Unstuck Stoeger 2000 choke tube today

[Bull Nutria]

After a little reasearch on the high road and elsewhere this is how i did it:

My buddy had a stuck mod tube in his 2000. the dinky blade wrench that came with it only buggered the wrench slots so a rem choke wrench would not fit in it. However i tried the rem wrench in a loose choke tube and it fit perfectly, i had read that a 3/8 socket extension fits in the center of the Rem wrench. well after soaking, freezing ,heating, it would not come out. so i wrapped the barrel in a towel.placed the barrel in my vise, them tapped the rem wrench into the buggered wrench slots. inserted the rachet extension and applied even square force. well it budged. i applied aerokroil, began working it back and forth . it was really tight. i got about 3 threads out of the bore before the wrench slots gave way. luckily i was able to turn it the rest of way out with vise grips. ruined the choke tube.

i cleaned the threads greased the other 3 tubes with Hoppes grease and inserted each one. they are still way too tight. the mod tube that caused the trouble was not corroded. it looked like it was threaded passed the choke tube threads! I think steel shot may have peened the tube into the barrel threads(steel too soft in tube i supposed.) I read that stuck chokes are fairly common with this model.

i am going to reccomend that this barrel go back to Stoeger on warranty, No choke tube should be that tight.

Bull

 

[BBBBill]

...I think steel shot may have peened the tube into the barrel threads(steel too soft in tube i supposed.)...

Is it rated for steel shot?

 

[Bull Nutria]

Yes it is rated for steel. Gun is just a few years old.

Bull

 

[Mac's Precision]

Bull,

I concur with your assumptions that it needs to go back. If the tubes don't thread in easily by hand then snug with the wrench, something is wrong.

Every shotgun I work on that has tubes gets attention before it leaves. I find a LOT of them loose...or WAY too tight. MOST are installed dry, used in the rain and left to rust, corrode and seize.

You know this, but it bears repeating for other readers. When installing choke tubes, paint them with anti-seize(the whole tube, threads to muzzle) and install them SNUG. There is a reason the Remington wrench has a little 3 inch handle, because they don't need to be tightened like a lug nut on a 1 ton truck.

I have the Brownells choke tube removers and they get USED. I find quite a few that have the notches ripped out in BOTH directions. They torque them till they strip and then rip the notch out trying to remove them.

 

[Bull Nutria]

Yesterday i was visiting with my local gunsmith and told him about this stuck choke. He gave me and old SS bore brush and told me to really scrub those threads with a drill in the muzzle area of the barrel. He says the carbon etc really builds up and needs to be removed. I haven't done that yet but I will.

I am still think the threads are damaged, will report later.

Bull

 

[Clark]

My brother milled a socket wrench into a choke tube wrench shape.

He soaked the stuck choke tube and muzzle with Kroil and waited.

Then he connected the wrench to an air powered impact wrench.

The tube spun right out.