I have a couple of Rem 700 actions I have to remove the barrels from. Local smith wants 10-15 a piece to remove them. Is this something I can do by myself or should I take them to him?

quote:

Originally posted by Snowwolfe:
I have a couple of Rem 700 actions I have to remove the barrels from. Local smith wants 10-15 a piece to remove them. Is this something I can do by myself or should I take them to him?

For $30 bucks you are far better off taking them to someone with the proper receiver/barrel vices.

I have no doubt that lots of people will jump in here and tell how they’ve pulled barrels using... (you fill in the blank) ...but save yourself the headache and have it done properly.

kinda depends on what you are wanting afterwards. If the barrels are junk you can use a pipe wrench and wack it with a 2# hammer. Hold the action in a padded vice well. You will probably mar the action and the barrel will be a crowbar. If you are going to refinish the action afterwards - have at it. Otherwise you will need proper fitting action and barrel vises. If so and you don't have them, and if it's a one time affair, have your smith do it.

you want services free?????

Pay the price.....or make your own barrel vice...it's a lot less costly to pay the smith for services.

I was once charged $40 to remove a barrel

That really didn't sit well with me.

$10-$15 is reasonable.

Pay the man. It's not worth risking damage to the receivers, or the barrels.

Dan

Wasnt expecting free services vapor, I never attempted to remove a barrel before and didnt know if I had the capability to do it. After listening to the forum members I am satisfied I shouldnt attempt it myself. Thanks for the replies.

Remingtons are quite often VERY tight. The next trick is when putting on a new barrel, to get the recoil lug straight down.

I quite regularly re-barrel Remington 700's. I have a barrel vice and an action wrench and would gladly pay someone else to take them off. They are usually on so tight, I take a parting tool in my lathe and take the pressure of the lug by cutting a groove in the barrel just forward of the lug by a few thousands. then they comme off easily. If I wanted to re-use them and I could get somebody to take them off without unduly marring the finish, I'd gladly pay $15 each.

Taking the actions over to the Smith tomorrow ($15 each) and he will do it while I wait. Would it help him if I sprayed wd 40 or penetrating oil where the barrel meets the action? The barrels are being resold so they can not be cut.

quote:

Would it help him if I sprayed wd 40 or penetrating oil where the barrel meets the action?

Not really....it just requires a little brute force and the right tools.

One last question, Should I remove the triggers before taking them over to the Smith?

YOU do not need to take the triggers off. I do take exception to the guys who claim they are on very tight. The problem is they are loctited on and you need to warm up the receiver before you "WHACK" on it. If yo have the right wrench, it ain't no problem to get the recoil lug on straight.

Well Snowwolfe after you have done it for 25 years removing barrels is a simple affair. The accumulation of tools makes it a 10 minute operation. Barrel vices with a multitude of brass and aluminum jaws, a hydraulic press, torches both propane and acetylene and a multitude of action wrenches makes it quite simple. EXCEPT when the customer demands that the bluing is not scratched or damaged in any way. I charge $45.00 Canadian to remove a barrel from any action. Except stainless A bolts which I no longer do because the stainless steal Gauls, picks up and can rip the threads out of the actions. We have a minimum labor rate of $45.00 CAD to book in a gun, do a trivial job and book the gun out. The place where I take my putor to has a $50.00 minimum. I charge $55 dollars CAD if they demand I don’t mar the bluing. Most times I don’t but some times I do end up re-polishing and re-bluing the parts. Some one has to pay for that and most customers insist on a quote before I start work. In the end most folks will not allow me to work at a floating labor rate so a few people end up paying $10.00 to much so that one person can get the scratches I make removed from the barrel or action. For $15.00 USD you might just ask him what he is going to give you for your $15.00! Rod Henrickson

Perhaps I am missing something, but how does the amount of money charged make the job any more or any less likely to damage the blueing?

Maybe I have also gotten nothing but weird Remington 700’s over the years but I have never pulled a barrel on one yet that had loctite on the barrel threads. Anti seizing compound, yes...but loctite, no.

The bottom line, and the best answer to the original question, is that removing a barrel is not a big deal as long as you use the proper tools...but the cost of the proper tools far exceeds the cost of having a gunsmith (with the proper tools) do it for you. If you plan on doing allot of this in the future then go ahead and invest in the tools to do it.

In emergency situations you can make do with just about anything at hand to do just about anything to your rifles...but if it is not an emergency...why bother and take the chance of screwing up your pride and joy?

Pipe Wrench and a machists vice, one with big knarly teeth.

NOT



Pay the man the money or get the right tools, 15 bucks a action is a fair price, his tools, his time, he isn't ripping you off.

I trust my smith........he has removed lots of barrels for my friends. I even asked if I could wait and watch and he said yes. Didnt mean to start a debate. Just wanted to know if I could do it myself or was it better to pay my guy. I am gonna pay my guy. I nevr suggested or implied he was ripping me off. Just wanted to know if I could do it myself.
No blueing worries here as both barreled actions are stainless.

