So my father in law recieved these two muzzleloaders from a man he worked with. Neither had been fired in years and one is in awful non firing condition. The other one however has a very nice barrelno surface damage or rust and the synthetics are in very good shape with no scratches or nicks. Problem is that he put it away with powder in it and now I cant remove the breach plug to clean it out. I have tried everything any suggestions?
Stuck Breach Plug
- Thread starter vector91
- Start date
1st. Pass; Soak and Wait
First off, if loaded unload the one or both ....
I may be a bit over-kill but if it were mine and sat that long, I'd pull the barrel, mount and anchor it muzzle up. Plug the nipple or nipple plug end. Fill the bore with a liquid wrench just enough to cover the lower breech end. Plug the bore with a rubber stopper. Let it sit for about three or four days. Oh yes, make sure the breech end is sitting in a pan container. Monitor any leakage during the soak. ...
Clean up and try it again. If this doesn't get it, then the next step will require some heat and firing a few rounds. ...
There was a previous post about a home-made mix called shop-mix or something like that. It's 50/50 mix of acetone and auto transmission fluid. Sounded good to me but have never tried it. ...
Keep us updated and;
Be Safe !!!
First off, if loaded unload the one or both ....
I may be a bit over-kill but if it were mine and sat that long, I'd pull the barrel, mount and anchor it muzzle up. Plug the nipple or nipple plug end. Fill the bore with a liquid wrench just enough to cover the lower breech end. Plug the bore with a rubber stopper. Let it sit for about three or four days. Oh yes, make sure the breech end is sitting in a pan container. Monitor any leakage during the soak. ...
Clean up and try it again. If this doesn't get it, then the next step will require some heat and firing a few rounds. ...
There was a previous post about a home-made mix called shop-mix or something like that. It's 50/50 mix of acetone and auto transmission fluid. Sounded good to me but have never tried it. ...
Keep us updated and;
Be Safe !!!
Sure Shot Mc Gee
New member
I haven't a better Tip on how to handle than what has already been written by Pahoo. Nor have I tried the acetone & transmission fluid mix. But, I'd be careful with acetone use this time of year in a closed up home. Like Pahoo said Liquid Wrench or perhaps Kano Labs (Kroil) is the best way to proceed. Both are excellent creeping penetration oils. Which ever you choose is a win win for your project. Good Luck Sir.
S/S
S/S
Stick with the known !!
Be Safe !!!
Good point and not only that, but not having tried it, I'm not sure of any problems one might have with errosion or burning or even taking some of the bluing off. So unless someone has already tested this home brew, I'd stick with what has been proven. I once have a stuck breech plug in an MK-85 and when it finally came loose, there was quite a buid up of rust on both make and female threads. I'm lucky to get it loose. .....
Be Safe !!!
Have not tried the acetone/trans.fluid mixture for stuck parts but have used plain trans. fluid with a good deal of success.
Too, you can try this as well in the garage or outside.
Follow Pahoo's instruction of unloading, removing bbl. , propping upright and plugging nipple. Boil water and fill bbl with boiling water to let bbl get hot. When bbl gets as hot as you can get it with the boiling water, use heavy gloves to grab bbl and quickly dump out water and re-inst. bbl in vise. While steel is still hot, KEEPING YOUR HEAVY GLOVES ON AND FACE AWAY FROM MUZZLE JUST IN CASE OF FLASH pour your trans. fluid down the bbl. Let soak for a couple days.
FWIW,
Since the flash point of ATF is anywhere from 420-480deg and water boils at 212deg. you shouldn't have a risk of the ATF flashing but proceed with caution just in case.
Too, you can try this as well in the garage or outside.
Follow Pahoo's instruction of unloading, removing bbl. , propping upright and plugging nipple. Boil water and fill bbl with boiling water to let bbl get hot. When bbl gets as hot as you can get it with the boiling water, use heavy gloves to grab bbl and quickly dump out water and re-inst. bbl in vise. While steel is still hot, KEEPING YOUR HEAVY GLOVES ON AND FACE AWAY FROM MUZZLE JUST IN CASE OF FLASH pour your trans. fluid down the bbl. Let soak for a couple days.
