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Barrel Vise


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I am sure you know what you are doing but using tolerances of 0.001" on a tool

such as a barrel wrench is needless precision and therefore needless additional expense.

Even the parts of the gun - the receiver, the trigger frame, the bolt, etc. etc. do not have

tolerances that tight. For what this wrench does and how it is used I would think tolerances

of 0.005" or even 0.010" would be fine....and lower the cost of the wrench without in any

way reducing its quality or usefulness.

 

Bob

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Is there a video showing how to remove and replace a video? Bob can you do this?

Check out post # 26 by site owner Dave Albert, it has three links to a video of the barrel removel of Cot Thompson # 5487.

 

http://www.machinegunboards.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=19909&page=2

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I have one of D.R.'s bbl wrench that he made to remove the stub off the parts kits. It has a full wrap around piece and it clears the sight and slides under the forearm mount. I believe the LARGE nut to tighten around the bbl is 1 1/2" and use a

impact gun to tighten. I have removed quite a few bbl's from the rec. stub and takes some force to remove. One stub took

5 hits with a 4lb. hammer with a 16" crescent wrench on the stub (striking the wrench handle).t

 

If pictures are needed I can post

 

Weasel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An easy way to remove a barrel from a receiver stub, is to weld a large nut onto the stub and use an air wrench on it, they USUALLY spin right off.

M1 barrels are general harder to remove because often they have been re-parkerized with the barrel intact.

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I am sure you know what you are doing but using tolerances of 0.001" on a tool

such as a barrel wrench is needless precision and therefore needless additional expense.

Even the parts of the gun - the receiver, the trigger frame, the bolt, etc. etc. do not have

tolerances that tight. For what this wrench does and how it is used I would think tolerances

of 0.005" or even 0.010" would be fine....and lower the cost of the wrench without in any

way reducing its quality or usefulness.

 

Bob

I would have to respectfully disagree. Barrel bushings "should be" as absolutely close to barrel OD diameter taper as can be made. Barrels are very soft and it takes very little pressure in a press or vise to inward bulge a bore if the bushing is not mated perfectly. Don't ask me how I know.....

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About 5 years ago I found myself at Ohio Ordnance Works and Bob Landies was giving me a tour of his factory.

When we arrives at the work station of one of the gunsmiths, I ask Bob's permission to ask a question about Thompson barrel removal. I ask how the grip hanger was dealt with.

The reply was the grip hanger was ignored. The gunsmith said he gripped the barrel in front of the grip hanger.

I replied that I thought such action would torque/twist the barrel and ruin it.

The gunsmith said he prevented that from happening by inserting a precise fitting steel rod into the length of the barrel.

I found that interesting, but I never tried it.

FWIW

Jim C

 

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Thanks Miichael and Chuck, not sure how I missed this.

Those videos were made primarily to document the effort to uncover a hidden serial number and begin the research of what turned out to be a very infamous and valuable Thompson. Although, the videos show much of the actual process not all was shown. When we see the product(s) mohawk64 produces, perhaps we can do a pictorial showing that process better and in sequence.

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I have one of D.R.'s bbl wrench that he made to remove the stub off the parts kits. It has a full wrap around piece and it clears the sight and slides under the forearm mount. I believe the LARGE nut to tighten around the bbl is 1 1/2" and use a

impact gun to tighten. I have removed quite a few bbl's from the rec. stub and takes some force to remove. One stub took

5 hits with a 4lb. hammer with a 16" crescent wrench on the stub (striking the wrench handle).t

 

If pictures are needed I can post

 

Weasel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An easy way to remove a barrel from a receiver stub, is to weld a large nut onto the stub and use an air wrench on it, they USUALLY spin right off.

M1 barrels are general harder to remove because often they have been re-parkerized with the barrel intact.

 

I sold a large stub on GB for $325. Most folks want to keep them. They are hard to come by these days.

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About 5 years ago I found myself at Ohio Ordnance Works and Bob Landies was giving me a tour of his factory.

When we arrives at the work station of one of the gunsmiths, I ask Bob's permission to ask a question about Thompson barrel removal. I ask how the grip hanger was dealt with.

The reply was the grip hanger was ignored. The gunsmith said he gripped the barrel in front of the grip hanger.

