Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Barrel vise recommendation, carbon barrel install

I've got a Defiance Tenacity receiver and a Proof carbon pre-fit barrel and I'm looking for a barrel vise that I may use just a few times (no professional grade / affordable) that will allow me to install and torque the barrel to about 75 foot pounds. Additionally, I don't want to compress the carbon part of the shank so I want to find something that will engage the steel portion of the shank only, about 1.5". I have not found anything online except confusion so far, any recommendations would be appreciated and thanks in advance!

What's the barrel shank O.D.? -Al

1.2"

Take a look at this one. You'll need to shorten the 1.200 bushing a bit but that's not a biggie since the bushings are aluminum. -Al

https://www.ebay.com/itm/371136181764

I made the vise seen here several years ago. Although I now use a Brownell's vise, I keep this one around the shop for jobs like you describe. The bushings are from Aluminum, bored for the barrel and then split. The vise body is 1" 1018 steel, and the bushings are from 1 1/2 inch aluminum round bar stock. I hold the barrel vise in a large bench vise.

Bill Jacobs

Barrel Vise by .com/photos/24542443N04/]jakefromclemson, on [bleep]

That's a pretty serious looking vise you made there!

That looks like a good vise for the money, thanks!

I bought this one, we'll see how it does: https://www.grizzly.com/products/bald-eagle-precision-cnc-machined-barrel-vise/be1127

I bought the same one Bob and it is a tank, works great.

That's a great barrel vise and identical to what I use.

But wasn't your concern about only contacting the 1.5" length of the shank and not touching the carbon wrap? Wrap some heavy paper around the shank....a paper towel/toilet paper inner cardboard sleeve works well. -Al

Exactly! Thanks for the advice!

I'm hopeful I can secure the barrel just enough to tighten to 75 ft pounds and not damage the shank but I think I'm on the right track. Ordered the action wrench, $100 which seems a bit steep, but I figure my DIY barrel install will be $250 in tools that I may reuse over time and no fee to a smith.

Here's one I built. When I do a proof, I use lead flashing to grab the shank just incase it slips. The lead grabs great and is soft enough to not hurt the carbon if it touches.

I've had good luck spinning bushings for my vice and cutting a slit to compress.

I made a barrel vise from (2) 2"x2"x6" blocks of steel.
I started out with 1/2 -13 bolts for clamping force, but the grade 5 bolts were snapping off.
I went to 7/8-14 threaded rod [that I had lying around for making reloading dies] and that has worked better.
My vise is bolted to a 2'x3' bench of welded 1/2" steel. You will need a very heavy bench, or one screwed to the wall.


To fit the barrel, I make collets from 1.5" round Aluminum alloy. Some of these may need an internal taper, made with a boring bar on the lathe.
After 20 years, I have a lot of collets. I am still making more, as lots of barrels are different.

For an action wrench I use a big crescent wrench for pistols and 1885 Winchesters [as in first pic]. For Winchester 70 and Mauser actions with flat bottom and round top, I make action wrenches. The Rem 700s and clones do better for me with an internal wrench.



Defiance sells one like this.

That's a great looking setup you have there. I'm looking for lead shims but can quite seem to find what I need that will fit. My bbl is 1.2", the max for my vise is 1;5". Brownells has some but roughly $30 plus shipping and not sure if they will fit.

That's an impressive vise! I like those homemade collets and the reliefs you cut in them. I ordered an action wrench for my Defiance, $100 plus tax and shipping but I have to have one so it's part of the initial expense set up.

Before I discovered Dry Wall tape to use on the barrel, I used cardboard from Cereal boxes. The Dry Wall tape has a lot of Grip to it, and a roll will last you a life time. Al's suggestion is a great one. Adding a tad bit of powdered sugar on the barrel helps the barrel not to slip, also.

I have three kinds of barrel vices, one to take the barrlels off the action for the first time that uses Al inserts. Another great barrel vise for taking barrels off Rem actions for the first time is made and sold by Larry Scott who is also a dealer for Jewel triggers:

https://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/jewel-trigger-inventory-updated-01-14-22.3897354/

After the barrel has been taken off the action, any of the V type Al barrels vises work great and will be all you need for having switch barrel rifles.

I really hate screwing around with Al inserts in a barrel vise

I use lead flashing for roofing. It's available at hardware storeds here. Its about. 050" thick and 6" wide. It squishes down to whatever the shape is.

Mel Doyle showed me the trick. He used a 20ton press and had a lead block top and bottom.....just squished the barrel between and smacked it with the wrench.

I built my action wrench to use paper grocery bags for shims on the action to stop marks.....works good. The drywall tape makes a lot of sense.

I was using powdered sugar until the wife said the same or better improvement in coefficient of friction comes with cornstarch....without the stickiness or ants.

The most torque I have ever needed was 560 foot pounds to get a rusty surplus mosin barrel off. That was leaning on 5 feet of lever. Easy for the action wrench, but hard for a barrel vise.

I'm going to stop by Lowes and check out the lead flashing, thanks for the tip!