Winchester 94 Action Wrench (help removing barrels)

[Rube Burrows]

Where could I get an action wrench for the Winchester 94? I need to take some barrels off.

I called Winchester and they dont sell any tools. I dont see any on Brownells or Midway.


If none are available, what are you guys using to help with the process of removing a barrel? Can someone give me some insight on this process?

[Griff]

I used my bench vise and a 15" crescent wrench. Held my mouth just right, with my tongue just to the outside of my right molars, and HEAVED HO!
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Along with a coupla other home-built tools:

A pair of aluminum blocks shaped to the contour of the barrel immediately ahead of the receiver; made from soft aluminum and lined with thin moleskin, these hold the barrel in the vise. Then, a milled steel bar that will just slip inside the frame flush against the back of the barrel. Slip inside (the receiver has to be bare), then pad the jaws of the monkey wrench with good piece of stout leather and lean into 'er. Counter-clockwise. I don't know where my bits 'n pieces have got to, it's been 22 years since my 1st project. My latest projects have all come separate, except two, one was only hand tight, and the other ain't presented what it wants to be yet!

Unless it's badly corroded, it should fairly easy. If it fails to budge, a little heat to the receiver should do the trick. Be careful, for what receivers cost these days, you can sometimes buy a whole gun!

[Rube Burrows]

Yeah, I dont want to mess it up but if it was something that I could just do at home I would rather save the 50.00 that the smith said it would cost for him to take it off.

I need the barrel off because Classic Guns told me that they would CCH the 94 project that im working on. I need to get it off and to them. If this was going to be a one time thing I would prob. just let the smith do it but think in the future that I will possibly do several more of these.

[Malamute]

I think Brownells has a universal type action wrench that works. One of the ones I've used had a flat side and a V side set up one way, and you could flip the V side over and have two flat side together, which works for the 94's.

You need to strip the screws that the action wench would be on, as the wrench can mash them down nicely. A block in the action is a good idea, crushing or twisting the action is possible. On that idea, you don't need to torque the action wrench down like V-8 head bolts, just enough not to slip. You need to grab it as far forward as you can, but not mar the swells for the fore end.

[Hagler]

Rube,

Griff uses a technique that is very similar to what P.O. Ackley described in one of his books. Ackley advocated wooden blocks, but did not add any suuport to the receiver of a Winchester 94. Here is a short clip of what is involved in removing the barrel on a similarly-shaped receiver (though a singleshot):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB8GZFV1 ... r_embedded

Shawn

[Rube Burrows]

Rube,

Griff uses a technique that is very similar to what P.O. Ackley described in one of his books. Ackley advocated wooden blocks, but did not add any suuport to the receiver of a Winchester 94. Here is a short clip of what is involved in removing the barrel on a similarly-shaped receiver (though a singleshot):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB8GZFV1 ... r_embedded

Shawn

I watched that video and that is what got me wondering where I would find an action wrench like that.

[BenT]

I made an action wrench from 1/4 in steel flat stock . 2" wide by 2 ft long . Cut off around 5 to 6 inches off your 2 ft piece. Basically you are going to sand wich your receiver between the short 5 inch piece and the longer piece which serves as a long handle. Drill 3/8 in holes at one end off each piece of flat iron and stack them on top of each other and bolt them together. Now drill a second at the other end of the short piece which will also be drilled through the longer piece. That's it. just use long enough bolts to sandwich the receiver between these two pieces. I use pieces of card board between the reciever and flat iron. Just so you know taking off the barrel is the hard part and putting it back on is easy.

I couldn't get the barrel off my last 94 because the barrel kept slipping in my barrel vise. I took it to my smith and he used my actionwrench with a good barrel vise. He took a 4 lb plastic maul and wound up like swinging a bat and swung once hitting the wrench and freed that barrel right up.

[Malamute]

[quote="Rube Burrows

I watched that video and that is what got me wondering where I would find an action wrench like that.[/quote]


http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/cid=0/k= ... ion_wrench


I didnt look thru all the pages, but it looks like several of them on the first page would work fine with a 94 action, just turn the flat side of the one piece in. Making one as Ben said, would be pretty simple also.

[Rube Burrows]

[quote="Rube Burrows

I watched that video and that is what got me wondering where I would find an action wrench like that.

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/cid=0/k= ... ion_wrench


I didnt look thru all the pages, but it looks like several of them on the first page would work fine with a 94 action, just turn the flat side of the one piece in. Making one as Ben said, would be pretty simple also.[/quote]



Thanks. I looked through all of them and see that some seem to be universal. I thought they were specific to particular guns when I first looked through them.

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

I purchased and use the bench mounted part of the two items shown but I made the hand held part from a 9" and a 30" piece of 2" X 3/4" flat bar. The 9" is drilled on each end for 1/2" bolts and the 30" piece has matching holes so the reciever can be clamped between the two. There is no need to weld a handle on. The 30" piece is the handle.

BTW, I use scrap belt leather for pads.

[Rube Burrows]

I purchased and use the bench mounted part of the two items shown but I made the hand held part from a 9" and a 30" piece of 2" X 3/4" flat bar. The 9" is drilled on each end for 1/2" bolts and the 30" piece has matching holes so the reciever can be clamped between the two. There is no need to weld a handle on. The 30" piece is the handle.

BTW, I use scrap belt leather for pads.

Steve, which of the two shown? I like the idea of your hand held part for sure. I have never removed the barrel off of this type of action so maybe im just not picturing it in my head right. So far for me I have only removed barrels off of Remington 700s and Savages

[KCSO]

Two flat brass bars drfilled and tapped like a big tap wrench works nice or I have a 22" cresent wrench with brass jaw liners. Remember to put a spacer in the action if the barrel is tight.

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

I purchased and use the bench mounted part of the two items shown but I made the hand held part from a 9" and a 30" piece of 2" X 3/4" flat bar. The 9" is drilled on each end for 1/2" bolts and the 30" piece has matching holes so the reciever can be clamped between the two. There is no need to weld a handle on. The 30" piece is the handle.

BTW, I use scrap belt leather for pads.

Steve, which of the two shown? I like the idea of your hand held part for sure. I have never removed the barrel off of this type of action so maybe im just not picturing it in my head right. So far for me I have only removed barrels off of Remington 700s and Savages

I bought this one. You can't build it for $65.



My handle looks like this one but bigger. For less than $80 I can build it.

[Rube Burrows]

Thanks, I actually ordered the Wheelers vise earlier today.