Can't get the barrel off my M700. Help!

[SaskShooter]

I've got a custom rifle project that's been three years in the making already, and I finally have the last of my parts on the way now, so I decided it was time to remove the old factory barrel, but it won't come off!

I've clamped it as tight as I can in my barrel vise, but it just doesn't want to stay put. The barrel on the gun starts tapering about 1/4" after the action face, so there is no parallel surface to get a solid grip on with the vise. I tried wrapping it in tape and paper, using wood and hard rubber clamping blocks, but it just won't hold still!

Can anyone help me?

 

[westcliffe01]

Whats an M700 ? The NSS receiver wrench uses a bolt into the forward action screw hole to 100% absolutely prevent any movement of the wrench on the action. For the barrel, if it tapers, you need barrel blocks with a matching tapered hole ! The set I got for assembling my FN FAL is made like that. You put the aluminum block on the small end of the barrel and slide it rearward until the tapers match, then you line up the second one and clamp them up. Rosin is used between plates and barrel to prevent slippage.

It sounds like you don't have the right tools for the job.

Read this page Barrel Vise Use

If you call him up, I am pretty sure he can custom make you a pair of blocks for your specific barrel diameter/taper.

 

[Crankbender]

I use oak blocks in my vice, drilled out to around the smaller diameter of the bbl shank, the thicker part of the shank pushes the wood out for a good fit. I then use rosin to hold the bbl secure in the blocks, wont hold without the rosin (pine tar). Heard of people using icing sugar instead of rosin.

A bit of heat on the action at the threads can help with newer Remingtons due to the white crap they put on the threads. Obviously don't heat the action so much you ruin the hardness with a torch. Just needs to be hot to the touch but not burn your hand hot. Heat gun would work.

I'm not a smith just a hobbyist. Someone else might have better advice.

 

[Hired Gun]

Tape, paper, rubber -- whatever. Nothing bites steel better than aluminum. Put an aluminum shim in there.

Now how tight do you have your action wrench tightened up? It doesn't take much pressure at all to crush it down so tight on the barrel threads it will not come off. I just tighten them up with the allen wrench to snug. (25 foot pounds tops) Then 1 or 2 bops with a steel 2 pound on the 12" handle has knocked every Remington right apart.

If your looking for kicks try breaking down a new Vangard. That's 8 pound "hammer" time!

 

[SaskShooter]

Hired Gun, won't the aluminum mar the barrel? Albeit the finish already came off in a few spots even with the wooden blocks (thanks to Remington's lovely powdercoat), but I don't wanna make it worse if I don't have to.

 

[westcliffe01]

Whats the original barrel worth ? Blued finish ? Read that page I gave the link for. That was on a parkerized barrel and they have pictures. If fact they remove the receiver stub from a demilled receiver and then torque it onto a new receiver so it gets used twice.

 

[GNERGY]

They put red loctite on the threads from the factory. I use a heat gun or a hair dryer on the action till you see the loctite thru the scope screw holes turning white, it could take a while, don't worry you won't get it too hot with either method. The factory barrel is worth maybe 50 bucks, you could use a pipe wrench on the barrel or pay a local gunsmith 20 bucks to take it off for you. A big crescent wrench on the locking lug turning it at the same time will help also.
They can be a B$TCH to remove.
Tarey

 

[youngtrout]

All great suggestions above, I'll add another extreme case.

Had a 7mag that spent that spent most of its life on the salt. At the time didn'y have a proper barrel vise but had a decent table vice. and the correct action wrench

I simply ground flats on the old barrel with a 4-inch sidegrinder. Yes, barrel was toast, but it was off,,, figured street value on that particular barrel was around 50 bucks. Even brand new take offs are around 100? Again, would try options above but, if you need it off, you need it off

 

[Hired Gun]

I've tried high and low to sell brand new Remington take offs and never got a nibble even at $25. I just took a 55 gallon drum of them to recycle and got about $50 for 500 pounds of them. Besides who would really want one? I'v put a couple on and regreted every one of them. SPS tuperware goes out weekly in my trash pickup.

Never needed heat or had to damage one in any way to get any barrel off. Aluminum is way softer than steel and will never mar it. It might embed in the rougher barrels but it wipes right off with bore solvent. Just don't be putting any grit in there. No rosin no nothin. I pulled one last night and it was torqued to about 150-200 pounds from the factory. Vangards are still the hardest ones to pull bar none.

