HELP...stuck choke tube

[eng23ine]

I recently acquired a very nice Browning BPS game gun in 12Ga. and it came with the rifled slugger tube installed. I cant for the life of me get the darn tube to unscrew. Anyone have any tricks or tips to getting this thing to unscrew without tearing it up?

It's a rifled and ported tube and it adds about 3 3\4" to the barrel. The other tube says " 12 ga std invector turkey/deer caution:no slugs or sabots"

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

Have you tried hitting it with a good penetrating oil? That would be where I would start.

 

[eng23ine]

I sprayed it down with rem oil...no dice.
Can i safely use something like PB blaster?

 

[RNB65]

Hose it down with Kroil a few times, give it 24 hours to sink in, and the tube should come out without too much trouble.

 

[Mal H]

Can i safely use something like PB blaster?

Yes, that or Kroil as RNB65 suggested, or Liquid Wrench. PBB is one of the best penetrants. Rem oil like most thicker oils may not get into the zero clearance threads like a penetrating oil can.

You might also try tightening it a little in order to loosen it. Oddly enough that sometimes works - just don't put too much pressure on the tube wrench if you try that method.

 

[Capstick1]

You might try lighting a candle and use it to heat up that end of the barrel. That might loosen it up.

 

[birdbustr]

I would try Heating the end of the barrel as well. When you do get it out I like Tetra Gun Grease on the threads to prevent chokes from sticking again. Anti-Seize is something else to you can use, but I prefer Tetra Grease.

 

[foghornl]

Use one of those "hot air" guns like used for heat-shrink tubing or paint stripping. Heat the barrel (not the choke tube sticking out).

Apply {ahem} 'Liberal' amounts of PB Blaster, Kroil, etc to the threads..Lather Rinse Repeat

That is how I got the mag tube in my OLD Mossberg to loosen up so I could remove and clean out the tube.

 

[ronto]

Heat the barrel and in the future use anti-seize coumpound on the threads before installing the tube.

 

[35Rem]

may be obvious, but the oil and an open flame may not be a good mix.
The PB Blaster should do the job, just let it soak for several hours.

 

[Floppy_D]

Try the PBB, let it soak for a long time, and give it ago. Failing that, a gunsmith might be in order. I had a stuck turkey choke in a Stoeger 2000 that I soaked for 2 days in PBB, froze, heated the barrel, vised the thing, and then ruined two choke wrenches on. The gunsmith couldn't pull it, but he could turn a 28" with a stuck choke into a 26" without a stuck choke.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Heat the muzzle with a hairdryer or heat gun and upend the muzzle in a small container of Kroil and let it soak for a couple of days. Then heat the area with a hairdryer or heat gun again, put the choke tube wrench in place on the tube, and tap the wrench gently a few times with a light hammer. Then try unscrewing it...

lpl/nc (tap lightly)

 

[pete f]

Do not be in a rush. Rushing will not get it out.

get a soup can, invert the barrel in it and fill the soup can with penetrating oil, this will allow the oil to soak in from both the muzzle end and the thread end. leave it for a week, remove it, LIGHTLY (using a choke tool as the intermediary,) tap the end of the choke tube. one maybe two taps, now try to remove the tube, if its still stuck, repeat, after the second week it will just spin out, (I have used this method maybe 25 times, failed once on a remington.)

 

[plexreticle]

Soak it overnight in penetrating oil and tap the side of it with the handle of a screw driver or plastic mallet while you unscrew it.

If you don't care about the choke you could soak it then put a small pipe wrench on it.

 

[Shell Shucker]

I'd try heating the barrel up with a heat gun or hair dryer. If the choke is still stuck spray it with Kroil or some other penetrating lube while it is still warm. The metal will contract and "draw in" the lube as it cools. Be patient and good luck.

 

[eastwood44mag]

This happened to me before. Here is what I did:

Find a plumbing contract supplier. Tell them you need a nipple extractor in a diameter slightly smaller than the bore of your shotgun. It will grab the tube at 3 points on the inside, to pull the tube. Costs about $50, at most, and is a lot cheaper than going to a gunsmith.

