[machgnr]

Greetings all, New to the site.

I've got a customers Belgium Browning (30-06) tore down to the receiver and barrel. I cannot find anything on how to remove the barrel, or how it's even attached, threaded?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Rick

[McX358]

From what your saying, it sounds like it may have been built on a Mauser action, commerical MD-98 type. If it is (picture would help) than a reciever/action wrench for a Mauser 98 would work, a barrel wrench with insert to grab the barrel; unless your gone to use for a tomatoe stake, than large pipe wrench. If it is a Mauser than Lefty loosey Righty tighty it is threaded and couold be 12V about .625 in length......heat the barrel @ the reciever LIGHTLY will help in removel especialy if any thread sealant had been used. Good luck, work easly, use heat lightly, CRC FREEZEOFF is a good thing too.

[machgnr]

MX,

Thanks for the quick reply gunny. No, actually it's a a Browning BAR, not a Mauser action. The receiver resembles the A5 shotguns, in the that it has the "swoop down radius" at the rear of the receiver.

Sorry for not being a bit more clear.

[canebrake]

try this:


Numrich Gun Parts Corp. - The World's Largest Supplier of Firearms Parts and Accessories

[McX358]

WEll thats a different kettel of fish! Can't say that I have removed a barrel on one of those beast; however I would venture to say that it is threaded, and lefty loosey/righty tight should still apply. Check Numrich Arms, see if they show a schematic of the rifle, sometimes you can see things more clearly light that. As far as wrench, can't help you on one for reciever, you would have to make one yourslef; but barrel could be yanked off same way; monkey wrench or barrel vise.

[Highpower]

Rick,

Barrel appears to be threaded in my book, FWIW.
Proper barrel vice and receiver wrench required IMO.

[deth502]

just clamp the receiver in your bench vice and put a pipe wrench on the barrel. make sure your vice has the checkerd jaws, as the teeth digging in keeps the receiver from moving under the torque of the pipe wrench.

[machgnr]

Guys, guys ! Pipe wrenches, checkered vise jaws! This is a perfectly sweet Browning BAR that's blued.

Actually I did make a set of tapered barrel jaws for it today and a block that filled the receiver. I tried repeatedly to clamp the barrel but no-go, wouldn't keep from slipping down the taper.

The Main North American Browning Service Center is about 5 miles from my house. They'll take the barrel off, but won't reinstall it with my compensator on it. Too long to wait for them to do it anyway.

I called another Browning Service center that's 15 miles from my house that stocks all of the obsolete parts and does their smithing too...and they wouldn't touch it. The guy I talked to used to work at the main Center and used to do those BARs, barrel an all. He said even the guys in Browning hated to do them, and they used a special vise that kept the receiver from twisting (bending) under the load of barrel torque. He said that particular vise was about $1800-2000...made just for that receiver....and no he didn't have one.

For the first time in my 12 years of smithing, I'm gonna have to call a customer and tell them I can't do it. Kills me to say that! But I did shorted their stock for them 1 1/4" and fit a Limb Saver Pad.

Soooo, 10 hours of work, and I get paid for installing a Limbsaver and some quick stock work.

Thanks for all the help though guys.

[stalkingbear]

You need to custom build the action wrench and barrel vise bushings. Do you use an actual barrel vise? If so and it still slips use rosin. It's available from Brownells and is just the ticket for a stubborn barrel. Also heat/cold will help tremendously as well.

[Highpower]

Originally Posted by machgnr

I called another Browning Service center that's 15 miles from my house that stocks all of the obsolete parts and does their smithing too...and they wouldn't touch it.

Rick,
Please excuse the bench vice and pipe wrench comments. Not everyone here is so utterly clueless. Stalkingbear for example, is one of our resident professionals and regarded very highly here.

Have you by chance tried asking "Nu-Line" in Harvester if they could help you out?

And I don't know if bear will condone this or not, but something I do when faced with tapered barrels is to cast a cerrosafe "filler" inside a set of standard bushings. I insert some shim stock between the halves and then clamp the bushings together with a radiator hose clamp. Wrap some tape around the barrel to locate and seal the chamber end of the bushings. Stand the muzzle up and fill the bushings. After it sets remove the shims and clean up any flashing, then install in the vice. I'm a big fan of the rosin too. It has worked well for me. (AKA: Amateur.)
FWIW.