Gunsmithing Action Wrench?

[jrm850]

My action wrench has disappeared and I need to pull a barrel off today. trying to think of a quick way to make a new one with the materials I have on hand and came up with this...

Does anyone see any reason not to go this route for a xp100? It is quick to make and fits in my furnace for tempering. I'll use a bushing on the 3/8th drive extension to keep everything lined up and I can put a torque wrench on it. The 3/8th drives are good for at least 100ft/lbs.

 

[Straight Shooter]

Re: Action Wrench?

What will twisting off a 3/8" extension do to the tool head? Will it swell it? Many Remington barrels on on way over 100 foot pounds. This looks like an okay tool to install and action but question it's ability to take a factory fit barrel off.

 

[jrm850]

Re: Action Wrench?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: *Straight Shooter*</div><div class="ubbcode-body">What will twisting off a 3/8" extension do to the tool head? Will it swell it? Many Remington barrels on on way over 100 foot pounds. This looks like an okay tool to install and action but question it's ability to take a factory fit barrel off. </div></div>

Good point. I was going to just use it as a crutch for today, but I probably shouldn't risk that happening just for instant gratification.

 

[Straight Shooter]

Re: Action Wrench?

If you have this level of machining capability just go ahead and make the whole thing with an integral drive like the Holland wrench.

I still wouldn't use the Holland wrench on really tight ones.

Making a proper wrench would be easier.

 

[jrm850]

Re: Action Wrench?

I opened the full bottle of beer and went even farther south than my first idea. I welded a handle on an old long action bolt.

It unscrewed like I barreled it yesterday.

I'll get a proper wrench if I can't locate my old one. For the record, I would not have tried this on somebody else's action.

 

[MikeeBooshay]

Re: Action Wrench?

Well, the easy answer to removing a stuck OEM barrel, is the smoke hatchet, heat that sucker up. Failing that, take it to the lathe and remove the shoulder, comes loose ricky tick then.

Don't have to worry about messing up a perfectly good action wrench using it to remove a stuck barrel. Unless, you are planning to reuse the barrel!!!

In my younger years, I ran turbine maintenance crews. New guys would spend a whole shift on stubborn studs or bolts. My directions were to try the hy-torc wrench first, then a little rosebud action, then the plasma cutter, don't waste time. We used to arc gouge the bolts, but the plasma was so much faster and safer. Some guys resisted using the severe methods, as it scrapped an expensive bolt. I always said a whole lotta bolts can be bought for one lost shift due to a stuck bolt.

I feel the same way about old barrels.

 

[Straight Shooter]

Re: Action Wrench?

I have never found a Remington barrel that is half as tight as a Vangard. Never had to butcher or heat either to get it free. If they are short we take them off to fit brakes and do crown work. It's good practice to be able remove them without damaging them.

 

[jrm850]

Re: Action Wrench?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: *Straight Shooter*</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have never found a Remington barrel that is half as tight as a Vangard. Never had to butcher or heat either to get it free. If they are short we take them off to fit brakes and do crown work. It's good practice to be able remove them without damaging them. </div></div>

Mark V's are a bitch too. I think that was the only barrel I ever had to relieve the shoulder on. I even poured custom lead vise inserts and couldn't get it off.

 

[Straight Shooter]

Re: Action Wrench?

That's odd. Every Mark 5 we have worked with was only torqued to 40-50 pounds. A couple open hand bops knock them right off. They even have a lube on the threads. Is it possible you are tightening your action wrench too tight? We only tighten the action wrenches to 15-20 pounds at most or it causes the action to drag on the threads. Do yours spin freely as soon as they come loose or can you feel drag? Maybe that one was redone and they put it on super tight.

We use aluminum jaw inserts on the barrel side. I think they bite better than lead does. Our vise is a 4 bolt design (1/2-20) and 50 foot pounds on the vise bolts is all we use for everything but Vangards. They take 100 pounds on the vise bolts to keep from sliding and an unspeakable amount of force to crack loose but we do it regularly for brake and crown work without a mark.

 

[jrm850]

Re: Action Wrench?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: *Straight Shooter*</div><div class="ubbcode-body">That's odd. Every Mark 5 we have worked with was only torqued to 40-50 pounds. A couple open hand bops knock them right off. They even have a lube on the threads. Is it possible you are tightening your action wrench too tight? We only tighten the action wrenches to 15-20 pounds at most or it causes the action to drag on the threads. Do yours spin freely as soon as they come loose or can you feel drag? Maybe that one was redone and they put it on super tight.

We use aluminum jaw inserts on the barrel side. I think they bite better than lead does. Our vise is a 4 bolt design (1/2-20) and 50 foot pounds on the vise bolts is all we use for everything but Vangards. They take 100 pounds on the vise bolts to keep from sliding and an unspeakable amount of force to crack loose but we do it regularly for brake and crown work without a mark. </div></div>

To tell the truth, it was the only Mark V I ever rebarreled, so I shouldn't have made the assumption that all of them were tough based on one. Sorry about that. This one was my own personal gun that I bought new right after I got out of the Army. It was a .240 with the glass stock the fist year they came out with them. I wouldn't call it lube, but there was caked dry white stuff in there that looked almost like plumber's teflon paste. The action wrench wasn't too tight when I started but its a pretty good bet that it was over tightened at some point in the process.

 

[skog]

Re: Action Wrench?

here is one I drew up a while back. Never saw the Holland wrench before. I will get around to making one of these one day. Just kinda eyeballed the dimensions. The head is good just the lengths may need some tweaking.