Remage barrel install using teflon tape

[Steel Mover]

The proper wrench for a barrel change is a pipe wrench, with the pipe jaws of a vice. Water pump pliers will turn a scope without loosening the rings.
Newbie gun owners need to surrender all, rattle can paint, files, sandpaper, pipe wrenches, framing hammers, tapered screw drivers, and water pump pliers at the exit door of the LGS. Buy a cleaning kit.

 

[SSL]

Now that everyone has had a chance to ridicule a simple, honest question from a new member, he's no doubt now looking for another forum.

 

[xswanted]

Does it make any difference or is it helpful to use teflon tape on barrel threads when doing a Remage install?
Thanks.

I’ve done a number of remages in a variety of calibers. Have used pre fits on a Tikka action as well.

The accuracy achieved with all but one wouldn’t lead me to believe Teflon tape on the threads would improve upon anything but I’ve been proved wrong before.


If anything it’d bother everyone around you enough if you did that it’d get in their heads during the course of a match and you’d win.

Case in point, one year shooting archery league I wrapped my sight up with duct tape right around where it mounted to the bow. Just for giggles, to make it look like I attached it that way.

Everyone thought I was nuts for duct taping my sight on. It got in people’s heads. I shot a 59x that night with this rig, which was my hunting bow with a target sight on it. People were amazed or mad. There was no in between.

The mental game is bigger than most realize.

 

[Topstrap]

OK, I'll be the odd one out. Way back when Remage was getting started and we were putting them on our XP100 pistols and we started swapping barrels on our Savages for the newly started 1000 yard steel plate mates we did put a few wraps of thread tape on our SS barrels. Didn't seem to hurt and the guns shot great. I don't do it now but the Criterion and other barrels we use shoot fine without it. Did it help or hurt, no idea but they always shot great.



Getting into people's head is pretty easy, we love messing with other competitors especially at our longrange rimfire matches. Ugly Beddy is a prime example, started as an experiment but amazed even us. Just goes to show, what does it take to make a great shooter. She has quite a successful winning streak. I let everyone get behind it wherever we are.





There are plenty of ways to skin a cat, some just may not be the "professional" way.

Topstrap

 

[Markman]

OP,
Applying Teflon tape to the threads of a barrel is not something you would normally do. However let me share an experience I had with undersized threads on a Remington 700 custom barrel, fit and chambered by a reputable barrel maker in Montana back in the 80’s. Hunting rifle, #3 contour, 7/08 caliber, no better than 1-1/4” five shot group. Got tired of fighting it, pulled barrel and noticed threads were way too loose for my liking. Contacted barrel maker, was told action was faced off and barrel threads are perpendicular to bore and when tightened it would face up perfectly. I understood everything he was saying and a lot of smiths fit that way, but I still didn’t like it. I’ve applied probably several miles of Teflon tape in my pipe fitting career and thought what the hell. So I applied tape to the undersize threads until I got a good snug fit by hand, tightened it up in my barrel vise and stepped out of the shop to my 100 yard range. Using left over loaded rounds from previous testing, I fired two five shot groups under 1”. The tape did nothing more than fill space between the undersized threads of barrel and the receiver to create, I believe, better alignment. Very same thing Mr Salazar spoke of. The barrel threads OD were cut 1.0575, normal Remington are 1.062. Later I pulled the barrel and for the heck of it did a chamber cast, about as perfect alignment as one can get.

 

[c3d4b2]

It was explained to me that the teflon tape was to prevent stainless galling. Have not seen anything about using it to fix bad threading.

 

[dave@aDave]

my plumber told me two things

1. s..it always flows downhill
2. don't bite yer fingernails

The third rule is:
hot on the left, cold on the right.

 

[Toddmack]

I'm somewhat of an oilfield plumber. We tape and dope nearly everything for the simple reason that when steel nipples wash out it is easier to unscrew them if they are taped and doped.
Anti-sieze goes on every bolt too!
It makes life easier in the future.

 

[DHuffman]

It's common practice in ND to tape and dope oil well threads. Here it was done because neither would seal the joint by itself.

 

[BoydAllen]

OP,
Applying Teflon tape to the threads of a barrel is not something you would normally do. However let me share an experience I had with undersized threads on a Remington 700 custom barrel, fit and chambered by a reputable barrel maker in Montana back in the 80’s. Hunting rifle, #3 contour, 7/08 caliber, no better than 1-1/4” five shot group. Got tired of fighting it, pulled barrel and noticed threads were way too loose for my liking. Contacted barrel maker, was told action was faced off and barrel threads are perpendicular to bore and when tightened it would face up perfectly. I understood everything he was saying and a lot of smiths fit that way, but I still didn’t like it. I’ve applied probably several miles of Teflon tape in my pipe fitting career and thought what the hell. So I applied tape to the undersize threads until I got a good snug fit by hand, tightened it up in my barrel vise and stepped out of the shop to my 100 yard range. Using left over loaded rounds from previous testing, I fired two five shot groups under 1”. The tape did nothing more than fill space between the undersized threads of barrel and the receiver to create, I believe, better alignment. Very same thing Mr Salazar spoke of. The barrel threads OD were cut 1.0575, normal Remington are 1.062. Later I pulled the barrel and for the heck of it did a chamber cast, about as perfect alignment as one can get.

