Does action need to be removed to replace barrel?

D

DenverDave

Guest
The barrel on my varmint rifle is getting shot out and I need to replace it. The gunsmith who built it (no longer around) glued the action into the (McMillan synthetic) stock. I talked to a gunsmith about replacing the barrel and he said he would have to remove the action from the stock in order to replace the barrel. To do so he would leave the rifle in a freezer overnight then pick up the gun and slam the barrel against the top of his bench until the action broke out of the stock. I cringed when he was telling me this - I envisioned chunks of the stock coming out with the action.

The gun has been a tack driver and I don't want to mess with its bedding if it can be avoided. Can't a barrel be replaced by using an action wrench and barrel wrench?
 
Yes it can. Just duplicate the existing barrel tenon. He probably has no way of measuring the pitch diameter of the treads.
That's just busy work here and at other experienced shops.
 
DenverDave said:
The barrel on my varmint rifle is getting shot out and I need to replace it. The gunsmith who built it (no longer around) glued the action into the (McMillan synthetic) stock. I talked to a gunsmith about replacing the barrel and he said he would have to remove the action from the stock in order to replace the barrel. To do so he would leave the rifle in a freezer overnight then pick up the gun and slam the barrel against the top of his bench until the action broke out of the stock. I cringed when he was telling me this - I envisioned chunks of the stock coming out with the action.

The gun has been a tack driver and I don't want to mess with its bedding if it can be avoided. Can't a barrel be replaced by using an action wrench and barrel wrench?
Click to expand...


I am not a gunsmith nor a machinist, my first bolt gun re-barreling job was on my brother's VFS 30 BR with the glued action. Butch Lambert loaned me his tools and walked me through the measurements and with calls to him I was able to spin on the new barrel and hit the headspace right on. Measured the tenon from the old barrel, measured the threads and pitch diameter from the old barrel, measured the headspace and the cone using Butch's tools, transferred all the dimensions to the new barrel.

If a total rookie just hacking at it like me can do it, any gunsmith should be able to do it.

Butch can articulate the process better than I could ever do, send him a note.
 
Dave Tooley said:
Yes it can. Just duplicate the existing barrel tenon. He probably has no way of measuring the pitch diameter of the treads.
That's just busy work here and at other experienced shops.
Click to expand...

Exactly right. Gunsmiths that build for short range benchrest routinely fit barrels for glue in's without separating the action from the stock. It's not even particularly difficult.
 
Wouldn't putting an iron on the receiver to heat the glue to its failure point be a whole lot more stock and action friendly than the method described?
 
The action does not have to come out, particularly if there is a barrel that fits to refer to. If the smith does not know this, why would someone want to trust him to do a proper job gluing the action back in. Just because an action is glued into the stock does not mean that less attention has to be paid to the bedding.
 
Nonsense

DenverDave said:
The barrel on my varmint rifle is getting shot out and I need to replace it. The gunsmith who built it (no longer around) glued the action into the (McMillan synthetic) stock. I talked to a gunsmith about replacing the barrel and he said he would have to remove the action from the stock in order to replace the barrel. To do so he would leave the rifle in a freezer overnight then pick up the gun and slam the barrel against the top of his bench until the action broke out of the stock. I cringed when he was telling me this - I envisioned chunks of the stock coming out with the action.

The gun has been a tack driver and I don't want to mess with its bedding if it can be avoided. Can't a barrel be replaced by using an action wrench and barrel wrench?
Click to expand...


Dave, stay away from the so called "gunsmith" that told you that nonsense. :mad:

Of course, your glued-in varmint rifle can be re-barreled without removing the action from the stock. Seek out an experienced benchrest gunsmith to do your work, someone that is actively involved in today's benchrest matches. If no luck, get back to us by PM or e-mail. I, for one, and I'm sure many more will try to help you.

Gene Beggs
 
It depends upon how much free float the barrel has in the barrel channel as to whether the barrel can be removed leaving the action in the stock. Is this a varmint class benchrest rifle or is it varminter type rifle? If it has a large free float like a typical benchrest rifle, then it can be unscrewed down the barrel channel. If it has a tight free float, not sure why a gunsmith would glue the action into the stock instead of pillar bedding it.
 
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Copying barrel dimensions

You sometimes run the risk of copying the dimensions from a less than good barrel job.

However, if your existing barrel has been a good shooter, chances are the barrel job was good.

Might help to know enough about your next smith to think he could do a good job. What you're asking for
is not difficult for a skilled guy.

Good luck.

A. Weldy
 
Thanks to all of you who weighed in.

This isn't the first issue I've had with this guy. It's time for a new gunsmith.

Can anyone recommend a good gunsmith in northern Idaho? (I'm new up here.) Send me a private letter if able. Thanks.
 
Is your rifle a benchrest rifle or a live varminter? That makes a difference as to whether the barrel can be removed down the barrel channel and that's all to do with the amount of free float clearance between the barrel and forend. Its routine to remove the barrel on a benchrest rifle by placing the barrel vise on the barrel past the forend and then unscrewing the action with stock attached from the barrel. Replacing the barrel is just a matter of checking the headspace from the old barrel and correcting if necessary on a new barrel and duplicating or correcting for thread fit and cone clearance.
 
Mike,

It's a varmint rifle built by a gunsmith who was into bench rest shooting, so it's something in between - fairly heavy barrel and 2 oz trigger. The barrel is free-floated with between 1/8" and 1/4" space between the bottom of the barrel and the top of the forearm. Less space on the sides, but it is not close to touching the stock.
 
If you can unscrew the barrel with the action in the stock then it can be rebarreled without taking the action out of the stock.
 
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