Frozen choke - looking for gunsmith to fix N Balt Co

[Clay]

Have tried soaking in liquid wrench, no luck. Don’t want to smash it up. Thanks in advance

 

[Melnic]

heat, cool heat cool, repeat. I always do that before giving up. I have yet to give up an anything stuck.
I'm not talking torch, I'm more talking heat gun, hair dryer not talking heat so much that you damage it or discolor it.
Often the heating and cooling expands and contracts it enough to get separation.

Wait for more advice before you take mine......

 

[4g64loser]

Take melnics advice. And liquid wrench is marginally better than wd-40 but still not the right stuff. I've migrated to kroil. I am more cavalier about heating. I use a propane torch. I am also used to heating metal with much more aggressive means, so take that for what it is worth. Keep the torch moving constantly. Focus on the area where the threads are. If you have a temp gun, keep the part at or below 250.

Once you get it out, make friends with antiseize.

 

[pre64hunter]

Be careful using a torch on thin barrel steel, just a little too much heat and you'll melt the solder holding the rib.

 

[4g64loser]

The solder on modern shotguns is high temp. If this is a real oldie (which would almost certainly be a fixed choke not a tube) disregard my advice.

When I have used the high temp (atf compliant) stuff, I've done it with oxyacetylene. Installed muzzle devices on a couple of saigas that way (they were cut down).

 

[engineerbrian]

I had a stuck choke on a shotgun a few years back and I had Walt Freer out of Monrovia fix it.

 

[pre64hunter]

I'd try putting it in a freezer for a couple days.
We had one stuck that we sent back to Browning, they got it out.

I often thought about making a "screw jack" for stuck chokes so the little wrench doesn't slip. Some choke wrenches have a hole through the middle.
My idea is to knock out the primer in a spent hull, run a length of all-thread through the hull, barrel and choke wrench, put an appropriate size nut and washer on each end, tighten the nuts down snug to keep the wrench in firm contact with the choke.
Of course you'd have to be careful not to bugger anything and secure the barrel.

OR do what you're doing and find a qualified gunsmith.

 

[Doctor_M]

I was thinking the Frozen Choke was something I missed back in my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training. Sounds like a nice move.

 

[Clay]

Thanks for the feedback/suggestions. Just ordered some kroil. Will let it soak for a while. And then into the freezer chest

 

[sxs]

Take melnics advice. And liquid wrench is marginally better than wd-40 but still not the right stuff. I've migrated to kroil. I am more cavalier about heating. I use a propane torch. I am also used to heating metal with much more aggressive means, so take that for what it is worth. Keep the torch moving constantly. Focus on the area where the threads are. If you have a temp gun, keep the part at or below 250.

Once you get it out, make friends with antiseize.

Kroil is what we typically use at Scott's Gunsmithing.

 

[K31]

The solder on modern shotguns is high temp. If this is a real oldie (which would almost certainly be a fixed choke not a tube) disregard my advice.

When I have used the high temp (atf compliant) stuff, I've done it with oxyacetylene. Installed muzzle devices on a couple of saigas that way (they were cut down).

Uh, you might want to go back and edit the original post rather than telling someone that maybe they shouldn't have followed your advice is a subsequent one.

I'm just saying...

 

[K31]

Thanks for the feedback/suggestions. Just ordered some kroil. Will let it soak for a while. And then into the freezer chest

Liquid Wrench > Kroil

 

[Doctor_M]

Informative. Thanks for posting.

 

[fabsroman]

Liquid Wrench > Kroil

I've been using ATF and acetone. Not quite as good as Liquid Wrench according to that guy's non-scientific study, but it has been getting the job done.

 

[fabsroman]

OP - have you had this exact choke tube out before? Just wondering what the history is here with the choke tube. For instance, was the gun purchased used and for all we know the choke has been in there since it was manufactured or did you have it out of the gun last month before deciding to go with a modified choke for those rascally clays.

Is the choke extended or flush fit. If it is extended, don't think I would hesitate to use some channel locks and a rag after applying a small amount of heat to it.

I took out a flush fit modified choke on my Benelli after it has been in there for several years and that was a PITA. I put grease on almost every choke before I screw it in now.

 

[sxs]

Scott's Gunsmithing has had decent success getting getting many stuck chokes out. However, I have seen a couple of chokes stuck so bad the barrel was damaged trying to get it out. Scott will not guarantee that damage will not happen even though the vast majority are successfully removed. I can also tell you that if you have a barrel with an camo overwrap, it will almost certainly have the camo damaged by kroil or heat or both. At minimum, choke tubes should be periodically removed, cleaned and lubed with oil when replaced. Better yet is to use an anti seize tube grease. I use Tetra grease specially developed for that application. Most of the stuck tubes that are particularly difficult to remove are those in waterfowl hunting shotguns that haven't had them removed in quite a while.

 

[Clay]

OP - have you had this exact choke tube out before? Just wondering what the history is here with the choke tube. For instance, was the gun purchased used and for all we know the choke has been in there since it was manufactured or did you have it out of the gun last month before deciding to go with a modified choke for those rascally clays.

Is the choke extended or flush fit. If it is extended, don't think I would hesitate to use some channel locks and a rag after applying a small amount of heat to it.

I took out a flush fit modified choke on my Benelli after it has been in there for several years and that was a PITA. I put grease on almost every choke before I screw it in now.

Good questions! Purchased used barrel - browning bps deer/turkey. Deer slug choke extends 5 inches, might end up just using it as a slug barrel and leave it alone! My own chokes, use plenty of grease, no problem

 

[fabsroman]

Good questions! Purchased used barrel - browning bps deer/turkey. Deer slug choke extends 5 inches, might end up just using it as a slug barrel and leave it alone! My own chokes, use plenty of grease, no problem

Good old BPS. My dad bought one for me for Christmas when I was 8 years old. Think it was 1979 and the BPS had just come out. I have a 26" IC fixed choke barrel, 30" full choke barrel, and a Hastings fully rifled barrel for it. Hunted and shot with it for quite a while, until I bought a Browning Citori Lightning POS when I turned 18. Actually went halvsies on the Citori with my dad.

If the choke is extended and not thin walled, you should try some channel locks on the choke tube while using a rag on it to protect it from scratches. Put the barrel on the gun and have a strong friend hold the gun while you try to twist the choke tube off.