I hate to say it Rick but you completely missed the point! If you deal with the lowest bidder always ask what you will get for your money! $15.00 is a pretty cheep price. I never trust gunsmiths! I’ve been one for close to 25 years and I’ve known many others. I seldom trust some other tradesmen and trades women as well. On top of that the extra that I charge is to repair damaged bluing caused when taking the gun apart. If you don’t care you get the cheep price. If are fussy pay up. Some one has to pay for it! If it has to be me then there will be 3 gunsmiths left in Alberta not four. Some of you do this as a hobby I don’t. If you currently make your full living as a gunsmith please raise your hand and be counted. Rod Henrickson

Quote: “ I charge $45.00 Canadian to remove a barrel from any action... I charge $55 dollars CAD if they demand I don’t mar the bluing.“

I’m sorry, Rod...but your statement makes it quite clear that you charge another $10 bucks to not mar the blueing, not to repair the bluing you mar up, but to not mar the blueing to begin with.

My question still stands...how does charging an extra $10 bucks keep you from maring the finish? Do you wrap one of the fives around the barrel and the other around the receiver ring before you tighten the vices?

I visited my Smith. He put the action in the action wrench and put a lead lined sleeve around the barrel. He clamped the barrel in the vise and gave the action wrench a wack with a nylon hammer and unscrewed it. I was in and out of his shop in 10 minutes. Not a mark on either action or barrel. Money well spent. After seeing what he accomplished his price was fair. Anything more would of been high priced in my opinion and we live in Alaska.

Now you can put them on eBay and get your 'smith money back plus some. Stainless take-off barrels can do pretty well on occasion.

Ha ha ha Rick I charge $10 to totally polish and hot blue the gun if the finish is marked when the barrel comes off. If a tiny scratch on your Weatherby MK V does not bother you don’t give me the $10 bux. I guess what I should be doing is just charging everyone $55.00 and then people would stop asking me why I have 2 prices. I would certainly make a lot more money that way! Hummmm now that is a point I should ponder! It would still be much cheaper for them than driving all the way to Calgary a 3.5 hour drive away to have the barrel pulled and if I did scratch the bluing they would get a free polish and blue out of the deal. Rick my boy you are a genius!! Rod Henrickson

Rod,

I thought Canada had free medical and prescriptions?

Rick: We do have free medicare but no free drugs we have to pay for that. I am terribly sorry but you will have to get your drugs in the alley way with the rest. It is against the law for me to send them to you !!!!! Hope you get better soon! Rod Henrickson

best thing I've tried for removing barrels is a brass or aluminium sleeve to fit the barrel, a CNC lathe with a hydraulic chuck and a rear entry action wrench. Use the spindle as a flywheel with the wrench handle coming up against the tool turret or some other immoveable part of the machine;-)Believe me, the chuck will not slip! I do support the rear of the wrench with the tailstock so you can't bend the reciever.

pops them right off, not always on the first try though.

I've rebarreled about 20 rifles so far and I still don't have a barrel wrench setup. gotta get one I guess.

Sigh Rembo AKA (Rick) ...... Bathmatt AKA (Cam Crooks) has my universal action wrench some where in his garage. If he can’t find it come to the shop and copy the one we have here. It’s the same bloody thing you can make one in 4 hours. I never thought of using a hydraulic chuck to grip the barrel we have the 10 ton hydraulic press here and between me and Karl its, yes, no, as to when we will crush the barrel. It seams aluminum and brass become fluid first lmao : Rod Henrickson

quote:

Originally posted by rembo:
best thing I've tried for removing barrels is a brass or aluminium sleeve to fit the barrel, a CNC lathe with a hydraulic chuck and a rear entry action wrench. Use the spindle as a flywheel with the wrench handle coming up against the tool turret or some other immoveable part of the machine;-)Believe me, the chuck will not slip! I do support the rear of the wrench with the tailstock so you can't bend the reciever.

pops them right off, not always on the first try though.

I've rebarreled about 20 rifles so far and I still don't have a barrel wrench setup. gotta get one I guess.

Ouch!!!

I’ve always subscribed to the school that says the front receiver ring should be enclosed and fully supported by any device used for holding it during barrel removal...and I’m pretty particular about what I stick into the raceways and locking lug areas of my rifles.

One more thing. There was no antisieze on the barrel or in the action. But it was absolutely installed with locktite of some sort.

Snowwolfe - You got a good price.

My local gun-crank wanted $50/each to remove mauser barrels!

So i built an action vice (out of 2" solid square steel) and used a pipe wrench on the barrel after grinding two flats on the barrel.

Barrels were ruined, but I've never been concerned with keeping the original mauser barrels.

If I don't want the barrel I use two large facing pipe wrenches on the barrel, on a cement floor, then stomp the wrenches with my foot and that 4 or 5 inches to the floor will loosen the barrel and you can turn it out by hand...An old Jack Belk trick....You can do 35 or 30 in about an hour...