Vise jaws, barrel.

[Frank Flintstone]

I need something to hold a octagonal barrel in my bench vise so I can remove the breechplug. I've tried lead backed by hard wood blocks. I stoped when the barrel cut through the lead. I'm on a budget and would like to try doing it at home befor going to a gunsmith or machine shope. Whichever way I go I want to keep from marring the barrel and finish. If this has been addressed befor please send me the proper thread.

Thanks
Frank eace:

 

[Packdog]

I use sheets od brass on both sides. I tried leather and wood. Neither will work without the barrel slipping if your working with a tight plug. I picked it up at Ace Hardware and cut strips the size of mmy jaws. .040 thickness.
Good luck getting it out. They can be a pain. Get a big wrench and be careful of the upper edge on the tang. Piece of brass works there as well.
PD

 

[guncobbler]

One thing I have done with a tight barrel in an action is to put the torque on the wrench and then have a helper smack the action with a lead hammer. Sometimes thats all you need to get it off top dead center. I also use this technique when tightening a barrel into an action or tightening a breechplug. Good luck, GC

 

[Harddog]

Frizzenface,

Cut yourself a couple of wood blocks with a 45 degree "v" notch in one side and flat on the other. The "v" notch should be large enough to contact two flats on the barrel.

Tighten the barrel and blocks tightly in the vise and use a 15" crescent wrench and a good hammer to break the breechplug loose.

If the barrel stil wants to turn in the "v" blocks then try leather or lead pads in the blocks.

Harddog

 

[Finnwolf]

Face,
If you're on a budget, you can do what I did. I had some aluminum roof flashing lying around, so I cut two pieces to the width of my vise jaws but long enough to triple fold each piece for more thickness. I put one piece on each steel jaw and clamped my barrel in place. I took a lead roundball, pounded it flat and cut it into 2 pieces, using it to line the jaws of my large adjustable wrench. Once the wrench was in place on the tang lug, I whacked the end of the wrench hard with a large rubber mallet and the plug came loose right away.
When I put the plug back in place, I used the same, after applying some automotive anti-sieze to the plug threads.
It remains the one and only operation that I've done to this rifle where I've not had to go out and buy something.
Finnwolf

 

[CG6018]

I did about the same as Packdog. I bought a brass push plate (for a door facing), cut about 2 inches off each end, saving the center section for a future patch box. The two end pieces I bent to fit the jaws of my vise. I clamped the barrel between these pieces of brass, attached a 12 in. cresent wrench, and whacked it with a rubber mallet. The breech plug co-operated after that. Good luck. :thumbsup:

 

[George F.]

Yes, DON'T forget the anti-sieze compound when re-installing the breechplug...just a little dab will do ya!
Good luck.........George F.

 

[Deadeye]

I use brass plates in my vice and have a heavy 6' pipe that will fit over the end of my wrench, sometime I have to get on the end of it to break the plug loose but never had one that didn't come loose.

 

[Frank Flintstone]

I would like to announce the delivery of a bouncing baby breechplug. It was a hard labor but the little guy finally let go today. :: I used a little something from every reply I got and apprecate the help mucho. Now I know it took a few of us to unscrew a breech plug, but just how many BP geezers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
:kid: :thanks:

 

What's a Lightbulb? :crackup: Bill