Is it a clean out screw?

[Bill M.]

Looked at a Sharon RB barrel for a TC Hawken on the internet. The picture shows about a 1/4" diameter threaded hole on the left side of the breech plug. It appears that there is no screw in the hole now and I cannot tell if the threads are good . None of my 4 barrels for a TC have a hole on this side. Is this the way a Sharon barrel for a TC was made? What is the chance that the barrel is good? So far I have passed on this barrel because of the picture of the Traditions Crocket that was shown recently with a screw like this blown out of the side.

 

[waarp8nt]

There is a lot of back and forth on who actually made barrels for Thompson Center.

That being said, I believe what your talking about is part of the process that SOME manufacturers use to make patent breechplugs. These are not clean out screws. A picture would help identify the situation.

 

[Rifleman1776]

There is a lot of back and forth on who actually made barrels for Thompson Center.

That being said, I believe what your talking about is part of the process that SOME manufacturers use to make patent breechplugs. These are not clean out screws. A picture would help identify the situation.

Amen, Bro. Yer post is everything he needs to know.

 

[Bill M.]

Can not figure out a way to provide the picture from the add for the barrel. The barrel certainly says Sharon on the barrel. It shows a hooked breech. I spent some time looking at pictures of Sharon barrels on muzzloaders on the internet and yes, they have a large screw in the left side of the breech on some of them. The screw appears to be machined flush with the flat of the barrel and then slotted. I am certainly going to pass on the barrel offered because there is no screw in the hole and I think the screw should never be taken out. I suspect a junk barrel being offered.

 

[SDSmlf]

deleted

 

[bpd303]

Maybe link to the add or if on a computer right click on the add pictures and save as, then post them here. Sharon barrels were very good ones but they have been out of business for quite a while. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one unless the bore was totally trashed, even if the screw threads were messed up, you can always tap them out for a new screw.

 

[acavdragoon]

Looked at a Sharon RB barrel for a TC Hawken on the internet. The picture shows about a 1/4" diameter threaded hole on the left side of the breech plug. It appears that there is no screw in the hole now and I cannot tell if the threads are good . None of my 4 barrels for a TC have a hole on this side. Is this the way a Sharon barrel for a TC was made? What is the chance that the barrel is good? So far I have passed on this barrel because of the picture of the Traditions Crocket that was shown recently with a screw like this blown out of the side.

It almost sounds like you’re describing a flash hole for a flintlock insert? Left handed?

 

[Indy Durtdigger]

Somewhere on here, last year most likely is a thread about that specific machining hole you're asking about. You are correct that the grub screw or plug that was in it was not intended to be removed and if it's missing red flags should be popping up.
If memory serves among the TC barrels. Not all had that machining port and among the ones that did. Early ones could have a slotted or allen head grub screw and later ones were machined smooth to keep folks from removing them or attempting to remove them as they were not supposed to be messed with.

Forum member @Eric Krewson has a story about needing to add one of these screws. I have seen him share the experience more than once before. If the barrel isn't junk and worth saving I'd imagine he'd help a guy out with laying any fears to rest over repairing it.

 

[Eric Krewson]

My experience is different, I goofed up, had a senior moment and drilled the touch hole pilot hole for my Haines rifle in one side and out the other side of my barrel, I asked the good folk here what I should do. The late Zonie was really up on thread sizes and strength and told me I could tap the hole to 11/32, install a screw and have a patch that would be 10 times as strong as any load I could possibly shoot in the rifle.

I enlarged the hole to the tap size for an 11/32 screw, threaded it and installed a grade 8 screw with red locktite. Of course, I pulled the breechplug to get my screw depth just right and not be in the bore. I did cut a slight countersink on the outside and peened the cut off screw in a little for a seamless fit, next, I draw filed the screw flush on the outside and browned the barrel, the screw is invisible unless you pull the breech plug or look down the barrel with a Teslong.

My barrel weight is a C weight so there is a lot of metal thickness in the breech end. My thinking is if TC could do the same safely I could as well.

I don't see any problem with filling the hole on a TC as long as you don't screw the screw in so far as to be in the flash channel. Some people like to solder these types of screw patches into place but I didn't feel the need.

