unscrewing a bbl

[mikeinco]

well i took apart another savage nutted action.
MY RECCOMENDATION
BUY AN ACTION WRENCH
bbl in a bbl vice
savage nut wrench in place, snug not tight.
( my opinion is the savage wrench collapses the nut against the bbl threads and makes
it harder to get off)
brake the action loose with a breaker bar on the action wrench,
then unscrew the nut

[celltech]

I never required that much torque...but to each his own. I get by with just a barrel vice and a nut wrench.

[Ted_Feasel]

well i took apart another savage nutted action.
MY RECCOMENDATION
BUY AN ACTION WRENCH
bbl in a bbl vice
savage nut wrench in place, snug not tight.
( my opinion is the savage wrench collapses the nut against the bbl threads and makes
it harder to get off)
brake the action loose with a breaker bar on the action wrench,
then unscrew the nutI would agree, breaking the action loose is better than trying to break a factory nut loose:)


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[mikeinco]

i have had ZERO luck trying to loosen a round nut.
as i said the wrench compresses the od of the nut..the opposite of what you want to loosen a nut.
once you have it apart, and just firm it up vs torquing it, i would guess you might get it apart.
i TORQUE all my bbls in place.


I never required that much torque...but to each his own. I get by with just a barrel vice and a nut wrench.

[celltech]

Small pop with a dead blow mallet always works for me. And I torque the nut back on as well to 70 lbs.

[Three44s]

The distinction here is the round smooth barrel nut.

To grab it you have to squeeze it. I have that nut wrench along with the standard one and have never been very keen on the smooth nut.

Three44s

[Ted_Feasel]

The distinction here is the round smooth barrel nut.

To grab it you have to squeeze it. I have that nut wrench along with the standard one and have never been very keen on the smooth nut.

Three44sTrue, if you have the aftermarket nuts, they are MUCH easier to grip and turn, if its factory smooth nut for me it's been easier to use barrel vice, action wrench and a smack with a dead blow

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[Dave Hoback]

To my knowledge, there is NO aftermarket smooth nut available. To which I can’t understand reusing the smooth nut in a build?? The aftermarket nuts made are machined from billet, to a much higher precision and simply put, are better! That leaves “looks” as the only reason for using a smooth nut.

[Ted_Feasel]

To my knowledge, there is NO aftermarket smooth nut available. To which I can’t understand reusing the smooth nut in a build?? The aftermarket nuts made are machined from billet, to a much higher precision and simply put, are better! That leaves “looks” as the only reason for using a smooth nut.Right, I bought my aftermarket from northlandshootersupply.com and love it, I also bought my recoil lug and accutrigger spring from them.. good guys there, jim I believe is his name, really knows his stuff

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[Dave Hoback]

Yes, you are correct Ted. THIS is Jim’s forum in fact.

As for removal, a good “rapp” on the barrel nut wrench has never let me down. One trick is actually a nice clean tap on the wrench in the clockwise direction(yes.., the tightening direction) FIRST! Then loosen the nut. Doing this is an old trick to ANY stuck nut or bolt where corrosion can be an influence.

Personally, I prefer having an Action wrench, Barrel nut wrench and Barrel vise. This way I have an answer for all walks. The RIGHT way is the one in which the barrel nut loosens. Doesn’t matter how you got there!

[Ted_Feasel]

Yes, you are correct Ted. THIS is Jim’s forum in fact.

As for removal, a good “rapp” on the barrel nut wrench has never let me down. One trick is actually a nice clean tap on the wrench in the clockwise direction(yes.., the tightening direction) FIRST! Then loosen the nut. Doing this is an old trick to ANY stuck nut or bolt where corrosion can be an influence.

Personally, I prefer having an Action wrench, Barrel nut wrench and Barrel vise. This way I have an answer for all walks. The RIGHT way is the one in which the barrel nut loosens. Doesn’t matter how you got there!Really, I had no idea this was his forum, I bought everything from him including my shilen barrel, only thing I didnt get there was my stock


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[DesertDug]

A long as you get there without buggering something up. :stupid:
I know I have read about people twisting an action or two. Dead blow to nut is the key imho.

