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barrel pins in blind holes, removal?

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IMO, if all the OP wants to do is to check the underside of the barrel for corrosion he should forget it.

Almost any method of removing the barrel pins will damage the stock and the damage will be greater to the gun than any corrosion under the barrel will cause.

If there was a real good reason for removing the barrel like, there is something stuck in the bore that has resisted all of the methods for removing it known to man then yes, removing the barrel might be justified but IMO, removing it to just take a look at it is totally unjustified.

By saying "almost", it's possible to set up the gun in a Electrical Discharge Machine (EDM) and burn the pins out but even this is difficult to do.
EDM usually floods the area with a dielectric oil to wash away the debris and in this case, to prevent the wood from catching on fire. (The arc is below the surface of the oil.)
 
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I agree with Zonie, I'd leave it alone. Taking those pins out is going to really screw that gun up. That bottom of that barrel could rust for 300 years before it becomes even remotely dangerous.
 
Hi, thanks for reading all the posts. What does OP stand for? Thanks for your support, Feamir
one should always read the entire post in order to give the proper advice.. in my last post my super duper smart phone changed the word from UNDER to UBER... it was sposed to say “ under the barrel” not “Uber the barrel”..isnt technology great?
 
IMO, if all the OP wants to do is to check the underside of the barrel for corrosion he should forget it.

Almost any method of removing the barrel pins will damage the stock and the damage will be greater to the gun than any corrosion under the barrel will cause.

If there was a real good reason for removing the barrel like, there is something stuck in the bore that has resisted all of the methods for removing it known to man then yes, removing the barrel might be justified but IMO, removing it to just take a look at it is totally unjustified.

By saying "almost", it's possible to set up the gun in a Electrical Discharge Machine (EDM) and burn the pins out but even this is difficult to do.
EDM usually floods the area with a dielectric oil to wash away the debris and in this case, to prevent the wood from catching on fire. (The arc is below the surface of the oil.)

We have a sinker edm at work and the oil is not something I would want to have the stock soak up. Also if the pins are not straight trying to follow them would be difficult. I did not mention this option in my "how to remove a screw" paragraph because of the oil issue. I will have to measure the oil holding tank (work area) to see if the barrel would even fit. thanks for your ideas, Feamir
 
one should always read the entire post in order to give the proper advice.. in my last post my super duper smart phone changed the word from UNDER to UBER... it was sposed to say “ under the barrel” not “Uber the barrel”..isnt technology great?

I find it very funny that the phone changed under the barrel to uber the barrel, cause loosely translated uber in german means over. I say loosely cause, at least in older german uber means "more than anything", or "more than anything else". Remember computers are the dumbest machines we have invented, they only understand zeros and ones. Thing is they are stupid a million times a second. Feamir
 
I find it very funny that the phone changed under the barrel to uber the barrel, cause loosely translated uber in german means over. I say loosely cause, at least in older german uber means "more than anything", or "more than anything else". Remember computers are the dumbest machines we have invented, they only understand zeros and ones. Thing is they are stupid a million times a second. Feamir
Exactly! So how have you been coming along with the barrel removal?
 
Exactly! So how have you been coming along with the barrel removal?

Barrel removal info:
After giving much thought, and receiving a lot of good ideas from forum members, I have removed the pins.

I braced the stock with wood, used 2 parallel clamps on either side of the entry holes. Then drove the pins out the other side. Thanks S.Kenton, Scota4570 & Billy Boy for your suggestions.

Damage to the stock was minimal, about .250"wide x .750"long for the largest one and .125"W x .600"L for the other. The breaks were sharp and clean, and I have reinserted the splinters and acra glassed them back into place. I then drilled the remainder of the way thru the stock. Then using scrapers I have blended the surfaces into the stock. I will refinish the entire stock soon.

The pins measured .075" in diameter and are 1.010" over all length. The stock width at the pins is 1.330". They are made of ferrus metal and were not pointed just blunt. The pins were not straight.

I found rust on the underside of the barrel. Some of it was just surface rust with little depth. In two areas the rust was more significant, after removal, pits remained. The pitting is only about .010" deep at its deepest. The barrel is .100" thick and as the pits are 3/4 of the way down the length I think it should be fine to shoot.

I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and suggestions, Feamir
 
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Your suspicion of rust and your efforts appear justified.
This has been a good and interesting string; my thanks for all of the information posted, especially yours.
 
Your suspicion of rust and your efforts appear justified.
This has been a good and interesting string; my thanks for all of the information posted, especially yours.

Thanks Baxter, I appreciate the message. Sorry it took so long to reply. Feamir
 
We used to use compressed air blown 90°across the open hole to create a low pressure area on that side of the pin that is visible. If you can get in there & tap the pin sideways all around, this helps to loosen the pin. Then, when you blow the air, loosened junk and hopefully the pin itself will come flying out. Be sure to wear eye protection. Our pin application was different and had to do with those newfangled horseless carriages but the Bernouli principle still applies, no matter what time period we are talking about. Good luck!
 
We used to use compressed air blown 90°across the open hole to create a low pressure area on that side of the pin that is visible. If you can get in there & tap the pin sideways all around, this helps to loosen the pin. Then, when you blow the air, loosened junk and hopefully the pin itself will come flying out. Be sure to wear eye protection. Our pin application was different and had to do with those newfangled horseless carriages but the Bernouli principle still applies, no matter what time period we are talking about. Good luck!

Interesting idea, hope I never have to try it though! Thanks Feamir
 
Interesting idea, hope I never have to try it though! Thanks Feamir
I was amazed the first time I saw it done and used it successfully many times since. Like I said, this works great on metal. Wood is going to be a different story but it's worth a shot. Another magical "Indian Trick" one of my mentors showed me to get things moving was to gently tap all around the hole. Of course, you always have to be careful so as to not dent the wood. Always good to have a few alternative things to try before you break out the dynamite.
 
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