.....went better than I could have ever expected.  Man, I must be living right for it to have gone this easy.  I wanted to take it up to the shop at work, to use the press, but I thought what the hell, I'll try to get the pin and barrel out at the home shop.  I cut an old 3/8 drive 3/8" 12 pt. thin wall socket to fit around the barrel pin so that the trunion would be supported straight and I took a 5/16 x 1 bolt and ground the threads off of it to make a pressing pin.  I used the vise to press the pin out from right to left.  I put just a normal amount of pressure on the vise (by hand) and the pin popped and moved about 1/4". I then pushed the pin as far as my tools would allow in the vise, and then took the thing out of the vise and used a 16 oz. hammer and punch to get it the rest of the way out.  Super easy.  I then put a nickel and two pennies on the chamber end of the barrel, and used a large punch and the same hammer to drive the barrel out.  It came out very easy as well.  When I got the barrel out it was well coated in oil as well as the mating surface of the trunion.  I can just hope that my other kits, 2 more Romys and 3 Polish UFs, go half as well.  

The only take down that pissed me off, was a Tantal. That pin was a bitch. All my Romys and Yugos and Poliish UF's were easy. Pretty much the same technique you described. 13 builds and I haven't needed a press yet. I think half the fun of building is making all the jigs and tools you need. BTW, whoever came up with the bolt cutter rivet crusher should get an award!

Well, I spoke too soon....Romt build #2's pin is reluctant to move.  Tried vice, vice + hammer (tightened vice up all the way, then hit vice with hammer to shock it), and finally tried an air hammer.  Nothing would move the barrel pin.  Looks like the press for this one.......

Soak that baby in PB Blast overnight then attack it with the air hammer.


The only reason I carry a pistol is to be able to fight my way back to my rifle.

Try a really short push pin and a piece of pipe on the vise handle.  Torque it down until the pin ALMOST buckles.  Then whack the movable end of the vise with a big hammer or hand sledge.  It'll probably move a touch.  My worst case was a Tantal that needed a pin, made from a piece of a 1/4 in. drill shank, so short I only got in 2 vise cranks before putting in a slightly longer one.  The puch pin got squashed, now looks like a little barrel.

Of my 3 Romys, one came out by hammer and punch easily, one in the vise with difficulty, one almost as bad as the horrible Tantal.  Only one gave an audible pop, and all the tough ones fought me all the way.

Pushing the barrel was similar, one with a hammer and socket, the others pretty tough using the Autozone pulley puller in a vise and a big long wrench to turn it.  Just be sure to shim the barrel breech so you get a straight push.

BTW, I heated them, soaked for a week in PB Blaster, froze, used receiver heating, air hammered - didn't help until I got the monster 6 inch industrial vise, made short push pins and cranked and whacked.