Practical Krag barrel vise?

[butlersrangers]

Has anyone been able to adapt a medium duty bench-vise for the task of (non-mar) clamping a Krag barrel for removal?

What was your solution?

(My only experience has been putting a barrel on a stripped receiver. That project was easy, because the barrel was altered with an added dovetail 'flat' on the bottom).

[FredC]

Barrel vice needs can go any where from a good bushing in a bench vice to a beast of a vice. My 2 experiences were very light pressure on my sporter build and very tight for the KCA member I lent my bushings to. Sort of depends on which Krag you have, and you will not know till your try. A used milling machine vice on a heavy work bench would be an in the middle solution. A technician Brownels told me 35 foot pounds of torque is adequate, which is not very much. More may be needed on an individual Krag to line up the marks.

For a beast notice Speerchucker in post #26 https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/g ... ndex2.html

[FredC]

BR, do you have a vehicle with a 2" receiver hitch? Most ball mounts have a 5/8 or 3/4 hole in them. One heavy screw would hold a commercial barrel vice. Or the cat's meow would be to make a vice out of steel 1 1/2" (If you have an inch and 1/2 receiver) or 2" solid bar. I have a 3/4 ton truck with a 2 1/2 inch receiver so I bought a heavy duty ball and mount. They wanted the nut tightened to 450 lbs of torque. It was easy peasy to turn the mount sideways and to push down on 3 foot long wrench. Very unlikely you would ever turn the vehicle over, unlike a medium duty bench. You will not need it every day like a gunsmith. Put it on a shelf when not needed.

http://kragcollectorsassociation.com/vi ... 215#p33215

Br, your original question was could you hold a barrel with a bench vise. The bushing in the middle has 2 Allen screws to tighten on a barrel, a couple of slots to fit your bench vice would keep it from squirming in your bench vice. That would hold many Krag barrels as the tightness of the vice would add to the clamping screws force. Still you would not want to spin the barrel in the aluminum clamp.

[butlersrangers]

'FredC' - I have no immediate need to switch Krag barrels.
It would be neat to have the capability, if down the road, the need comes up.

I am at the point in life of not wanting to add specialized expensive equipment and machinery to my pile of crap.
It is fun to accomplish a task with basic tools, that most hobbyists already have.

I suspect most U.S. Krag barrels are not torqued on, all that tight.
I'm just curious, if a KCA member has managed a barrel removal and install, using a regular duty work-bench vise and some combination of hardwood blocks or aluminium "V" blocks?

[FredC]

I tried to post another reply last night but I must have pushed the wrong button. I used to say you can not have enough lathes, machines or hand tools. But I misplace just about everything except the machines these days. So that saying needs to be revised.
So I understand your position. If you read the rest of the comments on the PM link the fellow that inquired on the Carcano did succeed with a split garden hose and a couple of 2 X 4s in a bench vice. (his use of a wrench in the receiver channel was a bad idea. Too much torque and he would have scrapped the receiver.) it will depend on your vice as my 2 bench vices would not do it. I have a larger vice in the garage that would work on at least some barrels but it would need to be anchored to something substantial. Right now it is on a portable stand that was used for welding fence posts, not stable enough for extreme torque. An adapter to a ball mount for the receiver hitch on my truck would not be a bad plan for it.

Speaking of scrapping things, on a bad barrel that has external problems as well as a bad bore there is nothing wrong with using a pipe wrench to remove it. A barrel with a pristine exterior could be bored to 35 caliber. One with bad dings and extra holes in it may be fit only to driven into the ground and used to tie your dog to it.

[carbon outlaw]

hi look on Ebay ... action wrench or barrel wrench ... I found this its a Miller C-3728 .... under vintage collectible tools ... it make a perfect krag action wrench and it was cheep ....

[carbon outlaw]

Barrel wrench I ordered some aluminum on Ebay and made a barrel wrench it was cheep and easy to make and works perfect ...

[butlersrangers]

Thanks for the Ideas - It looks like your barrel-vise develops some remarkable holding-power!

[madsenshooter]

My last vise was simply an old pipe vise secured to the top of a 4x4 post that was part of the stairs. Aluminum shims kept the old vise from marring the barrel. I got a garage to play in now, I'll have to get that set up again.

[butlersrangers]

Well, this used 'Wheeler' Barrel Vise arrived, today.
I got it for $42.40, delivered, off of ebay.

Now, I just have to make a pair of hardwood blocks to clamp a Krag barrel and bolt the vise to a 'bench'.
I have some nice old birds-eye maple, Rosin and 'sheet lead', so I should be able to make a combination that works.