Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Barrel Vise Use

When using a barrel vise, such as the Davidson, is it advisable to use either brass or lead 'shim stock' between the barrel and vise jaws to provide an extra measure of protection to the barrel finish? Other suggestions?

Davidson Barrel Vise

I just use oak wood blocks and rosin and a 1 in breaker bar.

I use the Brownell Barrel Vise and use the fitted Aluminum Bushing with rosin. With the Davidson you can use brass with rosin .

plus 1 on using rosin

+ 1

ROSIN !

......on the Mill vise, and Lathe chuck jaws, tool posts, and many other day to day applications ,.....as well.

GTC

I use powdered sugar instead of rosin. Grocery store's carry it, grips better than rosin, won't mar the finest finish and washes off under a hot water tap.

I may try the sugar when i run out of rosin

I did not know that... Learned something new today..

Thanks Malm..

Shim stock and rosin, or just rosin (or powdered sugar)?

I use lead blocks with a round channel cast into them, and some rosin. Powdered sugar sounds like a sweet idea, (pun intended).

Sorry for going off topic here, but this is just so damned refreshing! Here's a guy (Redneck) who we all know has vast gunsmithing knowledge, and he ADMITS to learning something new! A fool can be very a very intelligent person, yet he is unteachable because he THINKS he knows it all. Consequently, due to his arrogance, the fool remains a fool. Conversely, a wise man is aware of his own ignorance, and he therefore continues to learn even after attaining a high-level of knowledge. Like I said, sorry for going off-topic, it's just that I've got some know-it-alls rubbing me the wrong way today.

Hell, I've been doing gunsmith work for more than 35 years and I had never thought of powdered sugar instead of rosin. Makes sense when you think about it.....but never occured to me.

Just inforces the idea I always say at work.....even the greenest hand or idiot will sometimes come up with an idea that makes you think, "Why didn't I ever see that".

You're not really calling Malm an idiot are you?

The aluminum vise that was pictured is not really intended for factory barrel removals; really is a light duty vise. These are tossed in the shooting/loading box and used with switch barreled guns where the torque required for install or removal is not very heavy; just line up the index marks. A very nice vise for that duty. The benchresters use this type of vise on their switch barreled rifles, all they do is to install a card around the barrel to protect those mirror finishes; almost all use a rear entry wrench as well.

If one wants an all around type barrel vise, but not necessarily to take to the shooting line rear area(weight), the basic style in the Brownell's catalog is used a lot. Heavy steel and the use of bushings; aluminum, steel, or aluminum with acragel castings, works great. It will stand the high torque sometimes needed to remove a factory barrel without slippage.

Lots of ways to protect the facory barrel to be removed. Some tape the barrel breech area with some masking tape(1 turn) and use the dry rosin; one might make sure to wipe down the surfaces of the inserts and barrel with acetone to remove any previous oils prior to rosin. Lead shims and babbet can be used with certain applications as well.

Lots of methods to remove barrels, just one way of looking at such efforts.

Sugar, well I'll be

I Love this place,...thanks for that tech-tip, Malm !

GTC

You're welcome!

I was wondering that myself.

I learned that very same trick off another Utah gunsmith...
must have been one of those P.O. Ackley tricks that he handed down and a lot of gunsmiths picked it up.. or maybe it just is a good example of Mormom ingenuity and trift...

sure works like a charm!

another spiffy trick I learned off a Utah gunsmith buddy, was when a head is stripped out on a screw, put wet baking soda on there, with the screw driver head down in the slot, let it dry a little.. it will give the grip needed to get the screw out in most cases..

Anybody ever use newspaper? A gunsmith I knew used that all the time and it worked well.

It was a toss up between Green Jello Salad, Funeral Potatoes or powdered sugar.