Actually the first time I'm removing ANY barrel.

OK I have the barrel vise, I have the action wrench, I have the large ring Mauser 98, what else do I need to know?

I plan on soaking the whole thing in Kroil to loosen up the threads if at all possible.

Do I use some kind of powder for more grip on the barrel? I've heard powdered sugar is good.

Will the action and / or barrel get marred from the vise or wrench? Use heat if necessary? How long a cheater bar is OK?

Talk to me guys.

[ 10-28-2003, 01:23: Message edited by: Recoil Rob ]

Dear Recoil,
I use Rosin on the blocks to help hold the barrel. "Usually" works. The barrel wrench/vise shouldn`t mar the receiver etc if tight enough. I would advise against the use of heat! Sometimes the Mauser barrels are REALLY tight. Cheater Bar? I use one about 4` long. Good luck with your project.
Aloha, Mark[in Or]

Little trick for removing Mauser military barrels -- which are often torqued on beyond belief -- 1) try clamping it tightly in a barrel vice, with lots of powdered sugar dusted on (or resin) and a 4' cheater bar on the end of your action wrench. A nice sharp rap with something in the hopes of jarring it loose. Make sure the action wrench is TIGHT ENOUGH -- I have seen one action ruined by a loose action wrench.

2) when the above fails, get a MAPP / propane torch. Remove the rear sight ramp by driving out the pin in front, then using a corner of a piece of wood (or a 3/8" dowel) to remove the ramp by driving it back and down. Use the same dowel to drive the long curved spring under the rear sight FORWARD to remove it. Now you have removed everything that can be damaged by heat. Use the torch to liberally heat the rear site band / base, until you can use a piece of wood and a hammer to drive it forward. Then get a pipe wrench, clamp it around the barrel where the marks will be hidden by the rear sight band, and remove the barrel. All this assuming the barrel isn't junk that isn't worth saving.

Good luck,
Todd

Do you have bushings to match the outside diameter of your barrel? You will need them.

RR,

It is possible to tweak an action out of whack, and some receivers can actually be crushed under the strain of an action wrench and "cheater" bar, so, as long as the extractor doesn't project into the breech end of the barrel, then I would suggest that you insert the bolt in the action while you torque down on the wrench and remove the barrel. I have saved many an action using the actions own bolt when the appropriate fitting bolt tunnel rod wasn't readily accessible.

Good luck,

Malm

I turn barrel bushings from aluminum bar stock.
Make the bushing at the most .005 oversize & cut a slit out of the bushing about 1/8" wide. Slide her on & tighten. Don't need any rosin.

Like Malm, I do it with the stripped bolt in place. I also use rosin on the aluminum bushings and a short cheater bar. I put a little tension on the cheater bar with a gloved hand and beat the hell out of the bar with about a two pound hammer. My feeling is that you can vibrate the action loose a lot more easily than you can brute force it. It's the first 1/16" that's the trick. Once you get it moving, it comes right along.

Never had to heat one yet, but I am a beginner compared to some of these guys.

Rob

I once had trouble finding rosin, and tried double stick tape with excellent results. I have used it regularly since. It is important to have well fitted blocks. I use aluminum for standard size, but I use birch or maple for odd size barrels. The bolt on wrench I use gets snugged down good and tight before torque is applied. As mentioned, steady pressure with jarring seems to work. Old Enfields have been the toughest for me.

Good luck

Roger

Rob,
I used to make bushing's to fit each barrel Size I needed. Now I look through my collection and find one that is a little loose and put a piece of chimney flashing lead in each side and tighten the bolt's on the vise. Then I give the wrench a good sharp rap with a shot filled hammer. I've removed hundred's of barrel's and never seen anything work as well as the lead. Just as important as the bushing's make sure your barrel vise is bolted down rock solid. I once had a guy bring in a Mauser that he had tried to remove the barrel himself then taken to two other guy's to get the barrel off and could'nt. I put lead in a loose bushing and gave it one wrap with the no-bounce hammer and it spun off. He wanted to watch so bad he was breathing on my neck. when I came up with the hammer I hit him in the forehead. Must not have bothered him he come's in often.

Ron

Read this thread: http://www.nookhill.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=008129

If you are having trouble unscrewing the barrel, either your equipment or your procedure is wrong.

Mauser barrels are fairly easy to remove.

Be real careful with 4 ft. cheaters, etc, as a Mauser receiver is very easy to spring.

The secret: Good strong vise, good fitting bushings, vise really tight, good well fitting action wrench.

The vise stand and mounting is important also. Look at the photos in the above mentioned post. If you cannot use the vise stand to snub a 2000 pound Brahama on the end of a 1" rope, then the stand is too wimpy.

The thing Midway sells with the wood inserts will just get you into trouble. As I have said in the post mentioned above, gents removing barrels using wood inserts, lead bushings, etc., are lucky and have never had a tight barrel. I do not use rosin or double sided tape, just makes a mess and takes time to clean off.

You get more clamping friction if both sides of the bushing are split. When I turn a bushing, I stamp the diameter on both sides before splitting. I have a rack to hold the bushing collection, each one has a recess to fit in, saves time looking for the correct size.

I made the vise shown in the photos in about 1972. After struggling with several different barrel vises, both mine and those of fellow gunsmiths, I decided to build one that would solve the tight barrrel problem. This one has never slipped, and it has been through a lot of tight Enfield and Mauser barrels.

Heat on the receiver ring? A no-no. Does not take much heat to start drawing the heat treat, and it is real difficult to know just what the temperature is. Remember, the receiver ring holds eveything together when you touch off 50,000 psi. If you have the right tools and use the right procedure, heat is not necessary.

[ 10-28-2003, 18:31: Message edited by: John Ricks ]

Great stuff, all.

The wrench came with 4 sets of correct bushings and the Lg Ring mauser seems to fit well.

I had the barrel vise in a machinists vise but I think I had better bolt it down as J. Ricks suggested. Malm, thanks for the advice about the stripped bolt. I'll have some time tomorrow for a second attempt.

BTW does soaking in KROIL help or is it a waste of time and oil?

Rob