Removing a T/C breechplug not a rehash

ppg1949 · Aug 30, 2019

Hello, first I have always heard one should not remove a breechplug on a flinter or percussion sidelock. Especially if you had CVA or Traditions firearm. Why I bring this is I was reading a T/C Hawken pdf manual. When I got down to the cleaning instructions it clearly stated to remove the breechplug and clean the barrel from the breech. I don't know how old this manual is. Does anyone else have an old T/C manual that says to remove the breechplug? I was rather surprised to read this as they must have supplied their breechplug removal tool with the rifle.
Thanks

Carbon 6 · Aug 30, 2019

ppg1949 said:
Hello, first I have always heard one should not remove a breechplug on a flinter or percussion sidelock. Especially if you had CVA or Traditions firearm. Why I bring this is I was reading a T/C Hawken pdf manual. When I got down to the cleaning instructions it clearly stated to remove the breechplug and clean the barrel from the breech. I don't know how old this manual is. Does anyone else have an old T/C manual that says to remove the breechplug? I was rather surprised to read this as they must have supplied their breechplug removal tool with the rifle.
Thanks

That is incorrect!
Can you post a link to that PDF? Those instructions are for modern inlines that T/C makes or made, Not traditional sidelocks.

ppg1949 · Aug 30, 2019

I will post a link to that. I have it in Adobe.
Thanks

Carbon 6 · Aug 30, 2019

The instructions are wrong, muzzle and breech are switched.
Ignore it.

From the manual.

DISASSEMBLY FOR CLEANING
WARNING: ALWAYS KEEP THE MUZZLE POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION.
WARNING: NEVER ATTEMPT TO CLEAN OR DISASSEMBLE A CHARGED OR PRIMED MUZZLELOADING FIREARM. AN ACCIDENtAL DISCHARGE CAN CAUSE IN JURY AND/OR DEATH TO THE SHOOTER OR BY STANDERS AND DAMAGE TO PROPERTY.
WARNING: WEAR SAFETY GLASSES EVERY TIME YOU ASSEMBLE OR DISASSEMBLE YOUR FIREARM.
• NEVER DISASSEMBLE YOUR FIREARM beyond the procedures outlined in this manual. Improper disassembly or re-assembly of your firearm may be dangerous and can lead to serious injury or death.
To disassemble the Hawken™ muzzleloading rifle;
• Remove the ramrod - set it aside.
• Pull out the wedge pin. It may be necessary to tap it partially out from the other side in order to grasp the pin and pull it the rest of the way out.
• Lift the barrel up as shown (Figure 35) and pull it forward away from the lock assembly. Pull the barrel forward, thus pulling the breech plug out of the breech plug slot in the tang.
• Next in the cleaning process; fill a pan with hot soapy water. Submerge the muzzle end of the barrel in the water and push a wet patch down the barrel (from the breech end) on the end of your ramrod with a jag in stalled. Pump the ramrod and patch up and down in the barrel. This will draw water into the bar rel and flush out the fouling. When the barrel is clean - allow it to dry.

ppg1949 · Aug 30, 2019

Carbon 6 said:
The instructions are wrong, muzzle and breech are switched.
Ignore it.

From the manual.

DISASSEMBLY FOR CLEANING
WARNING: ALWAYS KEEP THE MUZZLE POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION.
WARNING: NEVER ATTEMPT TO CLEAN OR DISASSEMBLE A CHARGED OR PRIMED MUZZLELOADING FIREARM. AN ACCIDENtAL DISCHARGE CAN CAUSE IN JURY AND/OR DEATH TO THE SHOOTER OR BY STANDERS AND DAMAGE TO PROPERTY.
WARNING: WEAR SAFETY GLASSES EVERY TIME YOU ASSEMBLE OR DISASSEMBLE YOUR FIREARM.
• NEVER DISASSEMBLE YOUR FIREARM beyond the procedures outlined in this manual. Improper disassembly or re-assembly of your firearm may be dangerous and can lead to serious injury or death.
To disassemble the Hawken™ muzzleloading rifle;
• Remove the ramrod - set it aside.
• Pull out the wedge pin. It may be necessary to tap it partially out from the other side in order to grasp the pin and pull it the rest of the way out.
• Lift the barrel up as shown (Figure 35) and pull it forward away from the lock assembly. Pull the barrel forward, thus pulling the breech plug out of the breech plug slot in the tang.
• Next in the cleaning process; fill a pan with hot soapy water. Submerge the muzzle end of the barrel in the water and push a wet patch down the barrel (from the breech end) on the end of your ramrod with a jag in stalled. Pump the ramrod and patch up and down in the barrel. This will draw water into the bar rel and flush out the fouling. When the barrel is clean - allow it to dry.

