live2huntmt
Well-Known Member
I recently ordered a bighorn tl3 and a couple of prefit shouldered barrels...now I need to order a barrel vise. Any recommendations on a decent barrel vise that won't break the bank?
I just wrap the barrel in card stock to protect any finish and clamp the pipe in a set of: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/aer-fcm3661/overview/ in a regular old bench vise. They're super handy for all kinds of holding of cylindrical and faceted cylinders while you apply a great deal of torque. Not a single purpose tool.
It's all about technique there. You get the action face and action wrench real close to the vise, clamp the barrel in the vise as hard as you can get it and then swat the action wrench with a rubber mallet as hard as you can. The impact velocity breaks the torque. If the factory barrel is trash can food, grind a couple flats on it and/or don't bother with the soft jaws. No trouble so far with everything from 100+ year old Steyrs and Mausers to remmies, winnies and a grip of savages. The worst ever was a Spanish Mauser where the barrel and action froze together and it still worked there, with the requisite amount of penetrating oil and effort.I Have a set of soft jaws for my bench vise too and they work great. They haven't worked for pulling factory barrels, but they work really well on a barrel that's already been pulled once.