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Remove a tough mauser barrel

18K views 11 replies 7 participants last post by  Wolfgang Mountain Man 
#1 ·
I have a small ring mauser that I want to rebarrel. The old barrel is junk that I don't care for. I put a pipe wrench to grip the barrel and use a hammer to hit the wrehch try to break the barrel loose. It would not budge! I already soak the joint with PB Blast for a few days and put some heat on receiver but it just would not move. Any suggestions? I may cut the barrel and put it on a lathe to remove the shoulder to relieve the tension at the joint, but I think the mauser also has an internal shoulder that the barrel face againt to. Will removing the shoulder help? I only have a mini-lathe, the barrel will not pass thru the chuck center hole, so I need to cut the barrel in order to cut the shoulder.
 
#4 ·
Most Mauser barrels will come loose when using a proper action wrench and barrel vise. The action wrench is very important as an improperly fitted wrench (or big Crescent Wrench) will riun the receiver. I had the threads gall on one in the past, screwed out one turn and locked. I had to cut the barrel off at the front of the receiver, made a fixture to fit into the bolt way and put it in my lathe and bored the barrel out till I could see the thread roots. The remaining metal came out like a Helicoil. The receiver threads were not harmed. I'll do it for you if you don't have any luck on the wrench/vise.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Would it be cheaper if I just buy a new receiver? Where to buy a small ring receiver only. I don't want to mess with removing barrel again. I asked Gander Mountain gun smith before I started the project, he asked 2x the value of the rifle (I got it cheap) to remove and rebarrel (not including new barrel). What is running rate to remove a barrel? Any recommended gun smith, prefer in SW Ohio.
 
#7 ·
hank, is it a 93 or 95 receiver or a small ring 98?
on the 93 & 95 there isn't a inner torque shoulder & a relief cut will help lossen the barrel. on a 93 or 95 its also a good idea to leave the bolt in the receiver when clamping it down in the action wrench so you don't crush the receiver. i've seen several 93&95's that would no longer take the bolt after having the action wrench overtightened.

you can make your own receiver wrench from a piece of angle iron, a couple of muffler clamps & a peice of 1/8" thick flatbar. this wrench has been used on at least a dozen mausers, a couple 1903's & a couple mosins. the single muffler clamp in the picture has ben replaced with a pair of them.



since the pictures were taken i've made a new wrench with the recoil lug cut out on the angled side of the angle iron & its a lot stiffer.
on really tight barrels i clamp my homemade action wrench into a bench vise & use a 4' long pipe wrench on the barrel. it takes longer to get everthing set up than it does to break the barrel loose.
 
#8 · (Edited)
It is a 1916 Spanish mauser which is a 1893 small ring, not 98 large ring. I did not know there is no internal shoulder for small ring mausers. Now look at the receiver barrel face from the bolt side, I can see the barrel face chamfer which means there is no internal locking shoulder as you described. I will try the relief cut and try again. Just to be sure, anyone has a picture of the receiver hole to show how the threads end inside the hole?

I built exactly the same muffer clamp rerceiver wrench as you show in the picture. I also have that U-sleeve under the U-bolt but it was loose and not welded to the U-bolt. Barrel would not budge. Actually the 1/8" angle steel twisted and broke at the U-bolt hole. The 3/8" muffer clamp U-bolt was twisted too. The pipe wrench grab tight but the barrel just would not move. I had a 30" extension on the pipe wrench! The receiver is fine except leave a mark at the bottom flat side. I checked the receiver by fitting the bolt and it was fine and it sit on a flat plate flat! Thanks god that it was not twisted. I wonder if I tightened the U-bolt too much and squeeze the receiver ring against the barrel threads making it hard to remove. How tight the receiver wrench should be? Thanks for your help.
 
#10 ·
Barrel is removed from receiver by cutting a relief cut on the shoulder. The difference is day and night. Thanks a lot.

Below are 2 links on cheap mauser action wrench ideas that I found in the past

http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?t=84128

http://www272.pair.com/stevewag/avise/avise.html

Obviously the 1/8" angle may not be strong enough if you have a tough barrel with an internal torque shoulder receiver!

Anyone has a home made scope base tap and drill fixture idea/picture can share?
 
#11 ·
soak in kersone a few days in hot sun/then PUT IN FREEZER a few hours/over night

take it straight to clamp down tight, insert solid wooden handle in action opening, pull tight tap wood very hard with big rubber mallet or ball pin hammer in correct direction.:rolleyes:
if it doesn't come loose as it cools, then heat it right then in the clamp, continue the process as mentioned. sometimes the expansion-contraction will free it. worked once for me on a hard one.:cool:<><dk
 
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