Guess what I got accomplished on my new project today??

[Cory Joe Stewart]

NOTHING!!! I can't get the breech plug out and have tried every suggestion I have read about on here.  I think I need a stronger vise.  In fact I know I do, but good grief. 

Coryjoe

[smylee grouch]

I hope you didnt clamp the barrel in the vice right over the breech threads as that can colapse/crush the barrel into the breech threads even tighter.

[Mark Elliott]

What smylee said!   After that try some penetrating oil or some heat.   You would be surprised how a little heat breaks a lot things loose.    Of course it may just be in there very tight.   I weigh 365lbs and have had to use every bit of that on occasion to break a breech plug loose.   I can loosen nuts and bolts that my physically fit brother at less than half my weight couldn't get loose with the same wrench to save his life.   Of course a bigger wrench or a pipe on the end of the wrench will let you apply a little thing called leverage, but you had better have that barrel tight in a heavy vise bolted to a very sturdy bench.   My benches are bolted to the wall studs.   I do have a 16" adjustable wrench for those really stubborn breech plugs.   The best of luck.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Years ago I worked for a gunsmith who showed me a trick for removing stubborn plugs and actions from barrels.  Where increasing pressure will not move a plug or an action, a sharp crack from a heavy hammer on the wrench will.  An it puts less torque on everything than constant and increasing pressure.  Or at least the torque is over a shorter time, so less likely to twist things (like actions).

[mikeyfirelock]

Here's an old time solution that usually works great.  Heat the breech to the point where the metal will readily melt beeswax, then apply some to the end where the threads are.  You may have to repeat this, but it usually will free them up to where they spin right out.  Give it a chance to penetrate.   I suggested this to a mechanic friend who couldnt budge a TC breech with anything, and he said it spun right out after the first application. You can also use candle was if you have no beeswax.
Mikefirelock

[KLMoors]

I don't remember where I read it, but somebody did some pretty good tests of all the penetrating oils out there.  The best one was a homemade 50/50 mix of acetone and automatic transmission fluid.

I would stand the barrel muzzle up, pour a couple of ounces of that mix down, plug the muzzle with a dowel, and let it sit for a couple of days in that position. 

Well you are waiting for it to soak, get a bigger vice and lag bolt your bench to the wall studs.

[jpldude]

lefty loosey, righty tighty?

[Three balls]

Ordinary automotive brake fluid, is an excellent penetrating oil, especially with heat.

[Cory Joe Stewart]

Nope, I set it about an inche and a half from the breech.

I hope you didnt clamp the barrel in the vice right over the breech threads as that can colapse/crush the barrel into the breech threads even tighter.

[Cory Joe Stewart]

Yeah I kept singing that to myself

lefty loosey, righty tighty?

[Cory Joe Stewart]

Thanks for the tips everyone.  My set up was built a couple of years ago to fit in the corner of a carport, I think it is time actually put together a table.  Here are the problems I have noticed.  The barrel will roll in the vice, the vice moves at its base, when I really apply pressure that bench moves.  So there are several issues.  I have gotten a lot of tips here and I appreciate everybodies help.  Going to give it another go this week. 

Coryjoe

[Gaeckle]

Use heat......propane or maps gas. Heat at thye breach and the exterior barrel will expand faster than the plug, you should be able to turn it off unless you've galded the threads or rolled them over.

[Dennis Glazener]

Here is a suggestion, make a barrel vise. Go down to the local scrap metal dealer and see if he has a couple pieces of scrap aluminum about an inch thick. One needs to be about 4 inches long the other one about 6 inches. Then mark the middle of both pieces and saw/file or mill a vee notch in the middle of both pieces. Lay the long piece on the bench with the open vee up then center the short piece on top with the open vee down. Mark and drill a 1/2 inch hole on each side of the vee's so as to make a clamp that will tighten down on the barrel. Then find two 1/2 inch carriage bolts that you can drive into the bottom two hole of the long piece, I counter sunk mine so it would sit flat on the table. You can probably get by with two standard 1/2 inch washers on top but I bought a set of these spherical flange nuts/washers  http://www.mscdirect.com/product/85577856 to go on mine, they will allow a tapered barrel to fit properly when the clamp is tightened down. I padded the sides of the vee with some type of vinyl that I had years ago, forgoten what it was but its held up for over 30 years! I use two C clamps to hold this barrel vise down. Just insert the oct barrel, index into the vee slots tighten bolts and use your long handled cresent wrench to remove the breech plug. I will try to take a photo of mine later on.
Dennis