These wrenches are often super handy. I also have the other type that clamps around the outside, but usually grab this one first just for ease of use. Maybe I should just retire it to installing, but not removing, barrels.

All tools have a life span

Looks like the handle just broke, right?

When I saw the post, I was afraid the tool head that engages the raceway broke off inside and damaged the receiver or something. The handle looks kind of thin for an action wrench. Probably mild steel. And it looks like it's seen a torch (maybe it's just the wear on the oxide finish). But I wouldn't worry about using raceway wrenches.

that looks like a casting rather than a forging. Castings are almost engineered to break if torque is applied on the wrong (in this case the right) spot.

Castings are also much cheaper than forgings.

one wonders at the color and depth of the diatribe uttered after the breaking. My own would have been epic

Your handle is obviously too hard, at least in the broken spot. I know the reason it broke, and I have never had a Remington barrel that was on very tightly.
If it was mild steel, it would have bent first.
Casting? NO. Why and how, would you cast a foot long piece of bar stock integral with a big square chunk of steel? And who would make a forging die that big, for a tool that sells 3 a year? Not suitable for a forging either. Each one would cost $2500.
It was obviously a fabricated piece; welded onto the square socket; you can see the weld, and the heat from the weld made the handle brittle. And since it looks like they used drill rod instead of 1020 CRS, it got brittle and broke.
This incident was easy to diagnose. The failure was not the wrench's fault, nor was the operator's fault; it was a failure in design, material choice, and manufacture. It was doomed from the start.
No mystery, no castings, no magic.

Looks like the"handle" part is removeable, the square shank is a good place to use any suitable wrench.

I don't see any use for them on a really tight barrel.

It does seem like this was drill rod, and pretty hard/brittle. I'm sure the weld didn't help it any. Still, I was surprised it just snapped like that. Thankfully, I've already learned my lesson that I don't push down when trying to break things free, I pull up. When something goes, I don't land on my face anymore.

I'll keep this wrench, but will probably end up making a different handle for it... maybe something with a ½" square socket so I can put a breaker bar or long ratchet on it.

Stokes, As DW touched on, more specifically - A monkey wrench on the shank with a piece of pipe on the handle should do the trick to break it loose. Those wrenches 'bite' in quite well.

quote:

Originally posted by Stokes:
It does seem like this was drill rod, and pretty hard/brittle. I'm sure the weld didn't help it any.

Yeah, What he said