. I soaked the tennon threads with penetrating oil. I even grabbed some liquid nitrogen from work to "freeze" the barrel tennon and shank. I can't get 5 hat dang thing to turn! It's an AAC-SD action with the 20" threaded barrel so I was hoping to keep the barrel decent..... any thoughts, ideas, anyone want to to do this thing for me? I'm at my wits end!

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I have a barrel vice block

does not grip like a true barrel clamp

I also have used a hot air gun on the action
 
400 pound gorillas at Remington

You need to heat the barrel close to the action with a propane torch until you see Remington's thread locker bubble out from the front scope base hole then try to loosen it before it cools.


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I use a heavy barrel vise and aluminum collar with rosin. This is attached to a 4x4 bench leg. Put rosin on the action wrench and give it a whack with a heavy wooden club. The shock load works for me, but will also try the heat technique next time.
 
A few months ago I tried to get my gunsmith to remove my barrel from my 700, and he ended up calling me saying that he will not do it because the barrel broke his action wrench.
 
On factory installed barrels I don't fight them, clamp the action in a 6 jaw and use a 3/16 parting bit, cut to a relief and the barrel comes off no problem, and no chance of tweaking the action, and if your going to really reuse the barrel it will need to be set back to use anyways


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couple points here. first, i see guys talking on here and else where about using a cheater bar/pipe on their action wrench etc and the barrel spinning when trying to remove it. have you ever change a tire with a ratchet/breaker bar and then changed one with an impact wrench? big ass differrence. i have turned wrenches for many years and getting a barrel off of a factory remmy isnt even close to the most stubborn fasteners/bolts ive removed.

use a damn hammer/mallet to shock the action wrench. torsional force with a leveraged tool is a bad idea. HEAT....is what gets stuck metals to separate. not cold. i have never frozen a part on a damn thing in my life to get it to free up but i have heated more things then i could ever count. these days i use a magnetic heat inductor that sends controlled flamless heat exactly where you want it but a mexican gas axe works fine. use your head. it doesnt need to be cherry red. use a laser thermometor and bring it to 500-600f and it will come off if its that stubborn.

finally remington doesnt use a gorilla....they use lock tight.
 
couple points here. first, i see guys talking on here and else where about using a cheater bar/pipe on their action wrench etc and the barrel spinning when trying to remove it. have you ever change a tire with a ratchet/breaker bar and then changed one with an impact wrench? big ass differrence. i have turned wrenches for many years and getting a barrel off of a factory remmy isnt even close to the most stubborn fasteners/bolts ive removed.

use a damn hammer/mallet to shock the action wrench. torsional force with a leveraged tool is a bad idea. HEAT....is what gets stuck metals to separate. not cold. i have never frozen a part on a damn thing in my life to get it to free up but i have heated more things then i could ever count. these days i use a magnetic heat inductor that sends controlled flamless heat exactly where you want it but a mexican gas axe works fine. use your head. it doesnt need to be cherry red. use a laser thermometor and bring it to 500-600f and it will come off if its that stubborn.

finally remington doesnt use a gorilla....they use lock tight.

This.


Heat and beat is what it has taken to get my last couple Savage barrel nuts loose, the loctite and mongo putting them on at the factory, and the attorneys telling them more loctite and tighter.

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Oh yeah loctite softens at about 250 degrees btw...

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I get it in the barrel vise and get my wrench around the action and heat it up till I see the crap they put on the threads bubble out or till you can smell it and wack the action wrench with a hammer and it'll pop loose.

Casey
 
Cutting the relief right in front of the receiver face is the safest way to do it. No chance of overheating the metal or tweaking the action. I like to sell the take off barrels so i use the heating method and have never had a problem though it is in the back of my mind on occasion!
 
Well I tried the heat twice and no go..... don't want to cut it cause I am sure someone would want the barrel. I'm thinking I'm going to send it off.

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Well I tried the heat twice and no go..... don't want to cut it cause I am sure someone would want the barrel. I'm thinking I'm going to send it off.

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what action wrench are you using and how much heat have you applied?
 
Wheeler action wrench, it got pretty hot, but I did not see "stuff bubbling out of the scope holes" cause the wrench covers it

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A couple things

1) Heating the thread locker is good, as long as you don't overheat the action so don't make it smoke.

2) I have seen a few folks with split-clamp barrel vises (the double 1/2-round wood or AL inserts) and when tightened down the two sides of the clamp touch and do not provide additional clamping force to the barrel. Make sure when you've tightened the clamp down all the way that you can still see light on both sides of the clamp if you have that type.

3) Impact loading the wrench works well for me however I have the wrap-around style. I would not attempt such a thing with a rear-entry wrench for fear or twisting the action or stress cracking the action at the root of the lug raceway.
 
