Barrel vise and receiver wrench - which??

[StressPuppy]

I am starting to pick up some C&R rifles and working on them. Most of what I have done thus far hasn't needed much, but I have a 6.5 Carcano that has a loose barrel. I figured I would get a good generic barrel vise and a generic action wrench system (or something) so that I can take care of such things when they come up.

What things have you used that you liked?

I have seen a vise that someone put together using a 4 ton hydraulic car jack and some steel plates and rods. Anybody have any sort of material list and WHERE to get such things? Pre-built is easier, obviously, but making one isn't out of the question.

Anybody used the Brownell's Action Wrench system? Good? Bad? What about the heads for it? What do you use for something like the Carcano?


Sorry to ask so many questions in one post.

 

[Sunray]

You can get a barrel vice from Brownell's, but you should use the proper action wrench. Some guys use a big crecent wrench, but it's risky. I think Brownell's has generic wrenches too. You certainly don't need a 4 ton jack. A 4 pound hammer will do. We used a vice and wrench I made and a 4' hunk of Al on the No 4's we were changing barrels on. Worked just fine.

 

[Jim K]

One of the problems when using a barrel vise is getting the thing tight enough to prevent slipping and marring the barrel. That jack arrangement is intended to do that, and should work. But it is not necessary. What you do need is a very strong bench to bolt the vise down (no, that old kitchen table won't do!) and then really crank it tight. The one I used came with 1/2" Allen head bolts and a wrench with about a 6" (!) handle. To get it tight enough, we had to put a 2 foot piece of pipe on the wrench.

The vises come with a set of bushings, but with oddwad barrels you may need to cut one down or shape it in some way, so it isn't really good for anything but that barrel.

If dealing with C&R rifles, it is worth noting that Norwegian Krags have left hand barrel threads. I have seen a couple of those receivers twisted like pretzels by guys trying to remove the barrels the wrong direction.

Jim

 

[Clark]

I made my barrel vice from two pieces of steel 1.5"x1.5"x6".
There is semi circle 1.5" in diameter cut in each block.
When stacked with a small spacer, the blocks present a 1.5" hole.
That hole was made on the face plate of the lathe with a boring bar.
I used two bolts, and they come up through holes in the 5/8" thick steel work bench.
I bought 6' length of round Aluminum stock, and I cut off a piece 1.5" long and make a barrel bushing for every new barrel diameter.
The slit collet is for barrels that I can slide it on.
The split collet is for barrels with rear sights or some other obstacle.
The threaded bottom block accepts the tightening bolts from above and mounting bolts from the bench below.

--
A society that teaches evolution as fact will breed a generation of atheists that will destroy the society. It is Darwinian.

 

[Sunray]

Clark, that looks just like the one I made eons ago. Only mine was of 3" SPS and I used mild steel for the bushings.

 

[Badger Arms]

If you have the tools, making one yourself is probably the best way to go. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to take some bar-stock and HEAVY-DUTY hardware to assemble one.

 

[4 eyed six shooter]

I bought a Brownells vise and have had great luck with it. Originally I tried one of the MidwayUSA vises and found it to be a cheap piece of junk. No matter how hard I cranked on the bolts, using the wood block, wood blocks and lead sheets, wood blocks, lead sheets and rosin, it always slipped. The action wrenches MidwayUSA sells for the Mauser and Remington/Savage rifles work well and are a good value.
Good shooting, John K

 

[Clark]

Doesn't take a rocket scientist to take some bar-stock and HEAVY-DUTY hardware to assemble one.

I have worked a little at Rocket Reseach in Redomond WA doing rocket design ~ 1986.
They told me I came up with the first new thing in rocket science in 20 years:
A way to reduce the power consumption and make the turn on time uniform in steering rockets. I turned a solinoid valve on with a Voltage source and kept it on with a current source.

It is my general impression that construction workers, farmers, ranchers, and machinists are typically smarter than the average guy who gets a degree and goes to some big company and is a tiny part of a big project.


We need a new expression, instead of "It ain't rocket science!" we could instead say, "It ain't as hard as making a profit ranching!"

The two guys who helped me with my vice never went to college:
1) Dennis Sextant, machinist, " Make it out of 2x2 steel and use Aluminum bushings"
2) Randy Ketchum, gunsmith, "My barrel vice is mounted to a huge work bench that does not move when I pull on the action wrench with a long lever.

So when I saw a 2'x3' bench made of steel and weighing hundreds of pounds at Boeing Surplus, I got it. You can see it's 5/8" steel top plate in the picture.