700 Rem barrel removal

oldscot3

New member
Wow! My old Rem has a barrel that is on tight. I bought a Wheeler receiver wrench and made oak blocks to clamp the barrel. The barrel just twists in the blocks no matter what I do. I tried lead, leather and neoprene rubber shims, nothing works.

Factory barrel vises have oak blocks that are drilled straight with a 3/4" hole. I don't see how that helps. Anyone have an experience based tip?
 
I have been pulling rifle barrels for 12 or 13 years.
I gave up on wood the first year for stuck barrels.

Rusty old military barreled receivers and Rem 700 with white goop are the hard ones.

One bad things about the Rem 700 is that the receiver is so thin, any pressure on it, and it pinches the threads. Even worse, Rem700 receivers and barrels are prone to galling.

To gain traction, I have used resin from Brownells, then powdered sugar, and now corn starch. I clean with alcohol and dry off before putting on the powder.
 

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  • Rem700 round action wrench with bushings and barrel vise mounted to bench with bushing.jpg
    Rem700 round action wrench with bushings and barrel vise mounted to bench with bushing.jpg
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Remington 700s can be somewhat problematic to take apart without the proper tools. Like just about any other firearm ever made.

First, you need the proper wrench for the action. This wrench will have a hole for a bolt that will hold the cylindrical action and keep it from twisting and getting marred in the action wrench. Do not use an action wrench that looks like it is supposed to just fit inside the rails and you yank on it, they are an excellent way to ruin an action.

Second, you need barrel blocks that fit the barrel. Remington barrels are tapered from the receiver forward, so there is no cylindrical part to grab. Best way to grab a Remington barrel is to make the blocks fit the barrel. I know, bummer, you can't just wing it.

Third, you need a barrel vise that will clamp tightly, Remington threads are put in place and a gap filling compound is put on them to make sure they stay tight. Kind of like Loctite, only cheaper, I'm sure.

And lastly, you will need to heat the barrel up a little, then crank it loose while it is hot. Put a torch on the chamber area of the barrel, let it heat up quite a bit, then crack it off.

Eezy cheezy.
 
I have a new Wheeler wrench... seems like it should be up to the task. Heat the barrel? Seems like you would want to heat the receiver since it is outside (around) the barrel.
 
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