T/C Clean Out Plug?

[mike3132]

Hey guys,

First time poster here and have a question about T/C clean out plugs, what is the best way to get them loose? I bought a .45 Hawken the other day and the plug is stuck. I soaked it in Kroil for a day and tried a little bit but the screw head slot is slightly rounded and I didnt want to round it completely off, would it just be better to drill it out and re-tap the threads? Thanks, Mike

 

[bubba.50]

the best thing to do about that little screw is pretend it isn't there. it was more of an aid in manufacturin' than anything & since it was there they called it a clean-out. if ya look at a few t/c's you'll notice that after a few years they don't even have the little screw. they started doin' it from the other side of the breechplug & finishin' it flush with the flat on the off-side.

my opinion & yer welcome to it. and welcome to the forum :hatsoff: .

 

[Prairieofthedog]

Mike3132,like Bubba said leave it alone.Only thing I don't like is somebody before you has always buggered up the screw head and it looks like hell.I had one I spent 2 weeks trying to loosen it.Would not budge, took a dremel polished up the screw head and left it.You do not need it to clean the gun.Take the nipple out when cleaning{which you should do anyway}and clean nipple chamber with pipe cleaner done deal.

 

[Little Wattsy]

the best thing to do about that little screw is pretend it isn't there. it was more of an aid in manufacturin' than anything & since it was there they called it a clean-out. if ya look at a few t/c's you'll notice that after a few years they don't even have the little screw. they started doin' it from the other side of the breechplug & finishin' it flush with the flat on the off-side.

my opinion & yer welcome to it. and welcome to the forum :hatsoff: .

Double Ditto!

 

[Rifleman1776]

the best thing to do about that little screw is pretend it isn't there. it was more of an aid in manufacturin' than anything & since it was there they called it a clean-out. if ya look at a few t/c's you'll notice that after a few years they don't even have the little screw. they started doin' it from the other side of the breechplug & finishin' it flush with the flat on the off-side.

my opinion & yer welcome to it. and welcome to the forum :hatsoff: .

Double Ditto!

Triple double ditto.
Leave it alone.

 

[mike3132]

I guess I will leave it alone then......thanks, mike

 

[necchi]

I guess I will leave it alone then......thanks, mike

Wise Choice, :wink:

 

[Zonie]

Now that you know that leaving the 'clean out' screw alone you may be wondering how to clean the hole that connects the nipple with the breech?

Go to a Drug store or tobacco store and ask them if they have "Pipe cleaners". The kind that pipe smokers use to clean their pipe stems.

Those work great and are easily bent to shove down thru the flame channel hole to get the fouling out.

 

[George T.]

I have found that as long as you pump the soap and water back and forth while cleaning it will get as clean as need be. I read here all the time about removeing the nipple to clean the rifles. I only do this every fourth time. When I do remove it is after pumping the warm soap water. It is always very clean. I remove it to apply fresh anti seize. I just feel that this safe guards the nipple and breach threads. I do not have hang or slow fires useing this method as long as I use carb cleaner to degrease before loading! Geo. T.

 

[RADeO]

Go to a Drug store or tobacco store and ask them if they have "Pipe cleaners". The kind that pipe smokers use to clean their pipe stems.

Do as Zonie suggests. Don't try being thrifty (read cheap) as I once did and pick up "pipe cleaners" from a craft store. :redface: They are not made of cotton as are real pipe cleaners. The cheapies I got were made of some synthetic fiber that didn't absorb anything. While they proved acceptable to bend and pass through a flash channel, they did not remove much in the way of residual fouling and absorbed no moisture. Stick with the real thing.

 

[don hepler]

Pipe cleaners, also available from CVA, at Gander Mt. etc.

 

[Rat Trapper]

I have a number of barrels with the clean out screws. I have replaced the sloted screws for ones that allen wrench fits. I take the screws out everytime I clean the rifle. Put breech plug grease on it and replace it when done. I also have barrels that done have a clean out screw. On the ones that have them I just do not want them stuck, and that is why I remove them when I clean. If you fail to remove them they become stuck real quick. Being able to use an allen wrench helps with this. TC provided me with the screws.

 

[SgtSchutzen]

Pipe cleaners, also available from CVA, at Gander Mt. etc.

The CVA branded ones from the sporting goods store are nice. They have some kind of stiff bristles mixed in with the fluff on them and do a good job scrubing and drying the flash channel. You really don`t need them though, the regular tobacco store kind work good too.

