How would one go about removing a breech plug

[shootrj2003]

I tried that once in the end I felt that it was not that necessary and did not damage anything,however my stubborn German Irish inner self still wants to do it so... so ...badly!I may have to before I die or it will kill me! Lol

 

[McClura]

I'm with a few of the others. WHY? I have been shooting TC's, custom smoke poles for 45 years and have never had the need or felt the need to pull a breech plug. I don't even pull the barrels from my self built long rifles when cleaning. I have one that I built in 1981 and I have shot thousands of rounds through it in competition and hunting and have never taken the barrel off of the stock to clean or other wise.
When I built a rifle, I fit the breech plugs with a LOT of force getting it timed (tang lined up with barrel flat) and never want it to come loose.
Can't see a reason to remove one, especially a TC. Clean the barrel good with what ever your choice of cleaner, pushing some out the nipple or touch hole until clean fluid is seen, wet patches, dry patches and then oiled patches. Good enough. I use the lubricant Break Free and have since I found it in 1986. I will clean an muzzleloader when finished and wipe the inside of the barrel and outside barrel, stock, lock and all with it. I may not touch it again until the next years season or shooting match. Never had one rust.
Mike

 

[Eric Krewson]

If you think it has to come out buy one of these, this guy has all the barrel sizes not just the one listed in the ad.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Breech-Plu...686222?hash=item3fea3b2c8e:g:sScAAOSw6EhUMNxj

 

[Phil Coffins]

Today I removed this breech using the system that I posted earlier. One hard hit got it started and a second turned it so I could turn it by hand. Other people had tried it and damaged the breech plug but this method got it done with no further damage. The bore was plugged and so it had to come out.
IMG_0719 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr
IMG_0720 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

 

[SOLANCO]

I'm with a few of the others. WHY? I have been shooting TC's, custom smoke poles for 45 years and have never had the need or felt the need to pull a breech plug. I don't even pull the barrels from my self built long rifles when cleaning. I have one that I built in 1981 and I have shot thousands of rounds through it in competition and hunting and have never taken the barrel off of the stock to clean or other wise.
When I built a rifle, I fit the breech plugs with a LOT of force getting it timed (tang lined up with barrel flat) and never want it to come loose.
Can't see a reason to remove one, especially a TC. Clean the barrel good with what ever your choice of cleaner, pushing some out the nipple or touch hole until clean fluid is seen, wet patches, dry patches and then oiled patches. Good enough. I use the lubricant Break Free and have since I found it in 1986. I will clean an muzzleloader when finished and wipe the inside of the barrel and outside barrel, stock, lock and all with it. I may not touch it again until the next years season or shooting match. Never had one rust.
Mike

A friend's son is a USN SEAL. His team uses virtually nothing but Break Free on firearms. Gave his dad and I a quart each. I like it a good deal. Am also partial to Ballistol, which was a German military development.

 

[Scota@4570]

Today I removed this breech using the system that I posted earlier. One hard hit got it started and a second turned it so I could turn it by hand. Other people had tried it and damaged the breech plug but this method got it done with no further damage. The bore was plugged and so it had to come out.
IMG_0719 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr
IMG_0720 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

 

[Scota@4570]

Nice to see a sturdier set up than most. However, that is not a TC. IT looks old and rusty with loose tolerance. There is about zero chance you would get a TC plug out with that rig.

 

[Phil Coffins]

I’ve done a few TCs with this set up. Didn’t even harm the bluing.

 

[shootrj2003]

Because screws are meant to tighten and untighten and if you can’t get them to untighten you must not be doing it right SO you have something to learn if they were not meant to be removed why were they not just welded or forged closed? No ,they were threaded so....removable.



you must have to learn to do it right
what if I wanted my .54 turned into a .56 rifle or a smoothbore would I just throw the barrel away and buy a new barrel,?

 

[Grenadier1758]

Removing a breech plug is one of hose tasks that you don't want to force, but you may need a bigger hammer. @Phil Coffins' tool is good one for removing a conventional breech plug.

@shootrj2003, much of the ability to turn your 54 caliber rifle in to a smoothbore will depend on how the barrel is assembled. T/C barrels and most other barrels can be bored smooth. Bobby Hoyt is the go to guy to get that job done.

The CVA/Traditions breech plug pretty much eliminates a CVA/ Traditions from being rebored.

 

[shootrj2003]

Just using that as an example,and removing a breech plug is( TC,Lyman and similar) not something you have to do in the course of being a shooter and hunter.however,if you desire the ability to be a hobby or professional gunsmith on muzzleloaders It is a skill and technique which should not be looked on as magic or mystery just another mechanics function,just like removing a cylinder head on a Harley or removing the tranny and rebuilding it,before you do it everybody else ( and part of you)who knows nothing about it says whow!don’t do that! What if you screw up? Then they take theirs to a guy who plows them with a $2500.00 bill because he can. But if you get a few of the right tools and ask the right people or read the right books you can do it yourself and send the stripped tube to a guy with the lathe and rifling machine and save some bucks AND you get to look down the tube yourself and see....the light! Or get really crazy and build the bore machine yourself listening to another guy,,...then YOU know...just don’t be afraid you can’t because someone says so,the worst you can do is screw it up but you’ll still learn something.