I replied that I thought such action would torque/twist the barrel and ruin it.

The gunsmith said he prevented that from happening by inserting a precise fitting steel rod into the length of the barrel.

I found that interesting, but I never tried it.

FWIW

Jim C

That's how we did it at West Hurley. No barrel insert.
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About 5 years ago I found myself at Ohio Ordnance Works and Bob Landies was giving me a tour of his factory.

When we arrives at the work station of one of the gunsmiths, I ask Bob's permission to ask a question about Thompson barrel removal. I ask how the grip hanger was dealt with.

The reply was the grip hanger was ignored. The gunsmith said he gripped the barrel in front of the grip hanger.

I replied that I thought such action would torque/twist the barrel and ruin it.

The gunsmith said he prevented that from happening by inserting a precise fitting steel rod into the length of the barrel.

I found that interesting, but I never tried it.

FWIW

Jim C

 

Jim and xtriggerman,

 

Unfortunately, the approach used at OOW can and does damage the barrel. If you grip the barrel too tightly with this approach, it crushes the barrel into the bore.

 

I have the utmost respect for Bob Landies and his staff and their excellent work, and Bob is a good friend, but their technique described above is flawed. They have replaced two barrels for me in the past, and both of them had the barrel crushed where the wrench was applied. The barrels shot fine with 45ACP ammo, but I could feel the restriction when cleaning the barrel, and I could not install the 22LR insert because of the restriction.

 

I later acquired Doug's tools, and have removed and replaced several barrels with them with no problem or damage. Gripping the barrel at the breach end is definitely the right technique to avoid damage to the barrel.

 

Roger

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Roger & Xtriggerman,

Very interesting and thanks for replying.

This subject and info should be saved somewhere, both for potential West Hurley buyers and those considering having OOW rebarrel their TSMG.

There must be a proper place in the pinned section for the question and reply.

Jim C

PS-- Roger did you inform Bob Landies of the problem.?? It would be doing him a favor.

Would you prefer I inform him??

Edited by jim c 351
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About 5 years ago I found myself at Ohio Ordnance Works and Bob Landies was giving me a tour of his factory.

When we arrives at the work station of one of the gunsmiths, I ask Bob's permission to ask a question about Thompson barrel removal. I ask how the grip hanger was dealt with.

The reply was the grip hanger was ignored. The gunsmith said he gripped the barrel in front of the grip hanger.

I replied that I thought such action would torque/twist the barrel and ruin it.

The gunsmith said he prevented that from happening by inserting a precise fitting steel rod into the length of the barrel.

I found that interesting, but I never tried it.

FWIW

Jim C

Jim and xtriggerman,

 

Unfortunately, the approach used at OOW can and does damage the barrel. If you grip the barrel too tightly with this approach, it crushes the barrel into the bore.

 

I have the utmost respect for Bob Landies and his staff and their excellent work, and Bob is a good friend, but their technique described above is flawed. They have replaced two barrels for me in the past, and both of them had the barrel crushed where the wrench was applied. The barrels shot fine with 45ACP ammo, but I could feel the restriction when cleaning the barrel, and I could not install the 22LR insert because of the restriction.

 

I later acquired Doug's tools, and have removed and replaced several barrels with them with no problem or damage. Gripping the barrel at the breach end is definitely the right technique to avoid damage to the barrel.

 

Roger

 

 

At West Hurley, we used a pair of well used 2x4's as the barrel collars. It was certainly a cheesy way of doing it and it exemplifies the cheap nature of George Numrich who owned everything that went on at AO threw equaly cheap Ira Trast, his presiding minion over AO. I applaud the workmanship that goes into a proper set of barrel vise bushing collars with grip extension cut away. Even with this best arrangement you must be very careful not to over tighten the collar so the 2 short contact points don't dimple in the bore. My standard barrel vice uses collar bushings 2" deep and even with a matched taper bushing, its easy to crush the bore by over tightening.
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The Russian-return kits have barrels with fine machining-grinding marks on the fins that appear to NEVER have been gripped by a "steel barrel wrench".

How did A-O-C and Savage install them so perfectly?

 

I think I'll continue to R & R the barrels with sacrificial aluminum blocks to prevent rounding the fins off...Phil

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