Patch Stuck in Breech Plug on CVA Percussion Barrel, Ideas?

[ML48]

Try using a bottle jack, big hammer and a ……………oops. Wrong thread.

Any takers on number of pages??

 

[Old Hawkeye]

Any takers on number of pages??

I guessin' 6! What does the winner get??

 

[ML48]

I guessin' 6! What does the winner get??

I don't know. Maybe we could get Angie to donate a prize. Either that or we name you "Muzzie of the Week"!

 

[vintovka]

On the serious side the problems pulling a CVA plug can be compounded by material or lead caught in the cross piece "bolster" threads. From simplest to hardest heres some choices:

Snap some caps
trickle power under nipple and snap some caps
2 wire patch remover
ball puller
Compressed air with tight fitting adaptor (lewis and clark air gun)
Grease gun with zerk fitting (messy)

There more but the best thing is not to play the game. Think before you shove that too small or too large piece of T shirt, sock, drawers or anything where it does not belong. Stuck patchs were a very good income source back when the shop was open.

 

[Woody Morgan]

Fill drum with powder, lighter fluid down the barrel cap it and sim at curtains/sofa and let her rip.

And for heaven's sake, get video!

wm

 

[45man]

They sell those twisty things for patch removal, some call them a ball puller but NOT.
But a small screw on the end of a rod will pull a ball or a patch. Never use a fat screw as it will expand the ball too much.

 

[45man]

You will never get a factory breech plug out without damage so leave it alone. I think they torque them to 3000 fp.

 

[vintovka]

They sell those twisty things for patch removal, some call them a ball puller but NOT.
But a small screw on the end of a rod will pull a ball or a patch. Never use a fat screw as it will expand the ball too much.

I have ramrod that came on a original early half stock rifle. Was fiddling with the brass endcap and it unscrewed to reveal a ball/patch puller underneath. Someone was thinking back when and seems handy for when in the field. I have seen these on modern stuff but never on an original --Have you?

 

[vintovka]

You will never get a factory breech plug out without damage so leave it alone. I think they torque them to 3000 fp.

Have pulled plug on these using purpose built 20 ton barrel vise and custom milled blocks and wrench with 3' cheater bar. Not for amateurs without special equipment and strength. Shop is gone and no longer can do this so don't ask. The worst is someone who tried to remove the plug WITHOUT removing the cross threaded "bolster". We warned customers who wanted this done that there was a probability that the plug/bolster would be ruined and required a prepayment before work began. For really stuck plugs cutting them off and setting barrel back is better. It is my opinion the CVA breech was designed with liability in mind after some early Spanish made stuff failed causing injuries.

 

[ThreeCrows]

No luck yet. I tried using the .22 caliber cleaning brush as I had one on hand but the patch is really packed in there and all I managed to do was bend the brush. My father burned up my compressor and never made good on replacing it. I did go to the gas station across the road but somebody stole the hose from the compressor and they just never replaced it. I also tried removing the nipple but bent my nipple wrench and broke down and ordered a Ted Cash rathing one which should be here by mid week. My brother in law has a compressor and once I get the nipple out I can use his to try and blow the patch out. I hate to say it but most projects I end up with always go this way.I'll see how it goes after I get the nipple out after the new wrench gets here.
Thanks, everyone
ThreeCrows

 

[deermanok]

Penetrating oil, like some PB blaster on those nipple threads. Soak it down good and let it sit for a few days.

 

[ML48]

I guessin' 6! What does the winner get??

page 2

 

[deermanok]

A lifetime supply of breech plugs.

 

[Sidney Smith]

I

I have ramrod that came on a original early half stock rifle. Was fiddling with the brass endcap and it unscrewed to reveal a ball/patch puller underneath. Someone was thinking back when and seems handy for when in the field. I have seen these on modern stuff but never on an original --Have you?

I have one of those rods. I would never attempt to use one of them to pull a ball. Pinned or not, I don't see them having enough strength to hold up.

 

[vintovka]

I

I have one of those rods. I would never attempt to use one of them to pull a ball. Pinned or not, I don't see them having enough strength to hold up.

Think it was for emergency use away from civilization. Its pretty old and weak. Using a puller with a patch (or to remove a lost one} has never worked well for me. When we had the shop i made special steel rods with replaceable threaded ball pullers for tuff cases. IIRC the CVA cross bolsters seen have rough openings to the bore and often misaligned making crud stick and grabbing patches. Some have been messed with to "help" align nipple to hammer interface. Friend still in the buis showed me how he uses his phone with a bore scope to inspect and plan course of action. This is "magic" to this old man. He also showed me a length of 1/4" Teflon tubing connected to a vacuum to suck damp patches out. The patch sticks to tube.