The problem lies in why is the screw missing, I would want to look at the rifle in person or have a very clear picture of the screw hole where the screw is missing to see if some jake leg drilled it out. Some of the things home tinkerers do to their rifles is an abomination.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I have a TC from the 80s, it has the off side plugged hole. Most of the TCs I have owned did have the plugged hole. I didn't know about it until about 20 years ago, I know the last three I owned had it.

I have another with a GM barrel, this barrel doesn't have the off side plugged hole.

 

[Bad Karma]

Zonie was a treasure.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Looked at a Sharon RB barrel for a TC Hawken on the internet. The picture shows about a 1/4" diameter threaded hole on the left side of the breech plug. It appears that there is no screw in the hole now and I cannot tell if the threads are good . None of my 4 barrels for a TC have a hole on this side. Is this the way a Sharon barrel for a TC was made? What is the chance that the barrel is good? So far I have passed on this barrel because of the picture of the Traditions Crocket that was shown recently with a screw like this blown out of the side.

I am going to make an assumption that the barrel has a percussion breech plug. Without a picture I have to speculate that there is no "clean out" screw on the snail of the percussion breech plug. Then the hole was for a manufacturing access to drill the flash channel to the nipple seat. The hole would have been tapped for a plug to seal the breech plug. When T/C started making their breech plugs the manufacturing hole was drilled from the vicinity of the nipple seat. Some "genius (?)" at T/C decided to call it a clean out screw rather than a plug to make it seem as if there was a purpose to the plug. The unintended consequence to the presence of the "clean out screw" was a serious impact to the repair side of their warranty. The soft screw slot was often destroyed by users who believed the "clean out screw" designation and returned the barrel for replacement. Eventually the breech plug was redesigned to remove the plug from the snail and move it to the other side of the breech plug and remove the threads.

Bill, when you install a properly sized plug for that hole, be sure to follow the instructions supplied by
@Eric Krewson and make the threaded portion only long enough to fit to the barrel wall and file off any remaining screw slot.

 

[Bill M.]

Thanks for all who posted. The barrel is on E-xxx so you can take a look. I cannot tell if the threads are good and can not think of a real reason this plug would have ben removed. Plugging a breech plug is not something I want to do personally. The pictures I have seen of a Sharon barrel with this feature show the plug filed flush with the barrel flat and no slot. In other words it is a plug.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I looked at it, I don't know if Sharon barrels are made differently than later TC barrels but that is a huge hole and something doesn't look right.

 

[Bill M.]

Posted a question to the seller about the barrel and the hole and received no reply in 2 days.

 

[ZUG]

I would pass on this barrel ---. BUBBA was here!

 

[flconch53]

My experience is different, I goofed up, had a senior moment and drilled the touch hole pilot hole for my Haines rifle in one side and out the other side of my barrel, I asked the good folk here what I should do. The late Zonie was really up on thread sizes and strength and told me I could tap the hole to 11/32, install a screw and have a patch that would be 10 times as strong as any load I could possibly shoot in the rifle.

I enlarged the hole to the tap size for an 11/32 screw, threaded it and installed a grade 8 screw with red locktite. Of course, I pulled the breechplug to get my screw depth just right and not be in the bore. I did cut a slight countersink on the outside and peened the cut off screw in a little for a seamless fit, next, I draw filed the screw flush on the outside and browned the barrel, the screw is invisible unless you pull the breech plug or look down the barrel with a Teslong.

My barrel weight is a C weight so there is a lot of metal thickness in the breech end. My thinking is if TC could do the same safely I could as well.

I don't see any problem with filling the hole on a TC as long as you don't screw the screw in so far as to be in the flash channel. Some people like to solder these types of screw patches into place but I didn't feel the need.

The problem lies in why is the screw missing, I would want to look at the rifle in person or have a very clear picture of the screw hole where the screw is missing to see if some jake leg drilled it out. Some of the things home tinkerers do to their rifles is an abomination.

What is an 11/32 screw. I have seen 10s and 12s but never an 11