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Why not remove the breech plug????
- Thread starter ML48
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Old Hawkeye
50 Cal.
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If you ever tried to do it, the answer will be self-evident.
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They take all the force in line. Today they are put in tight. Many put a witness mark on the bottom of the barrel cause your really putting on the torque to go that last half of a flat.
after shot it seems those threads tightened up more.
if you regularly take out and then replace the plug you will soon find yourself going past the witness mark
I haven’t pulled a plug on a gun I've shot in thirty years. A bout five years ago I tried and with a thirty inch handle I couldn’t get it to budge. I was afraid any more pressure I could have broke the tang
after shot it seems those threads tightened up more.
if you regularly take out and then replace the plug you will soon find yourself going past the witness mark
I haven’t pulled a plug on a gun I've shot in thirty years. A bout five years ago I tried and with a thirty inch handle I couldn’t get it to budge. I was afraid any more pressure I could have broke the tang
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i inherited a cva mountain rifle someone attempted to remove the Breech plug without removing the drum. they ended up cutting the barrel off just foreward of the breech. i have a new breech plug and tap to restore it.............. project # 999.
think i am currently on project # 100.
wife just added a new one so now the cva is # 1000
think i am currently on project # 100.
wife just added a new one so now the cva is # 1000
So it sounds like there are two main problems: having the tools and equipment for the job and the mechanical aptitude.
It's not something you'd do every time the gun gets cleaned, so it shouldn't be getting loose any time soon. And it sounds like they tend to tighten up anyway during normal usage.
I'm guessing someone without the tools or aptitude was warned against removing the breech plug and it mushroomed from there. You know how the internet is.
It's not something you'd do every time the gun gets cleaned, so it shouldn't be getting loose any time soon. And it sounds like they tend to tighten up anyway during normal usage.
I'm guessing someone without the tools or aptitude was warned against removing the breech plug and it mushroomed from there. You know how the internet is.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I have no experience with them
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There is simply little reason to remove a breech plug.
i have a heavy vise and barrel blocks in sizes from 7/8 to 1/14 inches. About ten years ago i Installed a new breech plug for a hunter and had a large hassle getting it to line up. Decades ago i watched as my mentor (an accomplished gunsmith) had a breech plug break at the threads.
A local guy used my vise and blocks to remove the breech plug from his muzzleloader. The plug seized on an attempt at re-assembly. Despite my warning he blamed me for ruining his nice custom rifle.
This is how a class act British gunsmith removes a breech plug:
Muzzle Loader - B.K.Webster Gunsmith Tel:01677 470505 (bkwebstergunsmith.com)
i have a heavy vise and barrel blocks in sizes from 7/8 to 1/14 inches. About ten years ago i Installed a new breech plug for a hunter and had a large hassle getting it to line up. Decades ago i watched as my mentor (an accomplished gunsmith) had a breech plug break at the threads.
A local guy used my vise and blocks to remove the breech plug from his muzzleloader. The plug seized on an attempt at re-assembly. Despite my warning he blamed me for ruining his nice custom rifle.
This is how a class act British gunsmith removes a breech plug:
Muzzle Loader - B.K.Webster Gunsmith Tel:01677 470505 (bkwebstergunsmith.com)
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It's just not a "removable maintenance part" ; never intended to be.
"
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I have installed several breech plugs. The first one was on my first build. It took quite a while to get the flats to be aligned. No one ever told me about using anti seize grease on the threads. Now, on my last build, I had TOTW install the breech plug. They suggested using anti seize grease. After I received the barrel, I did strike a witness mark on the bottom flat, in case someone wants to unbreech the barrel in the future.
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Yep, that's what he said alright. The octagonal barrel is inletted into the stock. What does one do with the tang when the breech plug is not properly aligned with the barrel?
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Barrels on CVA and T/C, do not even try to do it yourself.
But as others have said, there is very, very little reason to remove any breech plug. Just leave them in place. Clean from the muzzle, using a bore guide with your cleaning rod.
But as others have said, there is very, very little reason to remove any breech plug. Just leave them in place. Clean from the muzzle, using a bore guide with your cleaning rod.
Old Hawkeye
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That picture pretty well answers the question! "That's all there is to it. That's it & that's that!!!"
Just because it's not a maintenance part doesn't explain why everyone says not to remove it. Yeah, sometimes they can be a booger to remove - but then a lot of guys do remove them. Perhaps a good instruct would help, laying out the tools needed along with remedies for possible roadblocks.
There is a possibility of damage, so that needs to be explained. But we work on our vehicles and it's the same there - some jobs are easy, some more difficult requiring proper tools.
It's not like removing/replacing the breech plug irreversibly trashes the gun. That's what mystified me when guys warned against it. What does it hurt? If man made it and put it together, what's the harm in disassembling if done correctly?
I guess the question has been answered for me - If done properly - nothing.
The question isn't "Why would you want to remove the breech plug?" That's a whole different thing - and yes, it's not a normal thing. In the book I'm reading, removing the plug was advised with a new gun to assess condition and to antiseize the threads. And then, if you've removed it before, it just might be easier popping a stuck ball out from behind, especially if the puller pulled out, leaving a gaping hole.
There is a possibility of damage, so that needs to be explained. But we work on our vehicles and it's the same there - some jobs are easy, some more difficult requiring proper tools.
It's not like removing/replacing the breech plug irreversibly trashes the gun. That's what mystified me when guys warned against it. What does it hurt? If man made it and put it together, what's the harm in disassembling if done correctly?
I guess the question has been answered for me - If done properly - nothing.
The question isn't "Why would you want to remove the breech plug?" That's a whole different thing - and yes, it's not a normal thing. In the book I'm reading, removing the plug was advised with a new gun to assess condition and to antiseize the threads. And then, if you've removed it before, it just might be easier popping a stuck ball out from behind, especially if the puller pulled out, leaving a gaping hole.
I haven't tried removing any breech plugs so have absolutely no experience in this area, but I have to ask why you say that about CVA and T/C? Are they red loctite'd in? Torqued in at 200 ft/lbs? Require a 4ft cheater? Welded permanent?
Most anything can be accomplished with the correct tools. Just saying "It can't be done!" always gets me wondering. Know what I mean? I've got a torque wrench that goes up to 200 I use for one job that requires 160 ft/lbs. And, yeah, I've got some good cheaters for that job.
Hatchet-Jack
54 Cal.
When building a gun from either a kit like Chambers or Scratch build from a blank stock you remove the breech plug to inlet the barrel then breech it to inlet the bolster and tang. There's one reason why to remove it. Another reason would be if you dry balled it and cannot remove the ball by any other means.
If you are inletting a barrel on a new build it is necessary to remove the breech plug first. if you have an obstruction in the barrel and all other attempts have failed it may be necessary to remove the breech plug. With the proper tools and a modicum of mechanical ability it is not that hard to do. " Never remove the breech plug" has been repeated on here for so long it has been accepted as gospel mostly repeated by people who have never removed one or even seen it done. Spanish and Italian guns are a different animal and all bets are off on removing a breech plug from them.
