Are these sometimes especially tight? I have one that won't budge. It is a 1955 243. My friend wants a 30-06, I have a 30-06 barrel. I volenteered to swap them. I have barreled about 20 actions. My vice is 3"x3" square stock, 1/2" fine thread bolts. I am using fitted maple blocks and rosin. My wrench is 1" x 2" steel and about 3' long. Everything fits nice and does not slip. I can put my full 230# on the end of the wrench and bounce, the barrel does not move. I tried hanging my weight on the wrench and wacking it with a 1# hammer.

Were some of these "1917 Enfield" tight? I don't want to turn the shoulder off the barrel. I have already heated the receiver ring a little. Any other ideas?

try soaking the threads in Kroil for a couple of days. Use at least a 10# sledge.

If your blocks truly do not slip, I'd put an extension on the handle...I sometimes have gone clear out to five feet...(I weigh about the same) Don't try this with an inside wrench!

To avoid a chance of receiver deflection, leave the bolt in the action (be sure to take off the extractor)

There's always the chance that some knot head slobbered loctite in the scope mount hole that worked it's way into the receiver threads.

Heat wont hurt... and will help break any loctite bond. Just keep it down to about 300 degrees.

brake fluid is more handy and likely locally available than kroil

Went to a friend who is a retired gunsmith. Used a his vice and wrench. The wrench is machined to fit the action very closely. The vice is super beefie. We heated the receiver to about 200*. I put all my weight on the 3' receiver wrench. He wacked it with a 5# hammer. It finally let loose. Eureka! He said this was extremely tight for a M-70.

The replacement Winchester 30-06 barrel indexed properly. It headspaced '41 as installed. I lapped the lugs out to '43.

All's well that ends well.

Any thoughts on using the 243 mag box and removing the spacer? I have done so in the past but real deal pre-64 parts are getting valuable. The follower?? Since real parts are expensive, does an 03 or 1917 follower work out OK? I figured on making a new ejector out of flat stock.

Why all the bother? Here in Californa, where we hunt, lead core bullets are now illegal. A 243 won't cut it. Be on your gaurd for these stupid laws in your area.

Multiple of the needed parts are currently on Ebay for sale, mag box for sure, ejector and follower also,don't recall if I saw a bolt stop or not... Take a look,

Wisner's Inc, have bolt stops and ejectors, or at least did have, call.

I'll have my buddy call them for real parts. I made an ejector and extractor collar. I adapted a M-700 follower. I fiddled with a 1917 follower and could not get it to feed the last round. There is something different about it That I could not figure out. Try as I might I just coutd not make it feed properly. He is good to go for now though.