I have not un-breeched the piece, as I don't feel qualified, but I certainly don't have the other problems Daryl has mentioned, such as the screws in the gun being undersized and such. The finish of the gun is indeed rough. In fact, it looks like it could have been hammered out with hand tools in some tiny hamlet's blacksmith shop in 1700's England. Though the finish is rough, it is perfectly servicable. The max recommended load is 35gr. FFg. I proofed the gun (while it was tied to an old car tire sittin' on an old piece of carpet!) with 80 gr. FFg and two patched RB's. It passed with flying colors. Like I said, I haven't looked at the breechplug, but again, undersized and poorly-cut screws and threads seemed to be the order of the day for Daryl's gun; Whereas, all the screws in my gun fit perfectly well and thread/unthread smoothly just as they should. I can't swear that the breechplug is the same way, but I'm not too worried about it. In fact, if you visit Pete's site, you'll see that he makes a point of stating that all breeches and plugs are tightly threaded, so maybe he saw the same problem with earlier guns, and has already gotten his particular manufacturer to address it. :hmm: Anyway, email (or even call during the hours specified on the MVTC website, as they are often slow to return email) and talk to Pete or his wife, Wendy, and ask them. They're both super nice folks. Keep in mind that MVTC is JUST Pete and Wendy (no employees), and that they are often out reenacting, so be patient in getting ahold of them. :thumbsup: