Cleaning my percussion

[khavell]

When cleaning a percussion pedersoli Kentucky rifle I always remove the nipple and flush through the hole in the powder drum. I noticed the powerdrum has a small screw on the side. What is this screw for. Is this also used for cleaning. Does everyone always remove the nipple?

Cheers.

 

[Bruce H]

Mine has that screw too; I have no idea what it's for. I'll be watching to see if someone knows.

I always take the nipple out for cleaning. I have an adapter that goes in place of the nipple that has a length of plastic tubing attached to it. That tubing goes into a pan of hot water so that when I work the ramrod & patch up and down, it pulls water out of the pan. Really easy to clean! When I put the nipple back in, I always use anti-seize.

 

[backwoodsguy]

The screw below the nipple is the clean out screw, though not always used and not necessary, it is their so as to have a straight access to the (flash hole) in the chamber.

 

[backwoodsguy]

Also, in my experience if it is not removed periodicity and cleaned and a little lube applied it may seize in place and not be an option if ever needed.

 

[earl jernigan]

In the rare event that a patched ball should find its way down the barrel of a front loading gun before any powder, then it is quickest to remove the nipple, add powder, and fire the obstruction out. The problem is that powder granules will foul the threads, making it easy to mess them or the nipple or both up. The powder has to go down and make a 90 degree turn to get to the barrel, causing the back up. When that screw you talk about is removed, leaving the nipple in place, it is much easier to slip in 5 grains of powder, strait into the barrel, to clear the booboo. Sometimes the priming horn has a tiny funnel which fits right past those threads leaving them free of powder residue, for screw replacing.

At least that is my discovery.

HOSS

 

[Jason Lewis]

yes i always remove the nipples on my percussion guns to clean. the small screw you are describing is as others have said a clean out screw. it is also a left over from manufacturing, i.e. the bored a straight hole and then had to plug it with a screw. an extremely helpful tip is to wrap the threads of your nipple with teflon tape. you will NEVER have a stuck nipple.

 

[khavell]

This is exactly what happened last time I was at the range. My brother "dry balled" I removed the nipple and put some powder down the hole, cleared OK. I think the powder affected the thread on the drum. It still seems pretty tight overall. But my thought is if I am removing the nipple every time I come back from the range the thread is going to eventually get stripped.