Frozen Barrel?

J

Just Mike

Guest
I just purchased a BR rifle built on a Hall action. I want to remove the barrel but it is EXTREMELY tight if not frozen to the action. I have used a barrel vise and heavy torque on the action wrench all to no avail. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks for your help.
 
Just Mike said:
I just purchased a BR rifle built on a Hall action. I want to remove the barrel but it is EXTREMELY tight if not frozen to the action. I have used a barrel vise and heavy torque on the action wrench all to no avail. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

you might try this; soak the threads with Kroil over night. Turn the action upright so the barrel is facing downwards. If Kroil won't break it loose you go real problems
gary
 
I doubt it's frozen. Done by a good gunsmith it'll be tightened to around 125ftlb torque which means it takes some serious grunt to loosen.

I've never in my life gotten anything TIGHT loose by soaking it in (Kroil/Coke/Knock-R-Loose/Marvel Mystery Oil/WD-40/etc)

just me I guess :)

al
 
Try the kroil approach. If it still resists you might apply some heat , I would warm it with a heat gun. I had a M1 bbl I could not remove turns out at some point the bbl was red locktite in place. It gave up when I applied some heat to it
 
colchester said:
Try the kroil approach. If it still resists you might apply some heat , I would warm it with a heat gun. I had a M1 bbl I could not remove turns out at some point the bbl was red locktite in place. It gave up when I applied some heat to it
Click to expand...

Loctite melts at about 250 degrees, but gets soft at about 225 degrees. You don't want to get the steel too hot as it will shrink after cooling. But as long as you stay in the 300 degree range your OK. The heat gun is the best way to go, and avoid a torch!
gary
 
Odd as it seems I've read several posters who've had success by heating the barrel. This seems backward to me but hey .... if it works???

Maybe the loosening of the elongating tenon is more effective than expanding the receiver ring. I dunno, but success has been reported :)

I HAVE had success with heat in everything from motors to rotors.

And the Kroil thing sure works for some folks.

al
 
assuming the scope/rings/mts. are off.... do the mount holes go into thread tenon....???... if so.. use KROIL drops into hole..... what`s probably happened is someone used too long a screw and buggered up the barrel threads....you should be able to see this.. if it`s the case.... a through the reciever wrench at this point will warp/elongate action. I use a clamp on outside of reciever with brass inserts and a 12" appendage.Whack the clamp arm with a lead hammer.... and VIOLA.... you may have to clean up barrel threads (lathe) and also the reciever itself..... a real time consuming pain in the ass job.... but the only way I know to get it done...... I`ve done several,rems. savages that have been brought to me by other gunsmiths...???
OMHO
Good Luck
Bill Larson
 
Get the assy set up in your barrel vice as tight as possible, insert wrench with a cheater bar, have a friend use a good quality heat gun and heat the action ring as quickly as possible so heat does not transfer to the barrel tenon, while you are applying force. It should pop loose. Let it cool before you screw that barrel out, as the heated metal will have a greater tendancy to gall.

You cannot get anything hot enough with a heat gun to cause damage. The transformation range of any steel, whether precipitating hardenning stainless or Chrome Moly, is well above any heat you could apply with a air heat gun.
 
well your taking a bit of a chance. If the threads are galled a wee little bit crankin on the thing will only make it worse. If you don't care for the barrel much cut it off and machine out the barrel stub.

When you bore out the stub to the minor dia of the reciever threads, the barrel threads will come out like a coil spring. The galled portion should come out easy with a dental pic.

The barrel can be set back and refitted to the action if it's worth keeping.
 
How tight is tight? Put a torque wrench on it and if you get to 125 or so without it moving with heat and everything then cut it off and and start over.
 
Not to be argumentative ;) but I'd suggest you go to 150ftlb with the torque wrench. Sometimes it takes more than 125lb to start a bbl that loaded to 125.

And everyone who's BTDT with the "it might be galled" are absolutely right BUT.... whatcha' gonna' do???

