Problem Getting Savage Barrel Off

[randyu]

I'm having a real problem getting my factory barrel off. I have a 112bvss chambered in .308. I have shredded two sets of wooden barrel vice blocks from cranking down so hard on it but when I put the barrel wrench to it, the barrel still turns. I have tried soaking it in WD40 but still no bueno. I really don't want to take a chisel to it as suggested in one of the technical articles. Would liquid wrench help?

[jlcpls]

Are you just reefing on the nut wrench, or are you using a dead blow hammer?

seriously, if I clamp her down in some blocks, set the wrench upright and take hammer to the wrench, that momentary "impact" works wonders.....

[possum1]

I took some member's advice and got the action wrench for that very reason, I don't even have a vise. I think the hammer tap will work though, at one time I had a auto repair shop and found that the rapping or vibration's is what break's the bond on steel assembly's.

[randyu]

Just reefing on it. Probably should try dead blow. I'm a pretty big guy and not used to finding much that wouldn't break loose with a little wrench tourque but obviously have met my match here.

[chestsprings]

I'm a pretty big guy and not used to finding much that wouldn't break loose

I think Fred said the barrels are torqued by some very petite women at Savage. :D

Just hang in there, I busted a wooded vice I had made the first time I did it. for a time, I thought maybe Savaged had welded it on. :D

then I made a real wooden vice, as as mentioned, a good solid wack & it came loose.

[Budweiser360]

Instead of using barrel blocks, I use action blocks. I found it hard to get a good hold on the tapered barrel so I got a set of aluminum action blocks made so I can get a good grip on the even, straight action. For the SA on my .223 BVSS I got a 1.36" hole bored in a piece of 2" square aluminum then parted them.

[CJ in WY]

I have since bought a wrench for swapping barrels that have been off before but to loosen factory barrels the old rounded chisel and heavy hammer get-r-done! The pic shows the chisel being a lot ruffer than it is. Just get the nut loose by hitting the the bottom of the nut ,once its loose the wrench works great. In most cases the chisel does not even mark up the blueing let alone mess up the slot.

[img width=600 height=450]http://photos.imageevent.com/cjnmn/guns/websize/diesandbullets%20001.jpg[/img]

[LG]

Just reefing on it. Probably should try dead blow. I'm a pretty big guy and not used to finding much that wouldn't break loose with a little wrench tourque but obviously have met my match here.

Some factory barrels are really hard to remove. I like to use penetrant oil (kroil, pb blaster, liquid wrench, etc) and let it soak for a while. Also I heat the nut up just prior to removing it. And then to get the nut to break loose I hit the nut wrench with a mallet. A couple of good whacks should do the trick. A hammer might be needed rather than a mallet for the real stubborn ones.

[dcloco]

You may also consider putting the barrel/action in the freezer for five hours.

[jo191145]

I made a set of barrel blocks out of a 4" x 4" chunk of oak. Drilled a 1 1/4" hole through it. Then cut it in half and removed a little extra on the kerf.
Wrapped it back together with electric tape. Slide barrel in almost up to the nut, clamp it hard in a vice. One whack with a hammer on the wrench and a factory nut will pop right off.
I tap them tight also just not factory tight. The tapping helps tighten them without altering headspace. Shock is the way to go without an action wrench.

I've used chisels on Bricks, Blocks and Rocks and Wood. No reason to use one on a Savage nut.

[Blue Avenger]

5# dead blow will become one of your favorite tools!

[MikeCTX]

+1 ;D

[bcp]

The best way I have found for tight barrels is shown below. The nut is tight against the recoil lug, not the barrel or receiver. You get the most from your effort if that is where you apply the force. Use a brass or aluminum liner on the wrench jaws to protect the lug and receiver finish.

