Heritage Arms matchlock concerns

[JonBishop]

Hello,
I recently purchased a matchlock from Heritage Arms. Upon receiving I disassembled and pulled the breech plug. The plug snugs to the barrel. There isn’t a “face” in the barrel just threads. There’s about 3/32” of threads past the end of the plug. The touch hole had to be drilled in this spot. The plug is also chambered. Threads seem a little loose going in and out but does snug up nicely. So question is: Will the threads in the chamber be a problem? Question 2: Can I fill weld the breech plug chamber with no ill effect? I don’t like the chamber. Photo included.

Thanks, Jon

 

[2 shots]

unless its just the picture it does not look like there is much barrel wall thickness there.

 

[JonBishop]

Hello 2 shots,
I think it’s the picture. Breech end is 1.150”, muzzle end .890”. Barrel thickness of .88” at muzzle. .75 cal.

Jon

 

[Rudyard]

People want to live forever these days , I never had an Indian barrel fail UK proof & I put a lot though .My own US Reenactment musket was an utter' bitzer' of never the same gun but they'worked up' .fine pre supposeing you have the skill to do that work . Purdeys probably get more for a butt plate than the India s whole gun goes far .Yes some times they seem careless but You pay Peanuts you expect that . I didn't say Monkeys Iv'e had to watch them work in awfull surrounds & pathetic tools squatting on the floor of what might be described as a' cave ' in Cawnpore one time in the mid 60s crushed mud bricks in a old biscuit tin the thorer ? bit of old push bike Charcoal for fuel a bit old some thing served as anvil the spring forge red the hardened & tempered by eye yet rare to get a bad one (.Useually too strong !) & THE BELLOWS AN OLD bUFFALO ny ROTARY AFFAIR MANNED BY A MAN THE DEAD RINGER FOR cHARLIE cHAPLIN ( don't you just hate the rotten E gajets ?) No I have every admiration for the poor artizans its the middle men gouge every Rupee out of their efforts . Been there ,bought the metaphoric tea shirt didn't like it.
Rudyard

 

[JonBishop]

Hello Rudyard
I don’t have concern with the barrel. My concern is with the breech plug. I do not like the chamber in it. I guess my question should have been if it is feasible to plug/fill weld the hole to make it more of a flat breech. I don’t like the threads in the breech area either though.

Jon

 

[hawkeye2]

"Can I fill weld the breech plug chamber with no ill effect? I don’t like the chamber."

Not knowing your welding skills I can't answer your question but what you probably want to hear is yes it's possible to weld the breech plug solid. If I understand your description the touchhole is in the barrel ahead of the plug and not into the plug.

 

[JonBishop]

Hello hawkeye2,
Yes, the touch hole is ahead of the plug but still in the threaded portion of the barrel. I am a welder by trade. If filling the hole is an option, I will weld with .030 hard wire using 75/25 gas. I’m not good at posts. My whole concern is mainly with cleaning. Not with structural integrity of the barrel. Sorry I didn’t make that clear in my other posts.

Thanks, Jon

 

[JonBishop]

Just to simple things up a bit. Should I be concerned with the chambered breech or the threaded area past the plug? Pictures of plug and barrel thread measurements. Just under 3/32”.

Jon

 

[PathfinderNC]

If there is a solid breech plug around that will fit the barrel, consider getting it! Those "patent breech" plugs are a mess to clean and I don't understand why they are even used. (Personally I would never get a gun with one)

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Should I be concerned with the chambered breech or the threaded area past the plug?

Patent breeches are a pain, yes, but to me the open threads ahead of the breech plug face are the larger concern, and these is historical precedence for this. Years ago, when some replica 1861 Colt Special Contract rifle muskets were made, the barrels were threaded well past the face of the BP. These arms were legal for No-So Skirmish Assoc. shooting competition.

Those exposed threads made them harder to clean, grabbed patches down deep in the bore and worse - cook-offs were experienced on the shooting line when the next charge was loaded. Now keep in mind they were shooting Minies and if some used Crisco as their lube, there is some evidence that Crisco as a lube can contribute to cook-offs. Let's not debate that, but in this case, after years of complaints, the manufacturer finally struck a deal with the owners where they could send them out to Bobby Hoyt to be fixed for free, where the manufacturer foot the bill.

I'd get one of those cheap LED inspection borescopes for $15 and would take photos of the inside of the barrel. Then I'd demand a new barrel from the Seller.

Off-topic, but I've not seen such issues in the barrels of matchlocks from Veteran Arms.

 

[hawkeye2]

Jon you certainly have the skills to fill the chamber. We don't know the skill levels of a lot of folks posting questions here and we also have to word our replies in such a way the folks reading the thread can benefit too.

There isn't much you can do about the threaded area beyond the face of the breech plug without getting into some major work. All I can think of is cutting off the barrel and setting it back or boring out the breech area, installing a sleeve and fitting the breech plug to that (something akin to repairing the chamber in an unmentionable gun).

 

[Rudyard]

I suppose you could solder a plug in then it can't go anywhere .Making a new plug that will fill the vexing threads might cure the niggles but you then need to file a grouve so it aligns with the vent, Some thing they did though it can give trouble with accumulated fouling , The threads are likley Metric but they used to copy my English taps and dies and make their own up as if the English or US ones where precious patterns .Something we wouldn't think of doing but we are not ill tooled Indian's .
Regards Rudyard

 

[JonBishop]

Hello
@Flint62Smoothie, I thought about sending the barrel back but I already drilled the touch hole. The company doesn’t sell guns that are ready to shoot.
@hawkeye2 That would be major work for me. It would also be costly to have the work done. @Rudyard idea of a new breech plug would work, but as he stated fouling and corrosion could still be an issue. I’m thinking maybe I should just proof the barrel and start shooting. Keeping an eye on the breech area. If fouling and corrosion become a problem I can pull the plug and clean. But don’t know how many times I could do that before thread problems arise.

Thanks, Jon

 

[Rudyard]

Dear Jon . You needn't be be takeing the plug out to clean . Nocks patent breech if far more complex and no customers seemed to have trouble I used the Nocks on numbers of flint shotguns I made . .But if your jag can get into the chamber it will clean up fine . Its when your shooting old old Indian barrels with forged breaches & long narrow anti chambers then you have a battle on .! I shoot these & manage to clean them using various wire brushes & others that will hold the rag the most securely I found .
Regards Rudyard

 

[JonBishop]

@Rudyard I think you may be right. I see nothing unsafe about shooting this gun. It might be a little more to clean but I have all the things to clean it. I’m just going to shoot it and enjoy. I’m still going to proof it though.

Thanks, Jon