Scribe or make a line with a sharpie, If it MOVES.... even a line width of a scribed mark, and then stops, she's galled..... don't bother going any further.

opinionsby






al
 
You may need to use a t-handled action wrench to get the barrel off. I installed a barrel on a Panda for a customer. He tried to break the barrel loose with a single handle wrench when he got it home and couldn't do it. He brought it back and I took the barrel off using a Kelbly t-handle wrench. The two handle wrench allows the pressure to be equalized and makes it easier to break the barrel loose. The barrel was installed to 120 ft/lbs. A Kelbly wrench won't work on a Hall, but if you have a lathe and mill you can easily make a t-handle wrench to fit a Hall.
 
50% ATF and 50% acetone.

Dunk the action in the stuff and let it sit for a few minutes.

Then attack it with a hot air gun. The "home brew" is an old machinist blend for stuck bolts and it's been tested over/over and proven to beat Kroil, WD, etc.

The hot air gun will loosen things up without fear of ruining heat treatment or surface finish.

For barrels that are attached with a bit of grunt it takes purpose built tools for the task. if you don't have them, either buy them or take the job to someone who does and knows how to use them properly. It's not worth ruining an action or a barrel.

Good luck!

Chad


PS:

Regarding galled barrels/actions. It IS POSSIBLE to remove the barrel without destroying things or having to result to cutting the tennon off and machining it out of the action. It's not always possible, but I know it can be done because I've done it.

It's complicated to explain and takes a great deal of patience and even more luck. I've done a half dozen this way on Nesika actions barreled by other smiths.

Basically you warm it up and slowly work it back and forth. With time and luck it'll wiggle past the sticky part and you'll get it off Use heavy dosages of Kroil, the ATF trick, or even some grease if you can fiddle faddle a way to get it in there. (a zerk adapted to a base screw might work. . )

Good luck.

C
 
Last edited by a moderator:
NesikaChad said:
50% ATF and 50% acetone.

Dunk the action in the stuff and let it sit for a few minutes.

Then attack it with a hot air gun. The "home brew" is an old machinist blend for stuck bolts and it's been tested over/over and proven to beat Kroil, WD, etc.

The hot air gun will loosen things up without fear of ruining heat treatment or surface finish.

For barrels that are attached with a bit of grunt it takes purpose built tools for the task. if you don't have them, either buy them or take the job to someone who does and knows how to use them properly. It's not worth ruining an action or a barrel.

Good luck!

Chad


PS:

Regarding galled barrels/actions. It IS POSSIBLE to remove the barrel without destroying things or having to result to cutting the tennon off and machining it out of the action. It's not always possible, but I know it can be done because I've done it.

It's complicated to explain and takes a great deal of patience and even more luck. I've done a half dozen this way on Nesika actions barreled by other smiths.

Basically you warm it up and slowly work it back and forth. With time and luck it'll wiggle past the sticky part and you'll get it off Use heavy dosages of Kroil, the ATF trick, or even some grease if you can fiddle faddle a way to get it in there. (a zerk adapted to a base screw might work. . )

Good luck.

C
Click to expand...

have found nothing beats Kroil right out of the can, but have used a similar home brew mix in the past (but it also became illegal). Try ATF and model airplane fuel at a 2 parts to four parts mixture. Or you can hunt up some of the Loctite remover they sell, and mix it with DTE 24 (same ratio). I've also used a pure MEK soak when threads were coated with Vibratite and threaded together before the stuff dried. I've also had a large pot of boiling water with a little DTE24 added to prevent rust, and put the parts in there for about an hour. The removed them with ease. Doing it this way, you will not over heat the metal, and it very safe.
gary
 
Sucess at last!

Got the barrel loosened by using a long 1/2" extension on the action wrench which extended past the butt end of the stock (barreled action was still glued in stock and I did not want to use heat). By placing a 2x4 cut to proper length to go from floor to support the end of the extension and using a large breaker bar with added pipe for leverage we were able to break it lose.

Thanks all for comments and suggestions.
 
Just Mike said:
Got the barrel loosened by using a long 1/2" extension on the action wrench which extended past the butt end of the stock (barreled action was still glued in stock and I did not want to use heat). By placing a 2x4 cut to proper length to go from floor to support the end of the extension and using a large breaker bar with added pipe for leverage we were able to break it lose.

Thanks all for comments and suggestions.
Click to expand...

So she POPPED loose eh.... :)

No galling.

nice

al

hope you had the scope off!
 
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