Hope that helps.

 

[mswestfall]

These are good ideas.

You can remove the bbl and stick the choke end in a light solvent overnight; mineral spirits, Hoppe's Old number 9 or anything like that. Be sure to keep the solvent far away from any ignition soarce like a furnace or water heater to be safe.

Get a helper to hold the bbl and try removing before you try a heat soarce. I'd try a hair dryer but remember it has a heat soarce that can set the solvent on fire.

If I understand what you are saying, the choke actually sticks out the bbl about 3 3/4" and has hole in it. You can stick a large nail through the porting on the choke if you must. I'd protect the bbl over the choke. Chokes are less expensive than bbls.

Good luck and let us know when/how you solve your problem.

 

[redneck2]

I sell industrial solvents and lubricants. As above, regular oils like RemOil or WD-40 may be too thick to wick into the threads. The oil not only needs to penetrate, but it's got to be something that dissolves the rust. Normal oil doesn't do that, so the rust fills the threads and stops rotation.

While PB Blaster is pretty good, Kroil is THE best common penetrating oil IMO. The thing about heating and then soaking the barrel is good. If you can heat the barrel without heating the choke, the barrel will expand slightly and pull away from the choke.

If you don't have success, I'd get call the guys at Tru-Lock Chokes. In fact, if you go to their web site, it talks about removing stuck chokes. http://www.trulockchokes.com

The best way I've found to keep chokes from sticking is silicone faucet grease. I use it on the plug in my muzzle loader and it never sticks. Works great on chokes. Available at any hardware store. Nasty stuff that won't wash off. That's why it works. Lithium grease absorbs water. Never Seize dries out over time and makes a hell of a mess while you're using it.

 

[eng23ine]

OK, so far I have tried pb blaster, rust buster, a hair dryer, and alot of elbow grease......so far nothing has worked.

I now have the barrel soaking in a mixture of kero and pb blaster...gonna leave it to soak for a few days and give it one more try. If I still cant get it out i will have to take it to a 'smith.

Anyone have or know where i can get a cheap(er) barrel for this thing?

 

[eng23ine]

Well the kero didnt work either, so the new girl is off to the choke doctor.

 

[Onmilo]

I have stuck choke removers that work very similar to the nipple extractor so described.
In worse case scenarios I have had to use a diamond cutter to split frozen tubes to allow them to be extracted without damaging the threads.

I strongly recommend that if you use steel shot or deer slugs in a standard barrel you use an extended choke tube.
These special extended tubes move the choke restriction or rifled deer slug section out away from the threaded portion and this prevents the steel shot load or deer slug from peening the choke tube threads into the barrel threads.

Peening, and not rust or corrosion, is the major reason choke tubes become stuck and extended choke tubes solve most of this problem.

 

[Pete409]

eng23ine,

What tool are you using to try to unscrew this choke tube? You need to use a choke tool that has a handle several inches long. Even then, adding a cheater pipe over the end of the handle will help tremendously. If you're trying to unscrew the tube with just your fingers/hand, that won't get it. You need something you can get leverage on.

 

[evbutler462]

Floppy D, a deluxe Polychoke will ease your pains. My 2000 wears a Polychoke II in place of the screw-ins. It is not necessary for anyone to have to put up with screw-ins. So long as Polychoke or Lyman makes adjustable chokes, I will put them on my guns. I have won many turkey shoots with Polychokes. I have been using variable choke devices for over 40 years. Many an amputated barrel has been salvaged with the installation of a Lyman or Polychoke.

Life is just too short!!

 

[eng23ine]

Pete409,


I have been using the standard choke wrench with a pair of vice grips attached for leverage. So far all I've managed to do is booger up the end of the choke tube.

I have sent the gun to someone with more knowledge and patience than i have, so hopefully i can salvage at least my barrel.

On a lighter note, does anybody know the best place to find barrels for the browning BPS?

 

[Kimber1911_06238]

bps barrels are very expensive. bring it to a gunsmith, it'll be cheaper