Someone to remove howa mini barrel

[Leadfarmer]

Looking for someone to remove a factory Howa mini barrel. I have a barrel nutted in 222rem from crown ridge coming and I've just read horror stories about getting these things off. Figured by the time I buy everything I need to remove it, it would be cheaper to just have it removed.

Looking for a quick turn around if possible, also a price.

Thanks fellas.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Just curious, what is a variable shoulder?

 

[Leadfarmer]

Just curious, what is a variable shoulder?

Sorry I meant a barrel nut. Everywhere I look on sites it keeps saying variable shoulder.

Changed it to "nutted barrel" but that feels wrong as well. Haha

 

[NZ_Fclass]

Put 2 flats on with an angle grinder and use an adjustable spanner. Ha ha.

 

[tobnpr]

Take it to any local smith- if you need to ship to an FFL, by the time you pay shipping both ways and the smith to pull it, you could've paid for the action wrench. A pipe wrench on the barrel breech guarantees no slip...

You're going to need the action wrench, and barrel vise anyway to install your prefit anyway, no?

 

[NZ_Fclass]

Seriously - they are not always difficult to remove - but I would get a smith to do the whole job. You will need a clamp and an action wrench to fit the new barrel and gauges ( UK spelling) to set the headspace.

 

[Leadfarmer]

Seriously - they are not always difficult to remove - but I would get a smith to do the whole job. You will need a clamp and an action wrench to fit the new barrel and gauges ( UK spelling) to set the headspace.

Ive taken off a few Tikka barrels at a friend's house who no longer shoots, and that was not fun either. I already have my gauges for the new barrel, I'm more worried I'll marr up the action or it's just not gonna budge. We shall see I guess.

 

[ELR LVR]

Put 2 flats on with an angle grinder and use an adjustable spanner. Ha ha.

I'm with ya --- Hammer and chisel - works like an impact gun

 

[ELR LVR]

Ive taken off a few Tikka barrels at a friend's house who no longer shoots, and that was not fun either. I already have my gauges for the new barrel, I'm more worried I'll marr up the action or it's just not gonna budge. We shall see I guess.

Propane torch the heck out of the tenon - soak with ATF
Thats what I have to do to get Rem700 barrels off that are Loctited from the factory.
I have also made Oak Blocks to fit the barrel OD, then clamp the barrel in a 12 ton shop press sandwiched between the oak blocks - for a barrel vise
it worked well on a very old gun I had to remove a barrel from
Some guys use a 6 foot cheater bar also
I used a shop press , oak blocks on the barrel
and a 3 foot cheater pipe for the action
Plus lots of propane _ Use Propane only, not Oxy/Acet
I have not seen a propane hobby type torch damage a blued action
It may blueish discolor a stainless action though, not a biggee if you are going to bead blast after

 

[Leadfarmer]

Propane torch the heck out of the tenon - soak with ATF
Thats what I have to do to get Rem700 barrels off that are Loctited from the factory.
I have also made Oak Blocks to fit the barrel OD, then clamp the barrel in a 12 ton shop press sandwiched between the oak blocks - for a barrel vise
it worked well on a very old gun I had to remove a barrel from
Some guys use a 6 foot cheater bar also
I used a shop press , oak blocks on the barrel
and a 3 foot cheater pipe for the action
Plus lots of propane _ Use Propane only, not Oxy/Acet
I have not seen a propane hobby type torch damage a blued action
It may blueish discolor a stainless action though, not a biggee if you are going to bead blast after

Sounds good! Was reading an older thread and someone suggest putting the flame inside the chamber or near it on the inside, although that seems backwards they said it worked.

 

[ELR LVR]

Sounds good! Was reading an older thread and someone suggest putting the flame inside the chamber or near it on the inside, although that seems backwards they said it worked.

Yes, I direct the flame at the breech of the chamber first until I see loctite bubble out between the
action and tenon.
Before this step I will dribble ATF at the breech of the chamber/tenon threads so upon heating it seeps into the threads
then hit the outside of the action all around to try and further expand the action away from the tenon.
(Note: I use a syringe with metal needle so as not to melt my ATF dribbler tip if I need to reapply when hot)
--------------
If it is loctited like Remingtons - The second you budge the barrel loose one tiny bit, heat everything back up again
I have had the loctite begin to resolidify almost immediately and stop the barrel from further turning once it cracked loose and I thought I was home free, - only to have it spin in the barrel vise if I didnt reheat.