 

[SaskShooter]

I got the barrel off finally.

I built a pair of barrel clamps by first cutting a short piece of 1-3/4" steel pipe in half lengthwise, then welding a flat steel plate to the back of each half and filling in the gaps so it formed a small steel trough.

Then I set the barreled action on blocks and placed the through just beneath the rear of the barrel, coated the barrel and front ring of the action with release agent, and filled the trough with Acraglas bedding gel.

Ditto to the other piece of clamp.

Now I had two clamps that fit the barrel contour PERFECTLY!

So I put some icing sugar (as suggested) in the clamps and tightened them up good, turned the action, aaaaaaaaaaaannnnd after a broken action wrench and six feet of breaker bar, I got the barrel off!

 

[J E Custom]

I got the barrel off finally.

I built a pair of barrel clamps by first cutting a short piece of 1-3/4" steel pipe in half lengthwise, then welding a flat steel plate to the back of each half and filling in the gaps so it formed a small steel trough.

Then I set the barreled action on blocks and placed the through just beneath the rear of the barrel, coated the barrel and front ring of the action with release agent, and filled the trough with Acraglas bedding gel.

Ditto to the other piece of clamp.

Now I had two clamps that fit the barrel contour PERFECTLY!

So I put some icing sugar (as suggested) in the clamps and tightened them up good, turned the action, aaaaaaaaaaaannnnd after a broken action wrench and six feet of breaker bar, I got the barrel off!

Sometimes a barrel can be stubborn to remove and takes a little more effort.

I use the standard action wrench and barrel vice with a copper shim between the action wrench and the receiver, also a strip of plain shop towel between the barrel and the barrel wrench to help the fit.

Most manufactures use a sealer on the threads if the action and barrel is chrome Molly to prevent the bluing salts from getting in the threads during bluing. (Over time they would corrode the unprotected
threads). and this makes the barrel hard to remove.

I use a large rubber mallet on the action wrench and the impact breaks it lose and doesn't bang up
the wrench handle. If you use a cheater on the action wrench it will likely turn the barrel in the
barrel vice.

Just the way I do it. It also prevents scarring the existing barrel if it is to be used again.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Rustystud]

Remington 700 barrel removal.

Factory barrels are expendable (not worth more than $75.00).

1. Remove the trigger and bolt from the action.

2. put action in lathe, use live center in muzzle.

3. Use parting tool just in front of recoil lug removing metal just in front of lug.
Take off .180" to .190".

4. Brownells' Barrel vice and action wrench along with a little Kroil oil.

The barrel will break loose and come right out.

Heat, hammers, and pipe extentions on wrench handles have ruined many of action.
Nat Lambeth

 

[Homer Oz]

G'Day Fella's,

SaskShooter, it would be interesting to find out what kind of Barrel Vice you have?
As with many things, not all barrel vises are made equal!
Some are only designed to remove barrels lightly set in bench rest actions, whilst there are a few well made barrel vises that are made for removing barrels from factory rifles, that were tightened up by a Gorilla!!!

Hope that helps

Doh!
Homer

 

[J E Custom]

G'Day Fella's,

SaskShooter, it would be interesting to find out what kind of Barrel Vice you have?
As with many things, not all barrel vises are made equal!
Some are only designed to remove barrels lightly set in bench rest actions, whilst there are a few well made barrel vises that are made for removing barrels from factory rifles, that were tightened up by a Gorilla!!!

Hope that helps

Doh!
Homer

I use the vice and wrench from Brownell's with a set of Aluminum bushing that they sell. There is also
a kit that you can cast bushings for the barrel wrench that will give you a perfect fit on any barrel.

I line the Aluminum barrel bushings with one layer of the paper shop towels and it doesn't leave
a mark on the barrel if you keep it.

On the receiver wrench I use .003 copper shims to protect the finish on the receiver, (If there is
any copper left on the action it can be easily removed with bore solvent.

Use a large rubber mallet on the receiver wrench instead of a cheater and the impact from the mallet will break it lose without turning the barrel in the barrel vice.

The sealer will stand up to a lot of torque but it has very little impact strength and normally comes off with one blow from the rubber mallet.

This is a case of the right tool for the job.

There are other ways as mentioned but they are time consuming compared to using the right tools.

Normally it takes less than 3 or 4 minutes to remove even the most difficult barrel.

In reference to the Gorilla that puts barrels own, The Savage Gorilla is the biggest.

J E CUSTOM