I notice the breach (or whatever you want to call it) at the end of my Traditions Kentucky flintlock 36" barrel appears to be a threaded plug. Does anyone know if it can be screwed out easily and has done so?? I only ask because I would like to do a very thorough cleaning down at the breach around where the vent hole is....
Breach plug on Traditions Kentucky flintlock
- Thread starter warrenlikesboats
- Start date
You do not need to remove the breech for cleaning. I have been shooting BP for decades and have never removed a breach for cleaning. Still shooting and cleaning the same guns the same way for over thirty years.
If not removed properly damage can be caused the the breach plug, barrel or tang or even all three.
Remove the nipple, place the breach end in a bucket of warm water and detergent, scrub with a bore brush, put a patch over the jag on your rod and start to pump water up and down in the bore. Dry after with dry patches til dry, run several patches with WD, spray the out side of the barrel, spray some in the barrel to drain to the bottom. Let it stand for a couple of hours on paper towel. Turn muzzle down over nite. 48 hours later bore wipe with some oil or more WD. Now clean.
Cleaned four guns each day for the last two days and back shooting them in the morning.
If not removed properly damage can be caused the the breach plug, barrel or tang or even all three.
Remove the nipple, place the breach end in a bucket of warm water and detergent, scrub with a bore brush, put a patch over the jag on your rod and start to pump water up and down in the bore. Dry after with dry patches til dry, run several patches with WD, spray the out side of the barrel, spray some in the barrel to drain to the bottom. Let it stand for a couple of hours on paper towel. Turn muzzle down over nite. 48 hours later bore wipe with some oil or more WD. Now clean.
Cleaned four guns each day for the last two days and back shooting them in the morning.
In addition to what Mc One Shot said, if the gun was made in Spain and has a drum to hold the nipple, that drum is probably screwed almost all the way through both sides of the barrel. Since it also passes through the threaded portion of the breach plug, you have to remove the drum before you can remove the breach plug. Both are difficult and after a few removals may become loose enough to start getting gas leakage around the threads. I have never had to remove a breach plug for cleaning. Since the guns that I shoot most commonly do not have hooked breaches, I remove the lock (and wash it) and poke some patching material in the hole for the sear arm and pour hot water (not boiling) down the barrel and clean it the usual way with several scrubbings and several rinses
cheers mooncoon
cheers mooncoon
cheers mooncoon
cheers mooncoon
NorthCoastBigBore
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Northwest BC (Rural) 103-I-##
Another trick for fixed breach percussion guns, in addition to the above suggestions, is to fix some flexible plastic tubing (clear fuel line is perfect) to the nipple (obviously you need a tight fit); have that go into the container with the hot soapy water. Prime the system by dumping water in the barrel; after a few pumps the hydraulic action will draw the water through the system. Seems to work for me anyway.
x3 on not removing the breach plug, once they are in they are in except for unusual circumstances/repairs. When the plug is fitted (well when hand fitted anyway but I'm sure the machining tolerances are designed with the same result in mind) it is mated tight to the internal breach face/mating surface which prevents salts/residue from getting trapped. If you pull the breach too many times (as said above) you can introduce slop which, even if it doesn't result in blow-by, can allow corrosion in those otherwise sealed areas.
x3 on not removing the breach plug, once they are in they are in except for unusual circumstances/repairs. When the plug is fitted (well when hand fitted anyway but I'm sure the machining tolerances are designed with the same result in mind) it is mated tight to the internal breach face/mating surface which prevents salts/residue from getting trapped. If you pull the breach too many times (as said above) you can introduce slop which, even if it doesn't result in blow-by, can allow corrosion in those otherwise sealed areas.
...does it look like this? Tang type. Or hooked type breech? How does the barrel separate from the stock?
Definitely looks like the bottom one... not sure how to completely separate barrel from stock yet.
