Gunsmithing Viper barrel vise or bench vise with inserts??
- Thread starter Schw15
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Buy once cry once... a good barrel vise will outlive you!
Non-bushing barrel vises don't have the same surface contact than a properly sized bushing vise. However, the Viper and similar styles will do the job for any application where you don't need high levels of force to remove a barrel. Any vise will work to fit a barrel, it's removing a stubborn barrel where you need the extra grip. Lots of good choices these days. The Short Action Custom Bravo vise is a great value.
https://shop.shortactioncustoms.com...tenance-and-set-up/products/bravo-barrel-vise
https://shop.shortactioncustoms.com...tenance-and-set-up/products/bravo-barrel-vise
I use the Ross Precision Vise. It can be bolted down to a bench, but if I need a real tough grip I hold it in a shop press. Usually I just switch barrels in the bench vise.
I had one similar to the viper cause I was being cheap. I used it once and didn't have any issues but it didn't give me the up most confidence. I wrapped my barrel in hockey tape to prevent marking up the barrel, it worked but that was a pain. I went ahead and bought the brownells with the inserts, works much better and no worry of slippage
I took the same path. Started with the Viper, but removing Tikka barrels exceeded its range. Bought the Brownells vise. It's a beast.
I have used 3 different barrel vises. Of the the 3 the Viper worked best for me on my non-quick change AI's. The Wheeler with the blocks just didn't hold and i crushed the blocks. The Bald Eagle with the smooth surface never held well even with rosin. The Viper worked great. I toque my barrels to 90 flbs and it left no marks. I know some factory barrels are on very tight almost like they are welded I don't know how the Viper will work on those but for my AI's it does the job.
I really like the viper, I use card stock with mine it seems to grip well and doesn't mar the finish on the barrel.
What do you use on your bench vise?
The vice your great, great grandbrats will be using:
LRI SuperDuty Series: Professional Gunsmithing Barrel Vise
The "LRI SuperDuty Series" of products are made to answer the need for commercial-grade tools specific to the gunsmithing industry. These tools have been vetted in our own facility for years (sometimes in excess of a decade) prior to being offered to the public. The SuperDuty Barrel Vise has...
www.longriflesinc.com
I would love too but i dont think i would change enough barrels to pay for it haha
I love this design. I am looking at making something similar. Would you be willing to sell the collets?The vice your great, great grandbrats will be using:
LRI SuperDuty Series: Professional Gunsmithing Barrel Vise
The "LRI SuperDuty Series" of products are made to answer the need for commercial-grade tools specific to the gunsmithing industry. These tools have been vetted in our own facility for years (sometimes in excess of a decade) prior to being offered to the public. The SuperDuty Barrel Vise has...www.longriflesinc.com
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I see brownells makes something similar, but no where near as robust and skookum as yours.
The OD of my tikka A1 barrel is 1.125". Can't find a collet for that anywhere (unless its the same as the rem varm).
Man that’s nice! Are those 2” diameter bushings? I wonder if they’re sold separately from the vice? Awesome piece of equipment.
Most of the time I just put the Ross Vise in my standard bench mounted vise which is an old Littleton vise. A common vise like a Wilton or Irwin would work fine. The Ross Vise can be mounted directly to a bench with longer bolts and necessary washers you can get at most hardware stores.
Ross Precision
www.rossprecisionmt.com Yeah i have a bench vise already be nice just to throw one in it instead of mounting it. I like his pretty neat ideaMost of the time I just put the Ross Vise in my standard bench mounted vise which is an old Littleton vise. A common vise like a Wilton or Irwin would work fine. The Ross Vise can be mounted directly to a bench with longer bolts and necessary washers you can get at most hardware stores.
Ross Precision
The other thing you will need is rosin you can get it from Brownells. Rosin is just a powder you rub on the grip surface to prevent slipping, it's not exclusive for the Ross Vise I've had to use it on several different barrel vises during my career.
Bought one of Marks at SAC, has worked very well. I bought quite a few of his inserts and also made my own for odd barrels (tikkas being one of them). Any good barrel vise with inserts is going to cost you $$ dont skimp and it will pay back when removing stubborn barrels.
Casey
Casey
Almost went with the bravo but i dont take off any factory barrels only shoulder prefit and remage so i figured the pma gen 2 would be good enough i hope lol
What bushing did you use for the tikka barrel? I’m wanting to take off a ctr barrel.
I made my own from an section of aluminum bar bored to barrel diameter at the shank. Easy enough to make, even with just a drill press. An alternative if you have a bushing that's too big, use a thick piece of lead solder to fill up space in an oversize bushing. The length of the bushing combined with the four bolts can create an enormous amount of pressure. Tikka's are known for how tight their factory barrels can be. Sometimes a sharp blow to a breaker bar works better than gradual application of breaker bar pressure. Regardless, pre-soak in Kroil - every little bit helps.