[Ted_Feasel]

A long as you get there without buggering something up. :stupid:
I know I have read about people twisting an action or two. Dead blow to nut is the key imho.I think twisting the action happens when they put the action wrench on the wrong end of the action instead of the barrel end... that would be a homer simpson moment lmbo.


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[Dave Hoback]

Really, I had no idea this was his forum, I bought everything from him including my shilen barrel, only thing I didnt get there was my stock


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Sorry...said that wrong. Just meant the Forum owner is ALSO a Jim. Jim Baker though. NSS is James Kessler I believe.

[Ted_Feasel]

Sorry...said that wrong. Just meant the Forum owner is ALSO a Jim. Jim Baker though.Oh lol, no worries :-O

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[JeepsAndGuns]

my opinion is the savage wrench collapses the nut against the bbl threads and makes
it harder to get off

I have found the same to be true of the action wrench. Every time I have removed and/or installed a barrel, I have noticed once the action wrench is tightened around the receiver, the barrel will no longer thread out. When I install one, I always have to get it in and headspaced, before I tighten the action wrench. And the same thing when removing one. Once the nut is loose, I have to loosen the action wrench before I can remove the barrel from the receiver.
I have only ever removed 1 smooth barrel nut, and it was just recently. I had to torque the wrench around the nut super tight to keep it from slipping, but it broke loose and spun fine (other than being gritty) after being broke loose, even with the wrench torqued so tight I thought the clamp bolt was going to break.

[mikeinco]

that aint the type of action wrench we are talking about.
internal , slides in full length front to back, used with a breaker bar off and a torque wrench on.
(go look in brownells)

what you are talking about should not be tightened enough to compress the action.
finger tight with padding to prevent marks should do fine,
if not relieve the bbl with a cut or cut it off and remove the stub,


I have found the same to be true of the action wrench. Every time I have removed and/or installed a barrel, I have noticed once the action wrench is tightened around the receiver, the barrel will no longer thread out. When I install one, I always have to get it in and headspaced, before I tighten the action wrench. And the same thing when removing one. Once the nut is loose, I have to loosen the action wrench before I can remove the barrel from the receiver.
I have only ever removed 1 smooth barrel nut, and it was just recently. I had to torque the wrench around the nut super tight to keep it from slipping, but it broke loose and spun fine (other than being gritty) after being broke loose, even with the wrench torqued so tight I thought the clamp bolt was going to break.

[JeepsAndGuns]

Mine is the one made by wheeler and is the only type I have ever seen.

[mikeinco]

there are INTERNAL and EXTERNAL action wrenches.
you have an external, never should be tight for the reason you pointed out
internal replaces the bolt, a long custom steel bar with a hex on the end for a wrench.
nothing wrong with external, but they can screw with the finish.
internal is very simple, put the bbl in a bbl vice, pull the bolt, insert wrench, unscrew
common in the bench rest world where the bbl is unscrewed and the stock.action and scope are left alone.
common tool for gunsmiths, or people that build rifles.
the wrench is unique to a family of actions/bolt styles.


Mine is the one made by wheeler and is the only type I have ever seen.

[PhilC]

Brownells currently only sells the Davidson action wrench for Savage, they are $84, you still need a barrel vise, and Davidson says it's not designed for removing factory installed barrels.


Davidson Action Wrenches are designed for the switch barrel shooter with a custom built rifle. Manufactured from 7075-T6 aluminum, these tools are not designed to remove factory installed barrels. Action wrenches are used to break the action free from the barrel while the barrel is held in a barrel vise. This allows the shooter to change barrels in a matter of a few minutes.

IMHO, for the casual user who isn't frequently switching barrels, but is breaking down factory installed barrels, the barrel vise and barrel nut wrench seem to be the most economical solution.