I do clean my muzzleloader like mentioned above... pumping hot water through barrel and so forth... But it concerns me that over time the breach of the barrel could be building up solidified gunk. Considering the brush does not make any sweeping motion in that area; so the only scrubbing motion that area sees is the jet of hot water that passes in and out of the vent hole. I have not been able to see down the bore to check that areas condition... the only suspicious thing i have to go off of is that the end of the bore brush come out with metal bristles shaped like a funnel cloud pushed towards the muzzle. I just remembered that i have a snake camera thingy, maybe i'll see if it can fit down the .50cal bore.
NorthCoastBigBore
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Northwest BC (Rural) 103-I-##
If you don't have a hooked breach with flat wedges to retain the barrel then separating the barrel from the stock isn't recommended either; the small steel pins aren't intended to be knocked out and removed all the time. You will likely cause some damage to the stock doing that too often.
If however yours has a hooked breech, then removing the barrel is a snap and it is meant to do so.
Black powder is water soluable and there is little concern about massive build up right at the breEch face. Very occasionally I've taken a chunk of flat bar and scraped mine from the muzzle end (put some tape around the piece to keep it from damaging the bore). I reckon some genius has probably designed a tool to do this that screws into the end of a ram rod, or I could make one - but a chunk of flat bar and some tape is too easy. I did have a substantial build up once or twice but that's thousands of rounds through it at that point, and many years.
If however yours has a hooked breech, then removing the barrel is a snap and it is meant to do so.
Black powder is water soluable and there is little concern about massive build up right at the breEch face. Very occasionally I've taken a chunk of flat bar and scraped mine from the muzzle end (put some tape around the piece to keep it from damaging the bore). I reckon some genius has probably designed a tool to do this that screws into the end of a ram rod, or I could make one - but a chunk of flat bar and some tape is too easy. I did have a substantial build up once or twice but that's thousands of rounds through it at that point, and many years.
NorthCoastBigBore
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Northwest BC (Rural) 103-I-##
^^ No they aren't; and that makes it unanimous 
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An alternative cleaning method I use.
Every once in a while I stand the gun ( guns with pinned barrels) up in the kitchen against the side of a drawer plug the touch hole with a round tooth pick and then fill the bore with sunlight soap and warm water, I let sit for 15 minutes.
I then hook up a hose that i made up to the kitchen faucet and turn the water on so I have water at about 150 degrees. I empty the soapy water in the bore in the sink and slide a tygon tubing coupled to the hose slowly up the bore all the way to the breach. I let it flow at the breach for a couple of minutes and the slowly pull the tubing out.
Dry bore after with dry patches til dry, run several patches with WD, spray the out side of the barrel, spray some in the barrel to drain to the bottom. Let it stand for a couple of hours on paper towel. Turn muzzle down over nite. 48 hours later bore wipe the bore again with some oil (CRC Power Lube) or more WD. Now clean.
Every once in a while I stand the gun ( guns with pinned barrels) up in the kitchen against the side of a drawer plug the touch hole with a round tooth pick and then fill the bore with sunlight soap and warm water, I let sit for 15 minutes.
I then hook up a hose that i made up to the kitchen faucet and turn the water on so I have water at about 150 degrees. I empty the soapy water in the bore in the sink and slide a tygon tubing coupled to the hose slowly up the bore all the way to the breach. I let it flow at the breach for a couple of minutes and the slowly pull the tubing out.
Dry bore after with dry patches til dry, run several patches with WD, spray the out side of the barrel, spray some in the barrel to drain to the bottom. Let it stand for a couple of hours on paper towel. Turn muzzle down over nite. 48 hours later bore wipe the bore again with some oil (CRC Power Lube) or more WD. Now clean.
I believe it is CVA that makes a little gadget for scraping the breech plug area, but just an FYI - I have a percussion cap Kentucky in 45 that has fired a minimum of 2000 rounds, and I have never had an issue with crud buildup. It was my go-to gun for grouse, rabbit, bear, and playing. I should start using it again.
