Barrel holding

[smylee grouch]

After just seeing the breech plug wrench Jason from Rice Barrels is selling I thought about how to hold the barrel securely in my vice. I have a real good breech plug wrench but holding the barrel's has always been more of a problem for me than the wrench. How doe's every one hold their barrels securely so they won't turn when you wrench those stubborn plugs out or turning them in?

[L. Akers]

I'm a newcomer to this forum but I'v been at this game for 50 years.  I have a heavy 6" vise and hold a barrel horizontally near the breech with the vise jaws lined with 1/8" thick lead sheet and crank it down hard as I can.  Haven't twisted one out of the jaws yet  (knock on wood).

[smylee grouch]

Welcome to the forum L. Akers and thanks for the input. I have done that too but my vice is smaller if that makes any difference. I am always concerned about crushing the barrel in or the breech area when I crank it down tight so one of my questions would be what most guys use in the jaws of the vice.

[eddillon]

Sheet lead.

[smart dog]

Hi Smiley,
Brownell's may still sell aluminum vise jaw inserts that can hold octagon and round barrels.  I have a set and they work great without fear of marring the barrel plus they do not give at all.  Those and a large machinist's vise are my tools.

dave

[ken]

I use blocks of hard wood that I fitted to the jaws of my vise. Gives me about a 5 inch hold. ken

[Joe S.]

What Smart Dog said worked for me.After the thread about coning the breech plug on patent breech on hawken rifles to prevent powder bridging I pulled mine.I originally took a trip to my father's house and we went down the basement shop to give it a try.Put it in the vise and used some brass scrap to do the wrap and put a large adjustable wrench on the plug,no go.I could have put a lot more into it but lost my nerve for fear of buggering up the plug.Decided to take a little road trip to Dixon's and have a go of it there.He had the right set up,bigger vise,the aluminum inserts and a plug wrench.It did take some effort.While apart checked to make sure all's well,drilled out the plug,coned it and put it back in.You need the right tools for the job.If your going to get serious about doing builds your going to need the right tools,I'm learning this the hard way getting into things and then understanding I'm in over my head tool wise.

[509thsfs]

I took two pieces of angle iron and lined them with leather (glued on) from an old belt (rough backside facing up).  Provides a firm no slip grip and does not mark up the barrel at all. The two pieces just slip over the vice jaws. Just made from stuff I had laying around out of a need to solve a problem.

[Boatman53]

If anyone needs some lead sheet let me know. I think I have a couple hundred pounds. I share my shop building with a roofer and I've gotten a lot of scrap from him. I could send a bunch in a small flat rate box.
Jim

[oldways]

 I made pads from a door kick plate that I slide onto the vise jaws. Then I place the barrel vertical in the jaws and put it so it's against the slide and tighten it up. I use a large crescent wrench with brass shims to remove the breech plug.

[smylee grouch]

Thanks everyone for those ideas. I have used some of them before with varied results. I think I will try those aluminum vice jaw pads from Brownells if they still have them.

[smart dog]

Hi Smiley,
I looked in my latest Brownell's catalog and don't see the inserts anymore.  They sell aluminum barrel vises and inserts but those are much more expensive than what I have.  Mine are simply blocks of aluminum with a lip to fit over the vise jaws and half octagon grooves cut across them horizontally.  They hold octagon and round barrels very solidly even if the barrels are tapered.  I'll do an internet search to see if anyone else has them.

dave

[chubby]

I use copper strips 2inches wide .060 thick form it to your vice jaws for a good hold works great!!  Chubby 

[WadePatton]

I use hardwood blocks that were made in 5 sizes for holding thin-wall round steel tubing (bicycle frame material).  The octagonal corners dig in just a bit, but don't harm the function of the blocks. 

Dave Bohm of AZ has them made and re-sells to bike makers.  But hey, they are just a blocks of maple with  holes drilled and then split.  The small tubing block has two groves and one block is rounded, such that it can pivot to accommodate taper when used in non-pivoting vise jaws. 

Actually I made a crude one from osage one day to avoid a walk to the shop.  It was a cold day.



But now I have pivoting vise jaws with hardwood covers.

[Mark Elliott]

I use sheets of lead purchased from Brownells for the purpose. 

[kaintuck]

I use copper strips 2inches wide .060 thick form it to your vice jaws for a good hold works great!!  Chubby 

My method also....

[PPatch]

I crushed two short pieces of one inch copper tubing flat for this. I simply tape the crushed copper to the vice jaws when I need to remove a breech plug.

dave

[Jerry V Lape]

Posted this not long ago.  Learned this on this forum but don't remember the author.  two blocks of maple or oak, hollowed out and then lined with Bondo clamped around the barrel (wrapped with plastic wrap)  forward of the breech threads over night.  Holds that barrel in just about any vise. 

[oldtravler61]

Smiley. Get a good six inch vice. Sheet lead. Anchor your vice base solid. An you will have no problems imho. Everyone has good advice.