FWIW,
Since the flash point of ATF is anywhere from 420-480deg and water boils at 212deg. you shouldn't have a risk of the ATF flashing but proceed with caution just in case.
I have tested - and used - the ATF/acetone mixture and found it to be very effective. It's never damaged the (blued) finish. I keep a small covered glass jar in my outdoor shop, never seen any damage there either.
The problem with acetone is that it's extremely flammable. The ATF mitigates that, but the mixture still should be kept well away from open flame or sparks just on account of because. I've not tried to light it to see if it's really safer.
By the way, acetone is actually produced by the human body as a normal process, and is used (in compound with other materials) in treating epilepsy. It is not an aerosol poison.
The problem with acetone is that it's extremely flammable. The ATF mitigates that, but the mixture still should be kept well away from open flame or sparks just on account of because. I've not tried to light it to see if it's really safer.
By the way, acetone is actually produced by the human body as a normal process, and is used (in compound with other materials) in treating epilepsy. It is not an aerosol poison.
I would not be afraid of the acetone/ATF mix. Have used it many times. Kano Kroil is THE best as far as commercially available products. Acetone/ATF works even better.
I had a guy bring me an old side-locker (Hawken) rifle he got and it had been in a barn (here in Michigan) he said at least 10 years. No case, leaned against a wall. Wanted me to see if I could save it. I soon realized it was still loaded. I tried several things to no avail and had to let it soak with acetone/ATF for a couple weeks to finally get the patch/ball and powder out. I finally got everything out and unbelievably after all that, the barrel was not all that bad. No pitting of any real significance. No need to go into detail here about what I did to get it nicely cleaned up but "the labor of love, working the barrel and time" was a big factor. Some things just can't be rushed. I managed to save the gun. He was thrilled. I loaded/shot it several times before getting it back to him and it had no issues.
Acetone is not "scary". It is simply a solvent. I use it to clean up dried contact cement doing laminate work. It's the main ingredient in nail polish remover and your wife/gal probably has a bottle around the house somewhere. Comes in plastic and metal containers. It is stinky and flammable.
Don't get any of it in a cut on your hands or you'll dance around like when Grandma used to put Merthiolate on your cuts when you were a kid.
Birch
I had a guy bring me an old side-locker (Hawken) rifle he got and it had been in a barn (here in Michigan) he said at least 10 years. No case, leaned against a wall. Wanted me to see if I could save it. I soon realized it was still loaded. I tried several things to no avail and had to let it soak with acetone/ATF for a couple weeks to finally get the patch/ball and powder out. I finally got everything out and unbelievably after all that, the barrel was not all that bad. No pitting of any real significance. No need to go into detail here about what I did to get it nicely cleaned up but "the labor of love, working the barrel and time" was a big factor. Some things just can't be rushed. I managed to save the gun. He was thrilled. I loaded/shot it several times before getting it back to him and it had no issues.
Acetone is not "scary". It is simply a solvent. I use it to clean up dried contact cement doing laminate work. It's the main ingredient in nail polish remover and your wife/gal probably has a bottle around the house somewhere. Comes in plastic and metal containers. It is stinky and flammable.
Don't get any of it in a cut on your hands or you'll dance around like when Grandma used to put Merthiolate on your cuts when you were a kid.
Birch
Yep...
... they have a breechplug but not removable. Nice rifle! The history is excellent!
"Of all the rifles and muskets used in the Civil War, only the Springfield Model 1861 was more widely used than the 1853 Enfield rifle musket (also known as the P53 Enfield). Great Britain exported nearly one million of the guns to America during the conflict, and it saw widespread use on both sides in every major battle from Shiloh in 1862 through the end of the war.
