I'm new, and wondered about getting an action wrench, but didnt want to spend the money. So, all I use is a barrel vise, and on occassion, for a factory barrel that had been on for decades, I used a piece of oak in the action with just a little pressure at the moment of the smack with my stubby sledge... that Savage grit...

I never had the problem described with the barrel fit in the few I've seen.
But, I did have an old barrel nut that would not thread on a custom barrel. Tolerances are different for sure.

Talked with one guy who machined flats on his barrels so he could slip a wrench on the barrel and a wrench on the nut. Did a barrel swap in seconds.