Had to pick between a new barrel vise or a new action wrench for the shop budget

Went with the vise because we kept running into stuck barrels on older rifles. It's already saved us a ton of time on a Remington 700 project last week. What's the one tool you'd pick if you could only get one new thing this year?

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3 Comments

oliviabennett6mo ago

My first barrel swap on a Winchester 70 involved a pipe wrench and a prayer, so I feel that choice deep in my soul.

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elliot_allen655mo ago

Oh man, that brings back memories! I tried a barrel swap on an old Mosin once with just a bench vise and some leather scraps. Let's just say it didn't go well and I learned my lesson fast.

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raymartin6mo ago

Read a gunsmithing blog that called a good barrel vise the foundation of a shop. Makes sense when you see how many projects stop dead at that first step. Watched a guy spend two hours trying to improvise a setup for a Mauser before giving up. Your Remington 700 story proves the point. Getting that barrel off cleanly is half the battle.

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