Like many rifle muskets of the period, the P53 Enfield was a percussion-ignition firearm developed to fire the .58-caliber minie ball conical bullet. A special adjustable rear sight helped shooters compensate for the rainbow-shaped trajectory of the 530-grain projectile that left the barrel at a relatively modest muzzle velocity of 900 fps. The sight was indexed for ranges from 100 to 400 or 500 yds. in 100-yd. increments, but also had flip-up sights for longer ranges. The P53 Enfield was prized for its accuracy and could consistently produce 4" groups at 100 yds. (excellent for an 1850s firearm), and hitting a man-sized target at 600 yds. was not terribly difficult for an accomplished marksman. The big, slow-moving bullet also demonstrated excellent penetration capability. Tests on pine boards revealed a minie ball fired from a P53 Enfield could pass through 4" of wood at 1,000 yds., a degree of penetration that would make taking down an enemy soldier at that range easy.
Perhaps the most famous Civil War engagement involving the P53 Enfield took place at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863. The 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry, led by Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, successfully used their P53 Enfields to hold back relentless Confederate assaults on the Union lines at a strategic hill called Little Round Top. When ammunition ran low, Chamberlain ordered his soldiers to fix bayonets on their rifle muskets and charge downhill into the Confederates - an action that took his opponents by complete surprise. Many Confederate soldiers were captured, the Union lines held and Chamberlain ultimately earned the Medal of Honor in 1893 for his actions."
Birch
... they have a breechplug but not removable. Nice rifle! The history is excellent!
"Of all the rifles and muskets used in the Civil War, only the Springfield Model 1861 was more widely used than the 1853 Enfield rifle musket (also known as the P53 Enfield). Great Britain exported nearly one million of the guns to America during the conflict, and it saw widespread use on both sides in every major battle from Shiloh in 1862 through the end of the war.
Like many rifle muskets of the period, the P53 Enfield was a percussion-ignition firearm developed to fire the .58-caliber minie ball conical bullet. A special adjustable rear sight helped shooters compensate for the rainbow-shaped trajectory of the 530-grain projectile that left the barrel at a relatively modest muzzle velocity of 900 fps. The sight was indexed for ranges from 100 to 400 or 500 yds. in 100-yd. increments, but also had flip-up sights for longer ranges. The P53 Enfield was prized for its accuracy and could consistently produce 4" groups at 100 yds. (excellent for an 1850s firearm), and hitting a man-sized target at 600 yds. was not terribly difficult for an accomplished marksman. The big, slow-moving bullet also demonstrated excellent penetration capability. Tests on pine boards revealed a minie ball fired from a P53 Enfield could pass through 4" of wood at 1,000 yds., a degree of penetration that would make taking down an enemy soldier at that range easy.
Perhaps the most famous Civil War engagement involving the P53 Enfield took place at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863. The 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry, led by Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, successfully used their P53 Enfields to hold back relentless Confederate assaults on the Union lines at a strategic hill called Little Round Top. When ammunition ran low, Chamberlain ordered his soldiers to fix bayonets on their rifle muskets and charge downhill into the Confederates - an action that took his opponents by complete surprise. Many Confederate soldiers were captured, the Union lines held and Chamberlain ultimately earned the Medal of Honor in 1893 for his actions."
Birch
^^^...the story of which is documented in an historical novel, Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara, and the movie, Gettysburg, by Ted Turner, starring Michael Sheen as Robert E. Lee and Jeff Daniels as Col. Chamberlain.
The book is perhaps the best book I've ever read, well worth the time and money to track down and read. The movie, likewise. Turner used reenactors extensively for the battle scenes, and in some cases (in particular, Picket's Charge) many of the actors were descendents of the original soldiers. One of the CD releases of the movie contains an extensive documentary about making the movie and the participants.
The book is perhaps the best book I've ever read, well worth the time and money to track down and read. The movie, likewise. Turner used reenactors extensively for the battle scenes, and in some cases (in particular, Picket's Charge) many of the actors were descendents of the original soldiers. One of the CD releases of the movie contains an extensive documentary about making the movie and the participants.
maillemaker
New member
I do not believe this is so. Enfields do have a threaded breech plug as part of the tang.
Steve