I can tell you from personal experience and that of a very highly qualified friend that you should have listened to those whose advise you chose to ignore. I run into this all the time. Fellows go with what seems to be, rather than take the advice of people who have lots of experience.

Having said all of that, perhaps a couple of examples are in order. A friend (world class BR shooter) who fits his own barrels, once made a mistake when taking his last cut on tenon threads on a high dollar 6PPC barrel. When he discovered his mistake, of course he was disappointed in himself and since he could afford to, he set the barrel aside and chambered another. Some time later, after some thought he decided to see how it shot, thinking that he might use it for fire forming brass. It turned out that it shot just as well as his other barrels that had a more "normal" thread fit.

A few years ago, I was given a used barrel that had been chambered in 6PPC for a Panda. I have an early production Stiller Viper. Its barrel fitting specifications are identical to those of a Panda except for the thread pitch diameter. The tenon threads need to be perhaps .007 smaller. Not having a lathe, I decided that I would buy an adjustable threading die to reduce the diameter of the used barrels threads. In using this die, I overshot my adjustment and cut the threads quite a bit smaller than I wanted, I won't go into the details but that is what happened. When I screwed on the barrel it was not just a little loose, it was alarmingly so. At this point I used thread wires to measure some other barrels and the loose one, did some calculating, made a scale drawing of the thread fit, and concluded that given all of the factors that it would be safe. Even so, I paid close attention to the feel when I tightened the barrel, which worked out fine. It came to the usual solid stop. When I tested thee barrel it turned out to be one of the most accurate ones that I own.

I have discussed the topic of barrel thread fit with a number of top smiths who build competitive benchrest rifles. They all agree that a snug fit is not necessary, and in fact has no advantage, in this application.

The point of all of this is that what seems to be, may not be.

 

[Webster]

Thud -
No one suggested to use tape, after reading the bolt maintenance article on AccurateShooter, its author recommended using teflon tape on the bolt's shroud threads. It made me wonder if it would be beneficial on barrel threads.
Graphite based lube (never seize) or a waterproof grease seems reasonable.
-----------------------

To the general user population --

Thinking out loud on this site can be educational in more ways than one.

Bolt Shroud threads:
We should know by now that everyone on internet isn't an expert. You’re trying to lubricate a properly threaded joint that doesn't move in use. You’re not trying to take up sloop in a loose fitting pipe thread to stop water leakage. After disassembling the shroud and cleaning, lubricating the shroud's only purpose can only be to prevent rust and ease of disassembly. Forget the idea that your correcting some machining errors.

 

[Markman]

Hey Boyd,
If you read my post, this was done back in the 80’s and it did reduce group size on this particular rifle. The old internet I don’t think was around back then for everyone to share their advice. Just sharing my personal experience. I’m 75 now and don’t shoot much anymore. After that rifle was built, every other one built went to Mr. Brackney in Az. There were no more undersize threads!

 

[DShortt]

This place never fails to amuse me. One camp has a hill to die on about perfect threads and fitment. Another camp has another hill where things don't matter so much.

 

[jds holler]

I've been under the bathroom sink fixing a weird, obsolete, an eclectic sink system in this house that for the life of me I can't explain why I bought it.

I've decided that I hate teflon tape even for plumbing, and I'm going with dope from now on. Hell, I'm tempted to go with JB Weld.

Also, the reason that plumbers make two or three hundred bucks an hour, is that they deserve it. jd

 

[SecondsCount]

This thread is interesting to say the least. I've got a 223 Remage barrel that I don't have the proper tool to get the correct torque. My makeshift tool works well, and I have a sharpie line to make sure nothing moves.

....

Also, the reason that plumbers make two or three hundred bucks an hour, is that they deserve it. jd

Maybe, put I'm actually get pretty good at pumbing, and my degree is in electronics.

I actually prefer plumbing to painting, and I'm pretty good at that as well...my dad was a pro painter.

 

[DShortt]

Plumbing isn't so bad until it involves waste water, particularly toilets. I'd just as soon pay someone else to mess around in poo.

 

[tmwinds]

This thread is going down the toilet!

 

[jds holler]

This thread is going down the toilet!

 

[dynafit]

Hey, SecondsCount - I'm the OP of this thread and I would like to know about your makeshift tool for torquing remage locknut and how it works, etc. Just decide if you want to publicize your technique and dodge possible flak from forum readers. If not, send me a PM. I promise not to publicize it. Oh, and thanks for the reference to a 'sharpie line' - that will work for me!!

Thanks to all others who have posted comments - very interesting and informative. I've decided how to proceed with my first remage project.

 

[JFrank]

Your welcome.