Bruce

[img width=600 height=395]http://home.comcast.net/~bcpryor/temp/savagenutoff.jpg[/img]

[TnTom]

I like oil of wintergreen if i think penetrating oil is needed. It gets where nothing else will ever get if a rust or corrosion is occuring. Learned it in the Navy and it does the jobs. Salt water can make a real mess out of nuts and bolts. I use it on guns a lot (its all i use)

[fatdaddy]

The last real tough factory barrel we couldn't hold the barrel in blocks with a large vise. Barrel still slipped and wouldnt break loose. Cut 2, 8" regular pine 2"x4"s. Sandwiched the barrel and crushed it all in the vise. No groves were made for the barrel at all except what was pressed in with the vise. Whacked the wrench with a 2lb hammer. She broke the first time. Bill

[Boog]

I use the oak wooden blocks drilled and split and fit in a homemade barrel vise. Try some rosin in the blocks and a deadblow hammer or a mallet on the barrel nut wrench, but the biggest help I have found is a paint stripper heat gun. You can control how much heat you are putting in a pretty small place. Just heat the nut, slip on the wrench and whack with the mallet. It doesn't take as much heat as you would think to make a difference.

[TwentyFiveTwenty]

The last one I did that was a beeyotch, I squirted most of an upside down can of canned air into the throat, until I could see frost settling on the barrel nut.

Then I warmed up the nut on the outside with a torch until it was hot too the touch, but not so hot that it burned me.

A light tap with a hammer on the the wrench and Voila!

[BrentWin]

I know that alot of people say that wood blocks will do the job, but my own experience and posts here on Savage Shooters tell me differently.

If you consider your time and aggrivation worth anything, spend the $50 on an action wrench and you'll never have to fight with one again.

[jo191145]

Never used it myself but heat may just be the ticket. Just took a tour of the Savage factory and they indeed are using a Loctite substance on the threads.

[Elkbane]

I never had much luck breaking loose factory barrels with the wood blocks. It's the bluing salts that have seeped in under the barrel nut that causes the problem, not the torque setting in the factory. Look at the threads after you get one off and you'll see what I mean.

I found that the highest and best use for the wood block is to turn it into an action vice. With a little ingenuity and some scrap you probably already have in your shop, you can make one of these:

[img width=600 height=450]http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/elkbane/ActionBlocks_1.jpg[/img]
[img width=600 height=450]http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/elkbane/ActionBlocks_2.jpg[/img]

The flanges match up with the sides of the recoil lug and the action screw fits through the bottom hole. Yo put the remaining piece of wood on top and clamp the blocks in a bench vise. The action will not turn and provides a solid platform for using the nut wrench - with or without a deadblow hammer.

I made these one day when I wanted to get a barrel off NOW and didn't want to wait for an action wrench to be delivered. Plus, I'm cheap and I already had the blocks....

Elkbane

[ande7824]

I never had much luck breaking loose factory barrels with the wood blocks. It's the bluing salts that have seeped in under the barrel nut that causes the problem, not the torque setting in the factory. Look at the threads after you get one off and you'll see what I mean.

I found that the highest and best use for the wood block is to turn it into an action vice. With a little ingenuity and some scrap you probably already have in your shop, you can make one of these:

[img width=600 height=450]http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/elkbane/ActionBlocks_1.jpg[/img]
[img width=600 height=450]http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/elkbane/ActionBlocks_2.jpg[/img]

The flanges match up with the sides of the recoil lug and the action screw fits through the bottom hole. Yo put the remaining piece of wood on top and clamp the blocks in a bench vise. The action will not turn and provides a solid platform for using the nut wrench - with or without a deadblow hammer.

I made these one day when I wanted to get a barrel off NOW and didn't want to wait for an action wrench to be delivered. Plus, I'm cheap and I already had the blocks....

Elkbane

^ now thats a good idea

also, the factory barrel I took off my rifle was quite a PITA to get off. I could not for the life of me keep the barrel from turning in the blocks. I even tried "crush" fitting the barrel between 2 8" pieces of pine. I don't remember where I read it, but I remember someone recommending powdered sugar to use as a substitute for rosin. It worked wonders. One wack and the nut was loose!