Not likely you're going to avoid the most minimal marring/cosmetic damage working with finished barrels- esp bead blast finishes because they're extremely shallow and delicate. I can put permanent "marks" on a bead blast finish with my fucking fingernail... not a fan.
What are you using for a receiver wrench?
- Nov 3, 2010
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I use a wheeler with wood inserts and rosin for extra sticky if I need it 
I ended up putting leather in the pma 2 vise and works like a charm. At the time inhave a defiance tenacity used bugholes action wrench now across nucleus gen 2 and use arc wrench. Both inside action wrenches work great
Reviving this old thread, tried to pull a factory shouldered barrel today using aluminum barrel vise jaws in a (undersized) bench vise and failed, using rosin, tape etc. the barrel kept spinning. Will the PMA vise https://www.pmatool.com/pma-gen-ii-barrel-vise/ clamp hard enough to pull a factory sporter or will I need to go with a Short Action Customs with insert/collet? They're pricey. Brownells is sold out on their vise. From what I've read in this thread the Viper may not be up to pulling factory sporter contour barrels. I'm a novice at this.
I've had excellent success with the viper. Sheet rock paper tape wrapped around the barrel the width of the vice works extremely well and one roll will last a very long time. I used it last night to remove a break that I had red lock tight on and with a little heat, it worked like a champ. Never had any slippage or damage. You just have to use so.wthing to protect the barrel (leather also works well I heat but sheet rock tape is great and cheap) and you must tighten the pics out of it, but it's pretty easy and very quick. I'm sure other more expensive ones are easier but I've been very happy with the litte viper.
I do believe the viper will do it. Just have to use sheet rock tape around the barrel and tighten the hell out of it.
What action are you working with? I used a Viper vise to remove the factory barrel of a Howa 1500 and a Ruger American. Method that has always worked for me is a cardboard toilet paper or paper towel roll, a wheeler action wrench and a 4lbs mallet, one tap on the action wrench handle is all it took.
It's a Tikka action, also trying to pull a factory AAC flash hider muzzle device off of a barrel.
Anyone tried this one? https://greatscottshooters.com/shop/ultimate-barrel-vise/ the claim of locking in the recoil lug won't apply to a Tikka but seems like a nice tool for the price.
Tikkas are notoriously hard but I have a friend that has done a couple at home, this might be a stupid question has the bolt been removed? Are you using an over the action wrench?
Yes and yes
I did a remington 700 with a viper. I used masking tape to protect the barrel and tightened the shit out of the vise. Then one good whack on the wrench handle with a 4 lbs. dead blow and good to go.
Don't know if the Viper is up to the task with a Tikka, but...
First one I tried couldn't get it to stop spinning, even with a tapered bushing turned on the lathe.
Chad Dixon suggested a slurry of grit out of the sandblast cabinet (AlOx) mixed with some machine oil, it worked.
Might be problematic though with a Viper vise, you have very limited contact with the vise jaws on the barrel compared to a tapered bushing.
It's all about contact surface area.
First one I tried couldn't get it to stop spinning, even with a tapered bushing turned on the lathe.
Chad Dixon suggested a slurry of grit out of the sandblast cabinet (AlOx) mixed with some machine oil, it worked.
Might be problematic though with a Viper vise, you have very limited contact with the vise jaws on the barrel compared to a tapered bushing.
It's all about contact surface area.
I have had good luck with my Viper it's much better than the Wheeler or the Bald Eagle vises I have used. I had no slipping when I pulled the factory .308 barrel from my non-switch barrel AI-AX and I believe AI sets them a 100flb. It also left no marks when I installed the new barrel.
I use a viper vice with some hockey tape placed on either side of the vice clamps for extra grip. Works fine, especially with the extra grip from the hockey tape.
I generally torque my barrels to 100 ft-lbs, no issue at that torque range. I haven't attempted to take off a factory barrel with this setup though.
I generally torque my barrels to 100 ft-lbs, no issue at that torque range. I haven't attempted to take off a factory barrel with this setup though.
I’m going to break out a factory Tikka barrel. I’m going to install a shouldered prefit.
I have an external action wrench to remove, and an internal to install. Would this vice work for the barrel? I will probably use the factory barrel again so I would rather not mess it up.
I have an external action wrench to remove, and an internal to install. Would this vice work for the barrel? I will probably use the factory barrel again so I would rather not mess it up.
Here’s the barrel Vice I made
It also has a provision for a carbon fiber handle I made for it for out in the sticks use.
It also has a provision for a carbon fiber handle I made for it for out in the sticks use.
I was going to wrap the barrel. I figured a ream of paper would do it.
I don’t mind buying a barrel vice. I just don’t have a bench for it. So I figured I might try out that vice at work first.
I’ll update this on if it works or not. We have bigger but I figured I would start with the small vice first
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