 

[Rifleman1776]

as long as you pump the soap and water back and forth while cleaning it will get as clean as need be.

Another tip that calls for some big "Ahmens"! :applause:

 

[ebiggs1]

I only do this every fourth time.

This is a bad habit to get into. You can not get the “jet” type rush of water out of the nipple hole. Not anywhere near what you can with it removed. Remove it every time and vigorously pump water through the barrel. Make sure the breech is submerged in the water. :thumbsup:

I have found pipe cleaners to be unnecessary and do little to help if you use my method. I also suggest you get a bore light and check each and every time, too. :thumbsup:

I don't have the issues some members report here on the forum. Maybe this is why? :hmm:

 

[SgtSchutzen]

I have found pipe cleaners to be unnecessary and do little to help if you use my method.

I`ve been using the same method as you for years on my hooked breech type guns. Still though, the first pass or two with a pipe cleaner usually comes out with a little "color" on it. I`m just saying it`s better to be extra safe than sorry.

 

[Prairieofthedog]

Rat Trapper,once the clean-out[actually a manufacturing process] screw gets stuck then you don't have to take it out every time you clean LOL!Let the next guy who gets it have fits because he thinks he has to remove it!

 

[Little Wattsy]

I only do this every fourth time.

This is a bad habit to get into. You can not get the “jet” type rush of water out of the nipple hole. Not anywhere near what you can with it removed. Remove it every time and vigorously pump water through the barrel. Make sure the breech is submerged in the water. :thumbsup:

I have found pipe cleaners to be unnecessary and do little to help if you use my method. I also suggest you get a bore light and check each and every time, too. :thumbsup:

I don't have the issues some members report here on the forum. Maybe this is why? :hmm:

Ditto.... I leave the nipple on long enough to get ot clean, say 5 or 6 strokes but then I pull it and continue on. MUCH visable debris comes out after the nipple runs "clean"....
On the flip side I havnt needed to use a pipe cleaner in years due to this way of flush-cleaning the barrel. I do, however, keep them in the box for field cleaning like at hunting camp.

 

[Ken Rummer]

If the screw is long enough so the threads extend into the breechplug, they may be caked full of crud. With the inside wet with Kroil, try turning the screw "in" a bit. If it goes use an in/out motion to loosen the crud from the thread and it will eventually work its way out.

 

[Billnpatti]

You could do that and it would work but unless the clean out screw actually protrudes into the flash channel, you really don't need to remove it at all. If you put your barrel into a bucket of warm soapy water and pump the water in and out of the flash channel (nipple removed), you will thoroughly clean out all of the accumulated crud. Be sure to thoroughly dry your barrel and flash channel before oiling it and putting it away. I use compressed air followed by WD-40 to remove all of the rinse water. But, cleaning procedure is another topic. While that is often referred to as a "clean out" screw, it is actually a plug to fill up a hole that was drilled to form the flash channel during manufacture of the barrel. After drilling the flash channel, they just put in a screw to fill the hole. Some barrels like yours do not even have that screw. Like I say, unless it protrudes into the flash channel, I'd just ignore it and not mess with it.

Let's assume that you want or need to remove the screw and Kroil has not worked. What I'd try next is to heat it with a torch and while it is hot, put a properly sized screwdriver in the screw slot and strike the back of the screwdriver with a hammer to jar the screw loose. Then carefully hold the screwdriver (gun screwdriver only)tightly in the slot and try to turn the screw. If it moves, remove it by rocking it back and forth as you remove it. By "rocking", I mean to turn it back and forth a little at a time as you back the screw out. What this does is to break up any rust that is in the threads. Rust flakes can act like tiny wedges in the threads and wedge the screw tightly in the hole. Rocking your screwdriver as you back the screw out will tend to break up and crush the rust flakes so they do not form wedges. Once the screw is out, if it is buggered up, replace it. It is not practical to order one screw from some place like Dixie Gun Works, Track of The Wolf, etc. since the postage will eat you up. Unless you are totally into being PC/HC, just go to the hardware store and get a short 50 cent set screw of the proper size. A set screw will set slightly below the surface and not be as noticible as a phillips screw. It just looks a bit better than a Phillips screw and you are not likely to find a slot screw with machine threads at a hardware store any more. If being HC/PC is your thing, you may have to bite the bullet and order the necessary screw from one of the places that sell muzzleloading parts and pay the ridiculous postage charges. You may pay as much as a dollar for the screw but the minimum postage for many of these places is something like $5.95 making that a $7 screw. Kinda makes that 50 cent set screw look a little nicer.