Black Hand said:
I fail to see how leakage at the breechplug is dangerous, unless it is a huge leak. Remember that the tolerances of the original guns were far less stringent than todays, and many had breechplugs that could be removed by hand. Oddly enough, these guns didn't kill anyone in their years of service. So, a little seepage of liquid at the breech seems inconsequential....
However, I will agree that you get what you pay for, and a cheap gun is still a cheap gun.
It isn't the issue of seeping liquid that causes the potentially dangerous situation, it is the leaking of hot gas, under considerable pressure that, in time, causes gas cutting of the threads.
That gas cutting weakens the threads, not to mention creating a place for corrosion to accumulate. Everyone knows how corrosive black powder is when left in nooks and crannies, especially when it becomes wet from seepage of cleaning fluids.
IMHO, that creates a potentially dangerous situation. The plug may not blow out today or tomorrow, but, in time, it will most likely blow.
Don't forget that a majority of original guns had their barrels shortened, from the breech, to remove corroded or damaged breeches, or possibly to repair burned out touch holes.
What ever the reason, breech plugs were periodically replaced as those repairs were made. Some originals show signs that the barrels were shortened more than once, for whatever reason.
Lets not forget that a vast majority of those old guns were not shot as much, or as often as modern guns, so those repairs were made more often, per number of shots, than modern guns.
What this means is, that those loose threaded plugs were replaced, at least occasionally, where a plug on a modern gun would, most likely, not be replaced.
I also question the idea that the average breech plug was loose enough to be removed by hand. I suspect that a 100 plus years of corrosion loosened those plugs to the point that they can be removed by hand.
I have removed several breeches from original guns, BTW, and have only once had one that could possibly have been removed by hand. The rest required an oil soak, vise and wrench. Those plugs weren't rusted in place either.
No all production guns are cheap. IMHO, most are, but not all. There are quality production guns that are reasonably priced, for those who can't afford a custom gun.
Midsouth has the Crockett for about $350. A Lyman GPR kit is the same, and the finished rifle for $450.
IMHO, there is no excuse to buy a gun that has known quality issues, especially when a quality gun is available for about the same price, or a little more.
Just one last thought. Y'all are enabling Traditions to get away with producing unsafe guns by buying them, just because they are cheap. If people stopped buying them, Traditions might reconsider their apparent hands off policy. Why change if people will still buy?
