Does the breech plug really come off?

[Jamie Hurley]

Forgive this naive question, I'm very new to this.

I'm beginning building a Chambers PA Fowler kit. Step 1 is to remove the breech plug to inlet the barrel. But to my eye, the tang looks like one continuous piece of the barrel. I don't see any indication that it could be removed. Is it just that nice of a fit?

 

[Eric Krewson]

It comes out, if the breech plug fit is very good it won't look like there is a seam between the breech plug and tang but there is.

If you turn the barrel upside down and look at the tang/barrel joint there will be a what we call a witness mark slash that has been stamped into the barrel and tang that you line up when you tighten the plug to have the barrel flats line up perfectly with the tang.

The tang is out of this barrel but this witness mark will extend into the tang.

 

[oldwood]

From Dixon's M/L shop , Kempton Pa. , Greg wrote a fine manual on "How to build a M/L Rifle. " You call there and for around $30 or so , the book with pictures and text , will give you the terminology , and basic assembly instructions to assemble a long rifle. Study first , build and study next. Also , I don't know your skill level with tools. A gun build is not the place to learn how to use basic tools. Sorry if I sound discouraging , but just trying to save you $800 or more in parts. I've tried to mentor two guys in m/l assembly , that assured me they knew about tools. That didn't work out , 'cause neither knew much about really how to use tools. I gave each simple assignments to do at home and come back for more. That didn't work well. Basicly , each wanted to watch me build their m/l rifle . DAAA , read and study first , then build. ................oldwood

 

[Jamie Hurley]

Thank you Eric. I'll proceed.

Use of tools, craftsmanship, reading and studying is not an issue. Simply didn't want to badly damage something with torque that isn't supposed to be torqued.

 

[Jamie Hurley]

I got it off. Case closed.

 

[Eric Krewson]

Now for the rest of the story; If the barrel is a Rice, the plug fit is probably correct to the breech face, if it is a Colerain the fit is probably off.

Properly fitting a breech plug to have a good seal at the breech is a daunting task for a beginner. It involves filing off the back of the barrel and the front of the plug until the marker shows no gaps in the plug/breech face fit, you accomplish this and have the barrel flats line up at the same time. This is called "timing" the breech plug.

I thought I had picture of every step in building a rifle, I couldn't find one that showed the Prussian blue marker on a breech plug that is timed correctly.

Another thing, when I am timing a breech plug, the tang may not end up timed correctly on the same flat as the original witness mark, as long as the stamped logo stays below on the bottom or bottom oblique flats that is good enough for me.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Now for the rest of the story; If the barrel is a Rice, the plug fit is probably correct to the breech face, if it is a Colerain the fit is probably off.

Speaking of Rice barrels, the last one I had seemed nigh on impossible to get the witness marks to line up when I was re-installing the plug. I'm sure they did it right, or else the witness marks (obviously stamped at the same time) wouldn't be there. It's like they employ the old Samsonite gorillas to install them. I'm somewhat hesitant to spend $250 at Brownells to buy a barrel vice and action wrench just for this task, but is that how much force is really needed to get them back in to place? Heat maybe?

I never COULD get the plug off my Green mountain barrel (yes it was new when I got it.) . Same question.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I have rice breech plug tools, so far, they have helped me remove any plug I came across. My first rifle had a Rice barrel, it took a piece of pipe on the wrench to get the plug out.