 

[Adam in WI]

This thread is going to give a lot of guys courage

 

[Leadfarmer]

Yes, I direct the flame at the breech of the chamber first until I see loctite bubble out between the
action and tenon.
Before this step I will dribble ATF at the breech of the chamber/tenon threads so upon heating it seeps into the threads
then hit the outside of the action all around to try and further expand the action away from the tenon.
(Note: I use a syringe with metal needle so as not to melt my ATF dribbler tip if I need to reapply when hot)
--------------
If it is loctited like Remingtons - The second you budge the barrel loose one tiny bit, heat everything back up again
I have had the loctite begin to resolidify almost immediately and stop the barrel from further turning once it cracked loose and I thought I was home free, - only to have it spin in the barrel vise if I didnt reheat.

I wonder if I'm referring to something you actually posted a while back, this is exactly the info I was trying to find! Well I'll probably be giving it a go sometime in the next week or so. I'll report back here afterward!

 

[shortgrass]

I graduated from the gunsmithing school at Montgomery Community College in '93 and started putting my shop together soon after. In the time since then, I have never had to apply heat, nor would I apply heat from a propane torch or any other heat source to remove any barrel. Heating with propane or any other fuel gas in a no-no, as you have no good way to know how hot you are making that heat treated and tempered steel. I've never had to add a 3ft cheater to my action wrench handle either. Sounds like a good way to crack an action to me. All that is need is good tools and a healthy dose of common sense.

 

[TC260]

I graduated from the gunsmithing school at Montgomery Community College in '93 and started pitting my shop together soon after. In the time since then, I have never had to apply heat, nor would I apply heat from a propane torch or any other heat source to remove any barrel. Heating with propane or any other fuel gas in a no-no, as you have no good way to know how hot you are making that heat treated and tempered steel. I've never had to add a 3ft cheater to my action wrench handle either. Sounds like a good way to crack an action to me. All that is need is good tools and a healthy dose of common sense.

I always take the initial factory barrel removal to my local smith. $25 and he practically has them off by the time I get my wallet out to pay

 

[Carl S]

I've removed quite a few howas.the stainless one's come of quite easy.the blued one's can be a right B to get of.
and that's with proper action wrench and barrel vice.

 

[linebaugh]

I part the barrel in front of the action and they are still occassionaly barder than normal to unscrew. I think I hqve done 4 minis and to be honest after the first one I just go straight to the lathe.

 

[Seagull]

Throw it in the lathe cut thread relief then there a but easier to remove .

 

[Leadfarmer]

I graduated from the gunsmithing school at Montgomery Community College in '93 and started pitting my shop together soon after. In the time since then, I have never had to apply heat, nor would I apply heat from a propane torch or any other heat source to remove any barrel. Heating with propane or any other fuel gas in a no-no, as you have no good way to know how hot you are making that heat treated and tempered steel. I've never had to add a 3ft cheater to my action wrench handle either. Sounds like a good way to crack an action to me. All that is need is good tools and a healthy dose of common sense.

What good tools might those be?

 

[shortgrass]

What good tools might those be?

The barrel vise and action wrenches that were "required" to be made ,, in the 1st semester, as students while in school. Not the flimsy tools I see advertised by some sellers. I looked and found no pics in this laptop of those tools. A heavy, 4 bolt barrel vise that uses metal bushings that fit the contour of the barrel (steel or aluminum, I have made some of Delrin, but they don't have the gripping power). First semester was machine tool tech. I already had 16yrs of 'job shop' machining experience before I enrolled. I already knew how to tool and set-up milling machines and lathes, and use a mill bastard file. Hard to describe the action wrench. Is a 'basic' that can still be used on others with adaptors. There were 40-50 required tools to be made, to the shop drawing provided, to pass that 1st semester. Yes, you were graded on the quality of your work. The school had some 'prints' of hand tools that Remington used in their factory, and made several of those. After all of these years, I still use 90% of them. The Luger receiver wrench I have only used once!