markyblaze, so very true.
If you stuff the receiver in a vise, padded or not, and try twisting the tube off you will probably tweek the receiver out of alignment.
You will not only end up with a trashed magazine tube, but a trashed receiver as well.
Vise up the magazine tube in rosined barrel jaws with the receiver bottom facing skyward.
MARK THE LOCATION OF THE MAGAZINE TUBE TO RECEIVER JUNCTION, DO THIS NOW!
Use Dykem Blue, a scratch awl, fingernail polis, whatever but mark the exact spot where the tube and magazine meet.
This will save you function problems later down the road, believe me on this.
This is the most important thing to remember to do!
AR15 barrel vise jaws work just dandy for removing most magazine tubes from shotguns by the way, the powdered rosin will keep the tube tight in the vise jaws and will help prevent marring the tube if it slip turns in the jaws.
Make some pin spacers to fit tight between the receiver trigger assembly pin holes and then run screws rom the outside of the receiver and through the pin spacers and tighten the screws down with washers and nuts.
This will keep the receiver bottoms from collapsing inward if you overdo the Grunt Umph part.
I place two boards that have clearance holes for the nuts and screw heads against the outsides of the receiver and I secure them with a 4" C-Clamp set dead center of the receiver.
I use the C-Clamp as a handle.
Heat the magazine tube to uncomfortable to hold hot, Propane works fine for this, you don't need Mapp gas or oxy-acetalene for this.
Let it cool for about 20 seconds
This heating will break the grip of the Loc-Tite if any has been used and the metal will expand against the heat and as it begins to cool it will contract slightly and make the initial unseat much easier.
Grasp the C-clamp at both curves of the 'c' part and apply steady pressure.
Remember counterclockwise to loosen clockwise to tighten, it doesn't matter which end of the tube you are working from, it works like this both ways.
You will feel the receiver begin to turn free, when this happens give the c-clamp a little grunt umph and the tube should break free and begin to turn away from the receiver.
Once you break the initial set, the tube will unscrew with very little effort.
BE CAREFUL WITH A MOSSBERG, remember that pesky magazine spring and follower are still in there and when that tube comes free from the receiver they will shoot out with considerable force if you are not controlling them.
Oh and once you get that magazine tube off consider replacing the cheap plastic follower with a stainless or anodized aluminum aftermarket model, either one of these will still be useful even if the rest of the gun rusts away.
While you are at it add a high quality replacement stainless steel magazine spring and you should never need to do this little feat of fun again, at least not to that shotgun.
Assemble in reverse of takedown, I use two drops of Loc-Tite GREEN, one drop on opposite sides of the threads.
Screw down EXACTLY to the witness mark you made on the tube, no more, no less, let the loc-tite cure for a couple of hours and put the blaster back together.
Oh yeah, did I mention this is why professionals charge $50.00 or so to do this kinda "WHAT! Cripes, you're ripping me off!" kind of work??HTH