C6, That's the one I was reading. It is on page 39 of the owners manual. I’m not going to do it but even if you switch the barrel ends around, they still say to pull the breach plug right above your highlighted area. Do you think this was for an in-line rifle and it got mixed into the Hawken manual? Whatever it is one could do damage to the exterior of the barrel trying to remove the plug.
Thanks for the reprinted page, I was trying to figure out how to print that page.

Carbon 6 · Aug 30, 2019

Here is a link to the manual
https://www.tcarms.com/pdfs/uploads/manuals/Hawken_Manual.pdf

The error is on page 39
Should anyone want to report it to T/C there contact info is ,

(866) 730-1614
[email protected]

Carbon 6 · Aug 30, 2019

ppg1949 said:
C6, That's the one I was reading. It is on page 39 of the owners manual. I’m not going to do it but even if you switch the barrel ends around, they still say to pull the breach plug right above your highlighted area.

• Lift the barrel up as shown (Figure 35) and pull it forward - away from the lock assembly. Pull the barrel forward, thus pulling the breech plug out of the breech plug slot in the tang.

The gun has a hooked breech They are describing removing it from it's socket.
the breech plug itself does not get removed from the barrel.

T/C should have had a technical writer and proof reader that knew something about muzzleloders.

Rifleman1776 · Aug 30, 2019

Written by tech writers who know nothing about the product.

Zonie · Aug 30, 2019

The "SHOOTING THOMPSON/CENTER BLACK POWDER MUZZLELOADING FIREARMS" ©1992, book that came with the T/C rifles and shotguns makes no mention of removing the breech plug, anywhere in the book.

It clearly describes cleaning all of them by removing the barrel wedge, unhooking the breech plug from the tang block and removing the barrel from the stock. It goes on to say that the breech of the barrel should be placed in a full bucket of water and the cleaning rod with a patched cleaning jag should be pumped up and down to pump the water into and out of the barrel.

I have no doubt that someone at T/C who was involved with this newer booklet goofed and interchanged the words "muzzle" and "breech" in the instructions.

ppg1949 · Aug 30, 2019

Thanks Carbon6, Rifleman and Zonie. I thought it was strange to put that in the Hawken manual but it said it was a 2009 manual. I think some how they put info on an inline in there.
Thanks again

Zonie · Aug 30, 2019

I don't think the incorrect instructions were for a TC in line.
Most of the TC in lines are made like modern guns and you don't remove the barrel to clean them. You do remove the breech plug which is made for being easily removed without any special tools.

The verbiage about removing the barrel wedge and disengaging the breech plug tang hook tells me the instructions are talking about a sidelock gun but as I said, they got the words muzzle and breech backwards in the text.

QuinnTheEskimo · Aug 30, 2019

Well, T/C did sell breechplug removal tools because I’ve got one for the Seneca and Cherokee.

ppg1949 · Aug 30, 2019

QuinnTheEskimo said:
Well, T/C did sell breechplug removal tools because I’ve got one for the Seneca and Cherokee.

Quinn, I have one also for a Renegade but I have never used it. But for the manual to state to clean the Hawken by removing the breecplug was a jolt to me and others.
Thanks
P.S., their is somebody on ebay that manufactures them allegedly to manufactures specs but original T/C breechplug removal tools are scarce.

Carbon 6 · Aug 30, 2019

Zonie said:
I don't think the incorrect instructions were for a TC in line.
.

I said that before I had a chance to read what T/C actually wrote in the manual.

Eric Krewson · Aug 30, 2019

I don't see anything glaringly incorrect, You do remove the breech plug unit from the tang slot to get the barrel out.

ppg1949 · Aug 30, 2019

Eric Krewson said:
I don't see anything glaringly incorrect, You do remove the breech plug unit from the tang slot to get the barrel out.

Eric, you are right on that part of their text. But the next paragraph says to put the muzzle in a container of soapy water and run the cleaning patch through the breech end of the barrel. It would appear they have gotten some inline instructions copied into their pdf Hawken manual.
Thanks

Zonie · Aug 30, 2019

Eric Krewson said:
I don't see anything glaringly incorrect, You do remove the breech plug unit from the tang slot to get the barrel out.

But you don't stick the muzzle in a bucket of water and then proceed to clean the barrel from the breech do you?

bubba.50 · Aug 30, 2019

There needs to come a point where common sense overcomes ya.

Eric Krewson · Aug 31, 2019

I missed the muzzle in the bucket of water, at my age I always blame my lack of attention on senior moments, works every time.

ppg1949 · Aug 31, 2019

Eric Krewson said:
I missed the muzzle in the bucket of water, at my age I always blame my lack of attention on senior moments, works every time.

Eric, I fall into that category. I don’t mind the senior moments until they string together, lol.

Removing a T/C breechplug not a rehash

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