Advise On Removing 1858 Barrel

[Taos]

I need to remove the barrel from a Remington 1858 New Model Army, SS.  

I have standard garage/shop tools and not special gunsmithing tools.  

I've done my research and have pretty much figured out how I'm going about this, but would most certainly like to hear from any of you who have done this.

 

Thanks

[Tom Bullweed]

Mike Bellevue has several good videos on youtube when he converted an 1858 to an Avenging Angel.  Search duelist1954 and Remington.

[Warden Callaway]

17 minutes ago, Tom Bullweed said:

Mike Bellevue has several good videos on youtube when he converted an 1858 to an Avenging Angel.  Search duelist1954 and Remington.

 

But I don't remember him removing a barrel. 

[Warden Callaway]

I have a barrel vise and action wrench now but I've done it with heavy vise and hardwood square through the frame. 

 

[Taos]

Thanks Tom, no he didn't remove the barrel.  :-(

 

Warden,  That's what I might try, I've read about this method other places.  I've got the wood cut, just waiting on others who may have removed a Pietta 1858 barrel, see this and hopefully pitch in.

 

Thanks guys

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

I have a barrel vice but it is set up for round barrels.  I take two pieces of hard wood and make a square notch that fits the barrel flats.  When the two pieces are squeezed together in a GOOD bench vice you wind up with wood on four of the barrel flats.  Remember to use hard wood and that if you do not get the vice jaws tight enough and the barrel turns in the wood you may damage the octagon corners on the barrel.  Also fit the hardwood block into the frame window as closely as possible.  Most of the time they are not all that tight.  Here is a photo of the barrel removed.

 

[Dusty Devil Dale]

Personally, I wouldn't try it without the proper tools.  It is possible to do it, but it may save cost in the long run by just taking it to a gunsmith who has the equipment and knowledge from having done it many times (unless the wait for a gunsmith isn't workable.)  I've seen a number of ways to DIY it  with makeshift equipment, and with varying levels of success/ damage. 

 

Assuming you would also be  replacing the barrel or another different one, realize that is not always a simple case of just screwing it back in.  Getting the top sight properly aligned while also getting the threads appropriately tightened can be pretty frustrating.  If the replacement barrel is new and  does not yet have a front sight, you will need the tooling to do that job as well.  

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

My action wrench.  20" of oak with a filler block.  As far as makeshift equipment have you looked at the Uberti video on YouTube?  They are using wood blocks and a wooden action wrench.  I went to one of the biggest names in Single Action tuning a few years ago to get a barrel changed.  We went out into the shop and he put the barrel in a pair of wooden blocks and then tightened the vice jaws with a cheater bar.  Had an old baseball bat that was trimmed to fit the SAA frame window.  It ain't rocket science.  Below is a screen shot from the How It's Made series and their tour of the Uberti factory.

 

 

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Start at about 3:30 for installing the barrel.

 

 

 

[Bailey Creek,5759]

What Warden said. I usually sprinkle white sugar on the blocks . Helps hold the Barrel .

I have only done round Barrels thou.

I used wood from old oak pallets. To make the Blocks.

[Warden Callaway]

 

Removing the barrel on a Marlin 1891 with barrel vise and action wrench. The right tool for removing barrels from old military rifles but it turned out way over kill in this case. 

[Warden Callaway]

Mark Novak at 5 minutes into this video removed a rifle barrel.  Maybe some tips.

 

 

 

[Taos]

Thanks everyone,

  I got the barrel off. 

 

I had all the wood pieces cut to do the "barrel in the vice, wood piece through the frame" method.  I even cut a thin piece of wood to take up the space in the frame the cut 2x4 didn't fill, it was a tight fit.  

So, sense I had that done I went ahead and set it all up just to see if I could unscrew the barrel without too much "twisting" on the frame.  If it was going to be too much pressure on the frame and possibly bend it, I'd quit.

But it unscrewed rather easily.

 

Before any of that I put index marks on the barrel and frame so I can get it back together.

 

Why I had to remove the barrel?  

There are three squibbed 160gr .45 slugs stacked in the barrel.  YIKES!

No, a squib rod wouldn't budge them.

 

I was able to jig the barrel in my drill press and drill a hole through the slugs.

Now I just need to get 7/16 drill rod and press them out.

 

Thanks everyone.

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

Well heck Taos, if you'd have told us the issue in the first place... those little 160gr pills don't have enough energy to get thru the barrel.  If you had fired a full load 250gr behind them, that would have pushed them right out!  

 

 

 

 

...and if anyone thinks I'm serious, I'd hate to know what else you think. 

[Taos]

LOL Abilene!

My 12 yr old Buckaroo grandson was practicing his "Plainsman" skills with the gun.  Black powder of course.  Was firing .45 Colt cartridges and not cap and ball.  

I actually have a video of the 3 squibs being fired, all the smoke going sideways out the cylinder and none out the barrel.......and no one was paying enough attention to notice!.

 

Good learning experience, 3 things went wrong:

1. Not watching/paying attention to the gun.  We should have noticed the first squib.

2. Not swabbing the barrel after a few rounds.

3. Loading the kids rounds too light.

 

Thanks again to all.

[DeaconKC]

Glad you are both okay! I saw a fellow do this once with some lead balls stuck in a barrel. Heated up his bullet casting pot and let the barrel sit in it until it actually was warm enough that the bullets melted enough to come right out on their own. It was a 1917 barrel but it did work.

[Taos]

I was tempted to do that but was advised not to get the steel any hotter than 350* or risk a warp.

 

I got the squibs out yesterday using a press, it took a lot of pressure.

Doesn't look there is any damage to the barrel :-}