This one is really tight. I took a cut right in front of the action with a cut off tool. Still no go with a 3 ft. pipe on the wrench. I am thinking of heating the action with a torch. Has any one done that & do you think it will screw up the heat treating? Thanks for all the help you can give me.

A little more information on what you have for action wrench and barrel vise. If your setup is wimpy it will need to be addressed. If it is Caterpillar Quarry Truck Lug Nut capable, you might need to cut the barrel off at the ring and bore the stub out. At some point before you nick the receiver it will all let go.

Larry,
is it a milsurp 98 or rebarreled? military mausers are ONLY tightened on the torque flange (called a c ring in milsurp) , frequently having a small gap between the shoulder of the barrel and the face of the receiver. Due to that nature of V form vs acme threads, a relief cut at the receiver face is little likely to produce positive results, unlike the instant relief one gets in the 194/1917 actions (due to acme threads and torquing on the face of the receiver) - if it's a rebarrel, it is "popular lore" to torque equally on the flange and face of the receiver. It is, of course, improbable to have equal torque in both - and the also "popular lore" of "Drawing up" the last headspace by over torquing leads to, well, over torqued barrels where the threads are distorted, and some times galled.

I have had some success with heating the "inside" of the front ring, aimed at the torque flange, and striking the action wrench with a sharp hit from a dead fall hammer prior to cooling - long cheater bars can warp actions.

<putting on flame retardant underwear>

NOOOOOOO!!!!!
As stated, Mauser barrels are not held by the shoulder. They are held by the inner face of the barrel. Heating will NOT do anything and yes, you can screw it up.
What kind of Mauser is it?
Are you saying it won't move, or the barrel slips in the vise?
I use a 20 ton press as a barrel vise, so slipping is impossible.
You can also warp the receiver if it is that tight.
You can bore it out.

Thanks for the advice. What do you think if I set it up on the Bridgport on a knee. Then use a boring bar to remove the inside. Should I leave the stub long so I have something to grab with a pipe wrench to turn it.

Yes.

quote:

Originally posted by larry miller:
This one is really tight. I took a cut right in front of the action with a cut off tool. Still no go with a 3 ft. pipe on the wrench. I am thinking of heating the action with a torch. Has any one done that & do you think it will screw up the heat treating? Thanks for all the help you can give me.

How in the hell did this falacy ever come to be?

Because guys don't know how Mausers work. And they have not studied and read and learned. After all, every other rifle uses the outer shoulder as the bearing. It's these young guys who have not been inundated with the 98 since 1960. I run across this all the time in the WW2 Jeep hobby too; they all want to know why their jeep won't start, but won't bother to read or study anything. We have an forum just like this one for WW2 jeeps. G503. Same people. Same personalities. Same questions. Just different platform.
So, if you just dropped in from Mars, and you wanted to remove a barrel, that is how you would do it. Based on assumption instead of facts, which can't be seen.
Not saying the OP is in this category; just answering in a general way why guys don't know Mausers. Or jeeps.

An overnigbht soak in "Kroil" might help. I tend to agree with the previous post that your set up just might not be up to the task

Hell Tom,
I always thought you liked it when us greener guys came in here and asked questions. I never knew it frustrated you.

How else are you going to be able to display that you're the smartest guy in the room unless this opportunity is afforded you?

There's a pic in Dunlap (I think) of a barrel vise used back in the day. A capped steel pipe set in concrete with two angle braces, one on each side connected to the mount plate. Rock solid and immovable. There can't be any give. I've wondered if spraying a liquid refrigerant on the barrel breech and inner ring would shrink them enough to aid in removal.

Larry: Whatare you using for vise jaws? I found machined to fit aluminum jaws to be about 100 % slip proof..I mostg likely have about 40 sets and don't hesitate to make another
set if needed.


If you're fooling around with oak, pumice. lead and all that other nonsense,. you just can't get a really tight barrel off no matter how long the cheater bar.

In over 50 years, only had to bore out a barrel stub once. A SS A bolt and a SS barrel..galled up beyond all reason. Last I heard, Browning isued a "Do not remove barrel " Directive on their A bolt' s. Life's too short to work on shit like that anyway

I was merely answering JK's question about the "fallacy"; not referring to, not talking about, anyone in particular. Especially not anyone on AR. I am never talking to anyone on AR. Only the rest of the world, as appropriate/applicable.
Also, I asked the OP if his barrel was slipping in the vise; BIG difference in the solution. He did not answer that question.
No; Kroil won't work, and neither will liquid refrigerant.

Its very hard these days to find info on working\custumizing the old classics.....everyone wants a 1/4 MOA beNch rest rig. Not a classy hunting rifle....


.

Lots of good advice here, my barrel vise uses a 20 ton bottle jack and I use hardwood jaws with powdered rosin. Whenever I have a difficult one, I have a hand held five pound sledge that I give the wrench handle a sharp rap with and 98 % of the time, that breaks it loose. We are not talking a John Henry steel driving man kind of a whack, but one with a little authority. And a pre-soak with Kroil is a given.

But, but, "No; Kroil won't work".

I usually drive a fired case into the chamber sealing it. Then I fill the entire breech area with Mag Super Penetrating Oil and hang it by a wire thru the rear action screw hole for a few days with the muzzle towards the floor. I inspect it every so often to see if the penetrating oil is seeping out of the front of the receiver, when I see oil seeping out the front this indicates the barrel thread has been fully penetrated by the oil. Barrels that have been on for a 100 years or better come off pretty easy when I do them this way. The tough ones usually have rust in the threads, which takes time for a penetrating oil to break that rust down a little. I usually wipe the barrel receiver joint with some thinner or acetone after hanging it up, the dry and clean metal makes it easier to see if it's seeping or not.

It just makes you feel better. It does nothing of value. I use PB Blaster on WW2 jeep nuts and bolts all the time, and it works on those, but there has to be some place for it to soak into. The mauser barrel to receiver face, does not allow that. And Kroil is not PB Blaster either.
I have removed, like 3 barrels, and have never had one fail to come off. No rapping either.
Just because someone put it on does not mean it did anything of value.
And it ain't tight threads that keep them on.
I invite anyone, especially those who do not agree with my methods, or doubt them, over and I'll show you how to do things. I get hate mail from guys who seem to want to rant at me; can't understand why. I just am trying to help guys with their projects.

quote:

... After all, every other rifle uses the outer shoulder as the bearing.

Lets not forget the Krag.

The barrel thread is exposed to a certain degree on the right side where the breeching ring is broached thru for the extractor. It is here that the penetrating oil gets it's start and gravity does the rest.

Solidly mounted barrel vice with rosin in the bushing. Outside wrench, behind the threads, with a mandrel inserted in the receiver to prevent distortion of the receiver when the wrench is tightened. BFH, swung with authority. A little oil won't hurt. Cutting ahead of the receiver does diddly squat. Regards, Bill

I have the barrel vice bolted to a pc. of square tubing that I would put in the hitch of the pick up truck. Now that I have a Bridgeport mill I bolt it to the milling machine table. Seeing this is a junk barrel I put a pipe wrench on it & arrange it so it keeps the barrel from turning by being up against the base of the machine. Both my barrel vice & action wrench are from Brownells. Like I said every thing is tight. I'm afraid of twisting the action if I get to tough with it. When I get back from Xmas I'll set it up in the mill & bore it out.

Thread kind of proves what my dad always observed "There's the right way, the wrong way and the Army way"