TC Hawken Rifle Plugged

Just bought a nice looking TC Hawken rifle used from a guy & it's plugged under the nipple clear through the channel into the bore. As far as I can tell the gun's not loaded & the material I've gotten out with dental picks under the nipple seems to be fiber. I've tried popping multiple caps & 135 psi of compressed air with no luck. Any idea on how that area could get plugged with fiber or how to get it out? I've tried turning out the side screw beside the nipple for better access with a proper screwdriver but the screw sheared on one side. Do I dare fill the little void I have now under the nipple with powder to try to blast the plug out? Thanks for any help.

I would not try to shoot it out. I would find some one with a milling machine. they can set it up and work on the clean out screw with a end mill. don't try to drill it out with a drill bit as it will walk off and cause more grief. after you get that out you can work on the blockage straight in.

Awesome. Try determining what type of fiber it is.
Simple tests by solvents and burning a bit to observe the action and residue of the combustion.

Next:
Is the barrel loaded with a propellant?
If not you can decompose cotton that is inside the barrel without reaching a temperature that is injurious to the steel. Erh, if done carefully.

If it were mine the first thing I would try is filling the barrel with soapy water and letting it sit, muzzle up for a day.

That should soften whatever fiberous stuff that's in the flame channel.
I would then retry blowing the stuff out with the 130psi air pressure.

If that didn't work I would buy a 1/4-28 straight thread grease zerk and a grease gun.

A good grease gun can produce pressures over 1000 psi and although it makes a mess, using the gun on the zerk should blow out whatever is in the channel.

Only after both of these methods failed would I take the barrel to a machine shop to drill out the "cleanout screw".

Wow you guys are good! Thanks very much.
I was entertaining the thought of drilling & easy outing the cleanout screw but thought of my hole walking into the threads. The fiber seems to be like the old shotgun fiber wad material-like drier lint only more woody/harder. You guys are saving me from my dumb self & I really appreciate it. I'll try the air blowout again now that it's soaked since yesterday. The zerk & grease idea is great & i'll try that tomorrow when I get to my shop. I've already soaked the bore with soapy water & a rod in the bore seems to hit steel & stops about 1/2 inch in front of the nipple. Strong light inside the bore shows a rounded breach end. So glad for all the help guys. Thanks!

Do what the others said. The only thing I can think of as how it got plugged is maybe someone didn't want it to be loaded and fired so they purposely plugged it.

Something I forgot to mention.

After it has soaked, if you have a steel cleaning rod or range rod you might put a brass cleaning jag on it, get a cleaning patch or two and fill the barrel full of water.

Putting the breech (with the nipple removed) in a bucket of water while you do this, run the patched cleaning jag down the bore, pumping it up and down.
Use a lot of force to create a lot of internal pressure.

That will force water in and out of the fire channel and might (fingers crossed) blow out whatever is plugging it.

I think someone has somehow gotten a cleaning patch stuck down there. Like others said, but it always bears repeating, make sure it is not loaded! :shocked2:

Here is a scenario for how the patch got in there. The gun is being cleaned. The person cleaning it may have left the nipple on while running wet patches in and out of it, or, somehow the flash channel has become obstructed. Next thing the person withdraws the rod and jag with patch from the bore. There is a vacuum built up because the nipple cannot allow air into the barrel as to keep up with the withdrawal of the tight patch. Just as the jag and patch clear the muzzle, the vacuum in the barrel sucks the patch off the jag and back down into the bore. Maybe the cleaner did not even notice this happen. Maybe they thought the patch fell on the ground. Maybe they put another patch on the jag and proceeded to wipe the bore some more and thus forcing the lost patch into the flash channel.

A big maybe, but I have had the experience of cleaning patches being sucked down the bore when I forgot to lift the hammer off the nipple while wiping between shots. Apparently the ingoing patched jag readily forces air past the expended cap and the hammer but reversing and pulling out tends to close the air passage and the patch is sucked off the jag when it clears the muzzle.

If it happened that way to the previous owner, he may not have completed the cleaning job! :shocked2:

could be tow?

The statement that a range rod down the bore seems to hit steel and stops about 1/2" in front of the nipple. Your bore light shows something round. This leads me to think that the gun has been loaded with a ball and no powder. A lead ball should have a dull metallic sound to it and not ring like a rod striking the breech.

Yes, soak it good and try the air compressor. Then it should be time for the zerk fitting and the grease gun. Be sure to let us know what you find.

It worked!! It worked!!
I tried more compressed air-no go, popped a few more caps after it had soaked two days & then I tried the grease zerk & viola! I had to put about as much force on my grease gun as I could & the thing popped loose. Rod stuck down bore confirms grease is inside bore. YAHOOOO!!! The scenario of a cleaning patch lost & then the rifle fired blasting part of the patch into the channel makes sense to me. Man was it packed in there. I guess the former owner was frustrated with it as he sold me the rifle for $100. I can't be any happier. Thanks guys!

zerk in rifle

Here's the plug. For sure is a piece of cotton fabric. There was no ball or powder. Plug is almost as hard as wood. Thanks again you all for your helping me. Next time am thinking to try Milk of Magnesia. Ha

That looks like a fine rifle for $100 bucks -- and good to hear you got it working - nice going!

Looking at photos of flax tow I'm not sure it's not tow. I wasn't familiar with flax tow.

Here's the whole gun minus the rod that I left at home. Got this rifle & about 30 pounds of smokeless at $2 a pound. Drove past a yard sale & saw the rifle leaning up against the porch. Older guy said he was done with the shooting sports & wouldn't take any more money than what he was asking for the stuff. Right place right time I guess. :thumbsup:

We've decided this rifle will be placed on the mantle over the fireplace at the cabin. It'll look cool & i'll have more of a chance to shoot it while we're there.

Just make sure you NEVER put any of the smokeless powder in your ML. :bow:

For sure.Roger that. :wink:

I have a rifle just like that, made by Invest arms for Cabelas. Nice little shooter, glad you got it cleared.

Oh, nice Jag in background.