 

[Sidney Smith]

Yeah I never had good luck with those patch worm things. The wires are not held in place very solidly. I've had a few of them snap a wire while getting a stuck patch out. I bought one of those old school looking ones made out of twisted iron or something. Works great and no chance of it breaking.

 

[Woody Morgan]

No luck yet. I tried using the .22 caliber cleaning brush as I had one on hand but the patch is really packed in there and all I managed to do was bend the brush. My father burned up my compressor and never made good on replacing it. I did go to the gas station across the road but somebody stole the hose from the compressor and they just never replaced it. I also tried removing the nipple but bent my nipple wrench and broke down and ordered a Ted Cash rathing one which should be here by mid week. My brother in law has a compressor and once I get the nipple out I can use his to try and blow the patch out. I hate to say it but most projects I end up with always go this way.I'll see how it goes after I get the nipple out after the new wrench gets here.
Thanks, everyone
ThreeCrows

This is exactly why I don't work on cars. Guns, no problem.

wm

 

[vintovka]

Yeah I never had good luck with those patch worm things. The wires are not held in place very solidly. I've had a few of them snap a wire while getting a stuck patch out. I bought one of those old school looking ones made out of twisted iron or something. Works great and no chance of it breaking.

Believe these are called a "worm" and i use one that dates to before civil war. The ones made for the Enfield multitool work well.

As for compressors not sure a small 12 volt one would work. You need to have a tank with a quick release valve set up.. A converted x-freon tank works great when at range. Scuba's are best.

FWIW and way OT. The small ones will save your bacon these days. Had a low tire on I-5 in CA central valley. No working air compressors for 100 miles -- all vandalized. Even stopping at a small station makes you go cocked and locked due to the filth. People and Station.. Recommend carrying one in every car for emergencies and maintenance. Get one that fits in own case and has a cigarettes plug in with a cord long enough to reach each tire.

 

[Sidney Smith]

The one I

Believe these are called a "worm" and i use one that dates to before civil war. The ones made for the Enfield multitool work well.

As for compressors not sure a small 12 volt one would work. You need to have a tank with a quick release valve set up.. A converted x-freon tank works great when at range. Scuba's are best.

FWIW and way OT. The small ones will save your bacon these days. Had a low tire on I-5 in CA central valley. No working air compressors for 100 miles -- all vandalized. Even stopping at a small station makes you go cocked and locked due to the filth. People and Station.. Recommend carrying one in every car for emergencies and maintenance. Get one that fits in own case and has a cigarettes plug in with a cord long enough to reach each tire.

The compressor I'm talking about is a 3 or 5 gallon unit that runs on 110v. It will definitely have enough power to blow a patch clear. I think the safety valve blows at 125psi.

 

[Grenadier1758]

No luck yet. I tried using the .22 caliber cleaning brush as I had one on hand but the patch is really packed in there and all I managed to do was bend the brush. My father burned up my compressor and never made good on replacing it. I did go to the gas station across the road but somebody stole the hose from the compressor and they just never replaced it. I also tried removing the nipple but bent my nipple wrench and broke down and ordered a Ted Cash rathing one which should be here by mid week. My brother in law has a compressor and once I get the nipple out I can use his to try and blow the patch out. I hate to say it but most projects I end up with always go this way.I'll see how it goes after I get the nipple out after the new wrench gets here.
Thanks, everyone
ThreeCrows

The nipple is also stuck? I'm not about to ask about the screw in the side of the drum. You need to be soaking the nipple in Kroil or some other rust penetrating lubricant. You should also add some thin oil down the barrel to soak into the patch. Are you sure it is a patch? You will want a rubber tipped nozzle on the hose that can seal off the nipple seat. Since you are unsure of what is stuck, use compressed air to try to move that obstruction. This is a case where the use of a properly threaded zerk fitting (6mm-1?) and a grease gun would move that plug out of the chamber enough to remove it.

Since you just bought the barrel and it probably didn't come with a ramrod. What ram rod were you using to pull the obstruction? While you are at it, look at your ramrod tips. Are the tips cross pinned to prevent getting pulled out? Make sure the ramrod tips are cross pinned. Better yet, get a good working rod made of brass or steel with a muzzle protector.

The spring worms to pull patches or thin cards won't reach into the chambered breech of your CVA. A 32 caliber screw ball puller with coarse threads may fit.

Lets try to hold this thread to less than 10 pages.