Breech plug removal question.

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FlinterNick said:

The OP stated that he wants to learn how to remove the breech plug, nothing wrong with a little knowledge.

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It is good to know how to remove a breech plug and the tools necessary to do it correctly. With that knowledge you can go to step 1...deciding weather or not you have the skills and tools to do the job. What is routine for some can be a nightmare for others, You need to know your limitations.

You need to know your limitations. ~Dirty Harry~

Yeah ... Dont remove it bud .It ain't worth the trouble . Modern breech plugs are SO f&%#ing tight ! Funny ... In the 18th century ,Johnathan Alder talks about in breeching his gun out in the field ...No tools ! How the he// ? Any who ... The first 50 times was the worst for me !! LOL ! ... When you have to ... Just my version , everyone has their own way ... My machine vice I have plywood jaws on it all the time but with breech plug removal I put in the sheet metal covers I made ... The barrel is put in vice near breech , bottom of breech up ...tighten that sucker a lot !! .. If there isn't a mark to show breech position is perfect , then make one ...hack saw cut works ... I use a large crescent wrench , turned to go counter clock wise , I use a hammer and pop that wrench on the handle in the direction to loosen it , make sure you are hitting down !! Popping it like that you will see it move ... Keep popping it and it goes an 8th or maybe even a 4th the way ...turn it rest by hand ... You got it ... While popping it make sure barrel isn't cing out of vice . If it is even a little ... start all over , get that barrel in that vice and really torgue it down !! Dont ever don't his with out jaw covers unless you just hate your barrel and finish !!! Keep popping that wrench till you see the movement at your mark . Sometimes it is easy ...most the time ...you wonder if it is EVER going to turn !! The modern ones are D@mn tight and if they havent been removed in ten years ... WOOH !!! Removing the breech , Its a pain in the arse to do so only do it ifn ya really have to .... All the best !!

Take careful note of @Rob M.'s picture. The jaws of the vise are clamped so as not to put pressure on the threads of the breech plug while in the vise.

I too have heard of original rifles that the breech plug could be turned out by hand. To be sure you would want enough torque to seal the plug and barrel. Many modern barrels have the breech plug over torqued. I have also seen some original rifles with breech plugs really set into place. We had the right tools to remove the breech plug. The barrel had a very corroded barrel at the breech that needed to be removed and the barrel cleaned up enough to shoot. Judging from all the sight dovetails, this would be the third rebreeching. It took the big wrench with the extra long cheater bar, but it was done.

So, to get back to the original post by @Flintlock Whiskey, he should learn how to properly remove the breech plug and why the plug should be removed. The right tools include a sturdy work bench, a heavy duty vise securely bolted to the work bench, smooth accessory jaws for the vise, a large smooth jaws crescent wrench ( or better one of the specialized tools that match the shape of the breech plug), a cheater bar to add leverage to remove the plug and a fairly heavy machinist's hammer for that initial impact. Get the illustrated parts diagram to know how the breech was assembled and if the touch hole is threaded through the barrel and breech.

After all this, removing the breech plug for deep cleaning of a well maintained rifle after a couple of years is not advised or in the opinion of most of us necessary.

Jor Henderson said:

in my experience they are very tight, safest way to get it out without marking the finish is to do this; get hold of the breech tang in a vice (soft jaws) with the barrel vertical, put a piece of timber halfway up the barrel horizontally, put a piece of rope ( natural sizal is best) around the left hand side of the timber as you look at it, wind the rope clockwise around the barrel above the timber and anti clockwise below, now when you put any force on the timber to unscrew the barrel off the breech plug the rope self tightens and grips the barrel without marking, make sure to use a strong piece of timber and rope, I have not had it fail yet.

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Got a heck of a bunch of machine shop tools and millwright experience at my disposal, but I’ve got to hand it to you Jor, you get the horse sense award of the week! Take a bow.

Ed C. said:

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It is good to know how to remove a breech plug and the tools necessary to do it correctly. With that knowledge you can go to step 1...deciding weather or not you have the skills and tools to do the job. What is routine for some can be a nightmare for others, You need to know your limitations.

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This is why you learn how to do it. Learn from experience don’t run from your limitations, exceed your own expectations, or continue living in a shadow of others who can do what you cant

I wouldn't pull it after only 3 years, no need to. I do like to put breech plugs in with high temp anti-seize lube on the threads, there is not a chance of any corrosion after this treatment. I use the same anti-seize on my tractor turnbuckles, after years of use none of it has ever washed off. I also put it on my cars and truck lug nuts for easy removal the next time I have a flat.

I use this;

FlinterNick said:

This is why you learn how to do it. Learn from experience don’t run from your limitations, exceed your own expectations, or continue living in a shadow of others who can do what you cant

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Yes, but there is a learning path to follow before you get in over your head and ruin a treasured gun. Sort of like if you are a general practitioner you don't decide to do a heart transplant.

Every now and then I see a gun posted for sale that has obvious pipe wrench jaw marks at the breech, it is usually a TC. When I see this, I wonder what kind of nincompoop would put an unpadded pipe wrench on a barrel to pull the breech plug.

