Cleaning the Thompson Center "patent breech?"

[Greg Blackburn]

So the TC has a chamber at the base of the breech----is that so? How does one clean that area?

 

[user 31257]

T/C makes, or at least made, a scraper to clean it. I found this cutaway photo of it.

 

[Okie Hog]

i never clean the patent breech. With the nipple out i run a bristled pipe cleaner into the flame channel. Works well for me.

 

[Greg Blackburn]

How does this scraper look?

https://www.octobercountry.com/t-c-breech-plug-scraper/

 

[Grimord]

I just flush the barrel with water and have never had a problem cleaning the chambered breech. I have 7 T/C side locks and have cleaned them with water for close to 40 years now.

 

[Greg Blackburn]

Well that's a relief Grimord......I cleaned my CVA for years with just hot soap water and a then hot water rinse. If that will work for a TC then I will be a very happy man.

Definitely planning on a shoot this week. At least one early morning at the gun range. Might take a friend.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I also just clean with warm water with a bit of dish soap or whatever is handy. I've never scraped the breech. TC has a pretty good breech design if reliability is wanted. Mine are very reliable.

 

[Grenadier1758]

That breech scraper shown in post #2 is very nice and will get into the chamber. But it can't get into the flash channel. Do get the flash channel cleaned in a T/C breech (or any chambered breech). A pipe cleaner will do fine if you can't easily remove the barrel to flush the breech in a bucket of water. Anyway, remove the ramrod, pull the wedge and lift the barrel from the stock. Remove the nipple, with the breech in a bucket and a wet patch on your cleaning jag, pump water through the breech and barrel. Replace the water and rinse with clean water, dry the bore, lubricate, and apply rust inhibitor.

 

[Bledfor Days]

I usually pour a bit of bore cleaner down the barrel and let it soak for awhile in the patent breech . This is with the barrel off the stock.
After cleaning with soapy hot water, I put a patch on of an appropriate sized copper brush and leave a good portion of the patch over the end I twist it in my fingers and insert it in the barrel. Once I know I'm all the way down, I apply pressure and spin the rod clockwise (so brush doesn't unthread) and repeat until breech is squeaky clean.

 

[Greg Blackburn]

Thanks guys. I am eager to shoot something this week. Probably my TC .50 flintlock one morning

I have 5 TC's I have not fired yet.

 

[Rodd Boyer]

Thanks guys. I am eager to shoot something this week. Probably my TC .50 flintlock one morning

I have 5 TC's I have not fired yet.

Sounds like you need some range time!!!

 

[mooman76]

You can use a smaller than bore size brush to clean the chamber also.

 

[PJ.H.]

Bledfor Days what did you use to take that picture? Please and Thank You!

 

[Greenjoytj]

I whittled the end of a long dowel to fit down into the patent breach of my Lyman GPR.
I used a fine saw to cut a slot into the end of the dowel for a patch to be wedged into the saw cut.
Test fitting more whittling, filing and sanding the end of the dowel until the captive patch would fit snugly into the patent breach.
I can clean and oil the breach area easily now. Also a 36 cal bore brush would fit and I can spin it with a cordless drill.

 

[dlidster]

I clean my barrel by placing it breech-end down with the nipple removed in a coffee can half full of soapy water. I then pump the water in and out through the nipple hole with a bore "mop" on a cleaning rod. This creates some real turbulence in the patent breach. I occasionally twist to compress the "mop" into the chamber, but I don't think it's really necessary. I then pump and rinse in clean water.

I've checked down the bore with an endoscope. The patent breech chamber is spotless. Looking into the nipple hole reveals the path in is clean, too. Frankly, I think one can overthink this "problem." Since I don't believe it is one, I like a patent breech.

 

[Bassdog1]

I squirt Hoppes BP cleaner down barrel with nipple plugged and let soak for a few minutes then pump warm soapy water through barrel then clean water. I then remove nipple and run water from faucet through barrel. Then use air compressor to dry barrel inside and out. I then squirt WD-40 into breech and use compressor to blow air through breech to remove any remaining moisture. After that dry patch then Barricade on a patch through barrel and check after a couple days and reapply Barricade. Sounds like a lot but only takes me 15 minutes and works well never any sign of rust. Using the air compressor to blow water out from under the underrib, barrel tenon and sights is important.

 

[Bledfor Days]

Bledfor Days what did you use to take that picture? Please and Thank You!

Its a product called Lizard Cam. It has a mirror attachment that let's you look at the rifling. Its ok but is too wide to go down .32 or .36 cal. Great for .45 and up.

 

[Lbrown]

My Pedersoli has the patent breech also, and I have found a .22 bronze brush with a patch wound around it will clean that area nicely. That's after flushing with warm water/Dawn detergent to get most of the crud out.

 

[Tinhorn]

dlidster x 2.