Beepy,

What vise are you using? About half of these threads the work is trying to be done with a bench vise. A barrel vise is either hydraulic or uses 3/4" bolts that you tighten to 150 foot/pounds. If the barrel is twisting in the vise you've got to crank the vise down. I believe the Wheeler wrench uses a bolt into the action screws, if you haven't sheared the bolt off, your vise is too loose.
 
How in the bleeding blue blazes do they get those barrels screwed on so Damn tight! I have the correct action wrench, I have a barrel vice block that I've even used with resin. I soaked the tennon threads with penetrating oil. I even grabbed some liquid nitrogen from work to "freeze" the barrel tennon and shank. I can't get 5 hat dang thing to turn! It's an AAC-SD action with the 20" threaded barrel so I was hoping to keep the barrel decent..... any thoughts, ideas, anyone want to to do this thing for me? I'm at my wits end!

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I speak truth based on years of banging head against floor over this very subject.

You need the right tools for the job. We remove over a 1000 barrels a year. I've gone through 2 barrel vices till I finally got pissed and made one that will last till the roaches take over.

Action wrenches are the next step. I've destroyed every commercial unit thus far. I made my own from a PTG bolt and a 1/2 drive socket extension. Roset weld the biche and never look back.

Next, is an action wrench that captivates the OD of the receiver for the stubborn ones. Again, I had to make my own as the commercial units were too flimsy.

Last, get top shelf quality 1/2 drive LONG breaker bars from any premium tool vendor. Cry once.

When you get a barrel that's just a prick, grab the OD and stuff the action wrench up the receiver's "o" ring so that you get two points of leverage. Get an extra set of hands to help.

One good smack on the OD wrench with a deadblow (BIG deadblow) is usually enough to pop it loose. Then you finish it off with the smaller tool.

-FWIW you can hear a Mauser wimper "uncle" t when it walks through the door here. :)

Sucks, but if you want reliable results that always work and don't involve fire and the risks associated with scorching a finish or heaven forbid, annealing your action, this is what it takes. It's not a cheap hobby to build guns. Just get used to it.

Good luck.

C.
 
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I built a fixture that captures the recoil lug and prevents the barreled action from turning. Once the lug hits the stop the next thing to move is the action. Rear entry wrench, big T handle and I hope I don't have to see my surgeon for another hernia repair.
 
use common sense when you are tightening the 1/2" clamp bolts on your wheeler action wrench. that simply puts excess clamping load onto the thread mating between the action and the tenon making it sometimes even harder to break loose. make sure the 1/4-28 bolt into the action is tight by wrench not finger tight. if you apply heat apply it at the barrel in front of the lug. let the action bee the heat sink. the barrel is ultimately the sacrifical lamb if need be so put your heat there. sometimes a fiber or composite mallet doesnt "shock" the wrench/action due to its simple deadblow design. you may need to hit it with an actual metal head ball peen or the like around 4-5lb hammer. it mars the wrench handle but tuff shit.
 
First, I don't think you can heat an action enough to mess with the heat treat if you use a propane torch; well maybe if you keep it on there long enough, I don't. I use the shock method on most Remingtons after the heat using a 12lb hammer, BMF on this wrench. I also had to make my own wrench; it has an integral recoil jug capture feature.



This is my setup, had to make this barrel vise also and damn sturdy.

 
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Another perfect application of a "slug wrench".
8524657-11.jpg

Adapt/design to fit your own needs, but this application gets the job done more than most would imagine.
 
Barrel Removal Remington 700 | eBay
I see someone is offering a Rem700 barrel removing service, and someone using one of my pics of my barrel vise that I built with 7/8-14 threaded rod.

He probably got the pic from this forum.
This is not the first time I have seen one of my forum pics being used by someone else on ebay.


But back on topic.
1) The Rem700 receiver deformed by an action wrench is likely to pinch the barrel and make the the receiver - barrel fit even tighter. [Try to minimize that]
2) The Rem700 receiver threads and the barrel threads are of the ~~ the same hardness, and may gall. [Don't let THAT happen]
3) Remington has put the barrels on with some type of glue. Do the next guy a favor and skip the glue.
4) The threads may be rusty. Do the next guy a favor, clean the rust out of the receiver and put some low vapor pressure lube on the threads.
 
Heat is recommended. I use a MAPP torch and it heats quick. I had to do that to a sako trg just to remove the factory sight rail.


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I find it's easiest to just cut the lug out. With the lug gone, you can almost remove it with a strap wrench. A little heat from a propane torch and it'll spin off by hand while the action is still in the chuck.

img_20140113_193811.jpg
 
Try double sided tape on the barrel where it clamps and on your action where your wrench clamps.

Lapping compound can also work in a pinch to prevent slipping.