Ed C. said:

Yes, but there is a learning path to follow before you get in over your head and ruin a treasured gun. Sort of like if you are a general practitioner you don't decide to do a heart transplant.

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The learning path is buying guns and working on them. At least for me it has been.

Ed C. said:

Yes, but there is a learning path to follow before you get in over your head and ruin a treasured gun. Sort of like if you are a general practitioner you don't decide to do a heart transplant.

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So practice doing it… and it’s not hard surgery. We’re talking about we’re talking about screwing a bolt.

You don’t learn how to do something by being scared to do it and learn from your mistakes like I said prior get a cheap barrel get some tools that you need to do it and get to work practice. There’s nothing wrong with knowing how to do something.

FlinterNick said:

So practice doing it… and it’s not hard surgery. We’re talking about we’re talking about screwing a bolt.

You don’t learn how to do something by being scared to do it and learn from your mistakes like I said prior get a cheap barrel get some tools that you need to do it and get to work practice. There’s nothing wrong with knowing how to do something.

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Knowledge is the best thing. In the case of removing a breech plug, if I had to do it I would. I have the tools, been a mechanic all my life and do a lot of work on my guns, but it may not be for everybody. On knowing when to sub out work here is an example. I wanted to ream out the chambers on the cylinder of my '58 remington revolver. Yeah, I could have purchased some reamers and tried to ream them concentric with the original boring. Nah, not worth it to me to take a chance on screwing up a fitted cylinder so I sent out to a real gunsmith. I did not have faith that I could do the job properly and did not want to learn on my target revolver. That is what I mean by knowing your limitations.

Ed C. said:

Knowledge is the best thing. In the case of removing a breech plug, if I had to do it I would. I have the tools, been a mechanic all my life and do a lot of work on my guns, but it may not be for everybody. On knowing when to sub out work here is an example. I wanted to ream out the chambers on the cylinder of my '58 remington revolver. Yeah, I could have purchased some reamers and tried to ream them concentric with the original boring. Nah, not worth it to me to take a chance on screwing up a fitted cylinder so I sent out to a real gunsmith. I did not have faith that I could do the job properly and did not want to learn on my target revolver. That is what I mean by knowing your limitations.

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Apples to oranges…
removing a breach plug is not the same as reaming out a bore. It’s not that complicated.

FlinterNick said:

Apples to oranges…
removing a breach plug is not the same as reaming out a bore. It’s not that complicated.

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OK, I give up. Everybody should be able to pull a breech plug.

FlinterNick said:

Apples to oranges…
removing a breach plug is not the same as reaming out a bore. It’s not that complicated.

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What do you recommend for the folks that don’t have the mechanical aptitude to operate a screwdriver, let alone own one? Those folks are out there and they are among us.

I’ll wait for your detailed instructions for them on how to remove a breech plug. Remember, they have no tools and believe righty tighty lefty loosey is a saying from a foreign language, so don’t skip any details, no matter how insignificant they may seem. Then prepare for a question and answer session.

Ready, set, go.

Ed C. said:

OK, I give up. Everybody should be able to pull a breech plug.

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Hey just because you can’t do it doesn’t mean you need to tell others not to .

SDSmlf said:

What do you recommend for the folks that don’t have the mechanical aptitude to operate a screwdriver, let alone own one? Those folks are out there and they are among us.

I’ll wait for your detailed instructions for them on how to remove a breech plug. Remember, they have no tools and believe righty tighty lefty loosey is a saying from a foreign language, so don’t skip any details, no matter how insignificant they may seem. Then prepare for a question and answer session.

Ready, set, go.

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I already have …. And plenty of other’s have too. Keep up.

SDSmlf said:

What do you recommend for the folks that don’t have the mechanical aptitude to operate a screwdriver, let alone own one? Those folks are out there and they are among us.

I’ll wait for your detailed instructions for them on how to remove a breech plug. Remember, they have no tools and believe righty tighty lefty loosey is a saying from a foreign language, so don’t skip any details, no matter how insignificant they may seem. Then prepare for a question and answer session.

Ready, set, go.

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Ha, Ha, Ha,

You just described my brother in law! Poor guy cannot figure out how to use a screwdriver...

He calls me up to do the most mundane tasks around his house...poor guy is absolutely helpless doing anything but driving a big rig, even then I think he takes it into the repair shop to change the radio channel, some people should stay away from tools.
Luckily he knows he is clueless and does not screw things up before calling me!

Does your brother-in-law, or people similarly challenged, shoot traditional black powder rifles? These folks shouldn't be removing breech plugs. For the rest of us, it can be done with a little forethought.

A neighbor called me over one day to help him with a non-functioning garage door opener, I had installed several of these type units and could tell right off that the travel limits were out of adjustment. I asked him for a slotted screwdriver so I could adjust the limits, he replied," Hoss, if you keep something like that around the house people will expect you to know how to use it". He didn't own a screwdriver or any other tool for that matter. Yep, they are out there...................