removeable breech plug

why don't the ML manufacturers build our style of rifles, shotguns, smoothies, etc. with breech plugs designed to be (easily) removed? Is it a deal covering theirselves so they don't get sued bc someone didn't get one put back in properly and it blew apart and injured or killed someone? I was just thinkin, it'd sure make cleanin' ALOT easier, plus there'd be a whole lot less to discuss here on MLF. :wink:

Huh?

:idunno: :hmm: YEES one that simply unscrewed would be the go :thumbsup:

because then they wouldn't be old school, they'd be closer to modern style 'muzzle loaders'

I pull the breech plug on my Yazel every time I clean it although I suppose it wouldn't be necessary. Looks to me like it was designed that way. Same deal on all the nipples on my revolvers.
Black powder residue gets into every part of them from shooting even a few shots and needs to be thoroughly cleaned if there put away for any length of time, in my opinion.
When I bought the ROA used it looked immaculate on the exterior but when I got it apart corrosion was starting on some of the interior parts because it had not been broken down,cleaned and re-lubed before I got it.
I've only had the breech plug out of my .54 twice since I re-barreled it about 20 years ago and it wouldn't hurt to take another look.
The .45 underhammer has only been out once and the .58 Hawken hunter never so it would be good for me to take my own advice and give them a look see. MD

cynthialee said:

because then they wouldn't be old school, they'd be closer to modern style 'muzzle loaders'

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You can`t get any older school than a 1837 Harpers Ferry 69cal smouth bore. I always unscrewed the breech plug after shooting it to clean it & it always lined up like it was supposed to when I screwed it back in & tighten it up.

:shake: Guys lod school breech plugs do just unscrew, the first 2 replys werea what the

Since when? :haha:

You may find an old barrel that somebody unbreeched, and then simply screwed back in..., and they might unscrew with a wrench in one hand and the barrel in the other, and yes you can return that to the same tightness. But my experience with antique guns that are properly breeched is that you need a barrel vise and a wrench to get them out, and to re-align them back into original position. I wouldn't assume that since the gun was intact, and the breech plug can be removed and replace by hand, that such is how the gun should be.

Now I haven't had to unbreech more than a dozen barrels in my time, so I suppose I got ten or so that weren't the norm...,

As far as why modern folks don't do this..., it's liability in some cases, and in others, because of the gun style, they wouldn't want you removing the barrel every time. Not all barrels use keys and a hook breech, or even a tang screw. Some guns are SxS, caplock or flintlock, and they especially would not want the shooter to unbreech the barrels.

LD

I have a flintlock built by RMC Sports that has a Green Mountain barrel with a removable breech plug like those used on in-lines.

It also had a laminated stock and a L&R lock. It was pure utility, not intended to be PC or HC.

newtewsmoke said:

designed to be (easily) removed?

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by easily i mean not requiring a vise, special wrench and a 4' cheater pipe. I havent ever took one out and don't plan to, just thinkin and askin i guess. :idunno:

What can be easier than filling the barrel with water, allowing to stand, drain - repeat. Then drying the barrel with 4 or 5 patches and oiling? Much easier and safer than having a breach plug that you can unscrew with your fingers. :idunno:

Is such a thing really necessary? And if it didn't look like a traditional rifle, I wouldn't want it. It's just an asthetics thing with me. You really don't ever need to remove a breachplug to clean your rifle. besides, removing a breachplug from a traditional rifle without the necessary tools can result in boogering up your breachplug and your barrel. You can't simply clamp a barrel in a vice and unscrew the breachplug with a crescent wrench. If you do, you will surely booger it up. It simply is not necessary to remove a breachplug to properly clean a barrel and keep it from corroding. A proper cleaning technique is all you need. So an easily removable breach? Just can't see any reason for it.

Billnpatti said:

.................... A proper cleaning technique is all you need.

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Exactly, well said.

ok,ok,ok, it wuz just an idea i wuz thinkin over.

Maybe,I'm the black sheep here but I find it easier to clean my hooked breech rifles than I do my rifles with removable breech plugs. With a hooked breech rifle you patch the barrel until clean,dry,& oil. With a removable plug you patch the barrel until clean,dry,& oil,and then you clean the plug,clean the threads the plug screws into,(this is the toughest part),lube the threads on the plug and screw the plug back in. To me a removable breech plug just adds extra steps to the cleaning process for no real benefit.

While there are a FEW cases where removing the breech plug is neccasary 95 % or more of the traditional guns will never need the breechplugs removed. Therefore it doesn't justify a change in manufactoring from the traditional methods. :idunno:

I've been building and shooting muzzleloading firearms since 1976 and have NEVER YET had to "unbreech" a barrel. Not once!!! Getting a stuck "anything" out of a barrel IS NOT rocket science! Unless the plug itself is compromised in some fashion: cracked, stripped out, leaking etc. At the very least, i've not seen it yet. There's always that first time. Oh Well! Buzzard

actually folks there have been a few made with removable breech plugs i owned a h&r topper mloader years ago. the gun was made just like a top break single bbl shotgun the early one had a machined b plug with a o ring on it you just unbreached the gun and using the ramrod punched it out. several years later i bought another h&r mloader the later one had a threaded breeck plug. funny thing i shot my first gun a lot was very auccrate and never had a problem with the breech plug it was just as safe as a flinter or percussion gun after all you do get a little gas escapage with any style you use. so yes it has been dome. frankly it would not bother me a bit to take a traditional styled mloader and machine a square sholder a 1/2 inch to 5/8 deep in the breech end and turn down a very snug fitting breechplug and the drill a 1/4 to 5/16 hole all the way thru the back of the bbl and breechplug and put in a good grade pin in. i am sure a bunch of you will have some naughty comments out that ideal but you do have to try new things in order to make progress. well i will shut up and see what kind of hornets nest i stired up this time. just remember you are entitled to your opnion and i am also entitled to mine. dont worry fellas i would not allow any to shoot it untill i personally had shoot it and determined to my satisfaction that is was save. so if anybody were to get their head blowed it would be me. i will put my money where my mouth is anytime yours hounddog

you do have to try new things in order to make progress

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Depends on what you call progress. For most here "progress" stopped whith the advent of breech loading cartridge guns. We want it the old way.
And, those top break H&Rs faded out of sight because the breeches could be removed and most game commissions outlawed them for ml hunting seasons. One of them could be chambered with a 45-70 if the breech plug was pulled out. I guess some would call that progress.

Seems to me the point of traditional equipment is to go in the opposite diection of progress. How did they do it and am I good enough to learn their techniques rather than use the crutch of technlogical innovation? ;-)