|
Let's recap. On most rifles, the barrel has a shoulder that fits up against the front of the receiver ring. When the barrel is installed, that shoulder is tightened up to provide what is called a "crush fit" to the receiver. That fit is part (not all) of the resistance to barrel removal. By making a relief cut, you relieve the tension of the crush fit and make barrel removal easier. The relief cut should leave only a very thin part of the shoulder, just enough to keep from cutting into the receiver ring. But the threads themselves still provide tension and resistance and in many old military rifles moisture has gotten into the joint and rusted the threads in place. No relief cut will change or alter that.
Yes, a relief cut can be made with a hacksaw, but you have to be careful not to cut too deep and not to cut into the receiver ring. Fortunately, the M-N barrel at that point is not contoured, so it might not be too difficult.
The relief cut has only to get down past the barrel shoulder; it need not be any deeper; cutting the barrel off will make things a lot worse since then you will have no way to grip the barrel for removal. (Yes, you can get the stub out, but it is not easy and not something I would even suggest to a newbie.)
Now to the nitty gritty. What do you plan to do once you get the old barrel off? A relief cut, no matter how made, will ruin it and it can't be reinstalled. Are there new pre threaded barrels available? I don't know of any, so where do you get a new barrel that you would have a hope of installing yourself without a lathe and other tools? Buying a new .30 barrel, threading, installing and chambering it would apparently be well beyond your capabilities and equipment, and would cost quite a bit ($400?) if done by a competent gunsmith.
So what are your ideas and where do you want to go with this project? Even if you spend a ton of money on making a "sporter" out of that rifle, you will still have one of the less desireable rifles, with a magazine suitable for only one cartridge, a stiff action not well suited to scope mounting, and a horrible trigger. An old M-N is a fun gun to tinker with, but when it comes to spending a bunch of bucks, the money would be better spent on just buying a sporter or in working with a better baseline.
NOTE: Yes, I read Reid Coffield's article in SGN. But he is a skilled and experienced gunsmith, with a fully equipped shop and the time to take on a project just for fun (and remember, he gets paid for those articles, so he is not really working for free). I have corresponded with Mr. Coffield; he is a fine person and I would like someday to meet him in person. He knows, and says, that his projects are not for most home workshops, but they do show what can be done. It just takes a hundred thousand dollars or so worth of tools and a lifetime of experience to do it.
Jim
|