Hickock 45 Dry Balls It

One way to skin a cat.

I think of the dozen or so dry balls I’ve had I have only pulled one. All the others I’ve cleared exactly like that. Always works for me.

I have read somewhere, I think on this forum, that the bolster screw is there only to plug a hole that was necessary in the manufacturing process and was never intended as a cleanout access. Can anyone clarify?

I'm one of those that identify the "cleanout" screw as a manufacturing plug. Many original rifles do not have that threaded plug in the drum or as part of the breech plug. T/C has called the treaded plug a "cleanout" screw and after replacing so many ruined screws redesigned their breech to eliminate it.

Now, of course when the threaded plug with a slot exists, it can be used with the purpose of augmenting the cleaning flush with a percussion nipple removed. One does get more cleaning solvent through the approximately 1/4" nipple hole than the #8 threaded "cleanout" hole and it can be useful for adding powder when dry balled. On general those threaded plugs are too soft and often the slotted head is ruined by over torquing or the threads are turned in too far and block the nipple or cover nipple's flash hole. The fouling will freeze the plug in place. Best to believe it doesn't exist and leave it alone.

This has always been a fear of mine. Thankfully I haven't done it yet!

I always enjoy videos from Hickok45, thanks for sharing.

Grenadier1758 said:

I'm one of those that identify the "cleanout" screw as a manufacturing plug. Many original rifles do not have that threaded plug in the drum or as part of the breech plug. T/C has called the treaded plug a "cleanout" screw and after replacing so many ruined screws redesigned their breech to eliminate it.

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I think the only older TC I have that doesn't have that screw messed up us one I found NIB on consignment some years ago. What's bad, even after moving that machining port to the other side and removing the head of the plug during finishing you still run across one every now and then that someone has messed with it. Been a couple threads on here in the last year or so about needing a replacement plug on the later ones because people can't leave stuff alone.

Saw that yesterday. Its amazing how much oomph comes from a few grains of priming powder. Now...where can I get a three band Springfield....

I have removed my own and others tight patched roundballs with powder in the vent/nipple and with ball puller. In this case I think a ball puller would actually be the easiest. The minie ball is undersized and the only thing holding it in place is probably the fouling. I would think it would come out real easy with a puller.

kh54 said:

I think of the dozen or so dry balls I’ve had I have only pulled one. All the others I’ve cleared exactly like that. Always works for me.

I have read somewhere, I think on this forum, that the bolster screw is there only to plug a hole that was necessary in the manufacturing process and was never intended as a cleanout access. Can anyone clarify?

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I needed to take my out on my orginal all the time to clean out the fire channel.

STOP using tapered ground screwdrivers on your guns!! I cringed watching him use that screwdriver on that original. If he had the correct tool for the job (SQUARE GROUND FLAT TIP) He wouldn't have been slipping and fumbling with that screw. There is NO tapered slot in ANY flat head screw. Just my .02

It sure made me cringe seeing the force applied to the wrong screwdriver (for the job), slipping off and skidding across the gun.

Also, there was enough powder in there, that it wasn't necessary for those extra few grains to remain preventing the screw seating completely.

TNGhost said:

One way to skin a cat.

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Just TAKE EVERYTHING from Hickock45 with a LARGE grain of salt when it comes to black powder ESPECIALLY when he posts about flintlocks.

Granted it was 15 years ago, but this video of his is still up shooting a Pedersoli Bess Carbine.

He first shoots with an open can of powder, albeit with a spout that's open, downrange from him. Slightly to his right, but still very unsafe.


Then he sets the lock at full cock. You can hear the double click on the video, and he reloads his musket with the lock at full cock....



THEN he primes the pan and shows the musket STILL AT FULL COCK to the camera, and warns that it's at full cock and "ready to go" (with the muzzle NOT pointed downrange). So he KNEW it was at full cock when he reloaded. Of course he also knows he's alone on his private range but bad practices lead to tragic accidents, eh?



Finally he shoots it AGAIN with an open powder can down range....



Now I like his modern gun videos, but this guy should not be recommended for viewing by a muzzleloading novice (imho). Sure, nobody's perfect, but he's had 15 years for somebody to tell him "Hey dude, you're not safe in that video", but since he still has it "up", he gets a from me on the subject of muzzleloader shooting.

LD

I think most of his stuff was banned from u tube anyway…. Never cared for the guy.

Loyalist Dave said:

Just TAKE EVERYTHING from Hickock45 with a LARGE grain of salt when it comes to black powder ESPECIALLY when he posts about flintlocks.

Granted it was 15 years ago, but this video of his is still up shooting a Pedersoli Bess Carbine.

Now I like his modern gun videos, but this guy should not be recommended for viewing by a muzzleloading novice (imho). Sure, nobody's perfect, but he's had 15 years for somebody to tell him "Hey dude, you're not safe in that video", but since he still has it "up", he gets a from me on the subject of muzzleloader shooting

LD

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Seen that. Not everyone is an expert, but you can learn something from just about everyone, even if it is how not to do it.

Insofar as the vid I posted, I didn't see much wrong with what he did, other than his choice of screwdriver. Thousands of us have done it to clear a projectile loaded without powder, likely you have as well. It is a widely accepted practice.

I would opine that one should take EVERYTHING they watch on YouTube with that large grain of salt, no matter the presenter. Caveat Emptor

Sam squanch said:

I think most of his stuff was banned from u tube anyway…. Never cared for the guy.

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Yeah, they applied censorship to many who share our sport.

I'm sitting here watching that video and him futzing with that screw thinking to myself, almost out loud, "Q-TIP!! Q-TIP!! Q-TIP!!"

wiscoaster said:

I'm sitting here watching that video and him futzing with that screw thinking to myself, almost out loud, "Q-TIP!! Q-TIP!! Q-TIP!!"

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Yeah, it was obviously a new idea for him that he thought would make a good vid that would get past the censors, and he really was not that familiar with it. At that, I am sure many who saw the procedure, especially if they were not previously familiar, benefitted from it.

But then again, how many of us, stuck somewhere with only such a screwdriver to clear the rifle would have done the same thing? Especially under duress as he feigned in his opening.

TNGhost said:

....
But then again, how many of us, stuck somewhere with only such a screwdriver to clear the rifle would have done the same thing?

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Q-tips are a mandatory item in my range kit.

The reason he dry-balled is because he wasn't focussing on his load; instead he was focussing on his play-acting. He simply got lucky and dry-balled a percussion gun with a take-out screw. EZ-PZ to remedy.

He could have mentioned making sure the Minie was fully seated after firing the musket cap.

SDSmlf said:

He could have mentioned making sure the Minie was fully seated after firing the musket cap.

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Good point, but he's made the disclaimer multiple times he's not that much of a black powder muzzleloader guy.

wiscoaster said:

The reason he dry-balled is because he wasn't focussing on his load; instead he was focussing on his play-acting. He simply got lucky and dry-balled a percussion gun with a take-out screw. EZ-PZ to remedy.

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The dry ball was intentional. He said as much. Clearing the dry ball by means of powder dribbling was what the video was all about.