Could someone help me please breechpug question

[bellyup039]

Please don't flame me, I don't know any better. I am still rather new at blackpowder.

Ok that being said.

I have a .50 TC Renegade flintlock.

How often, if ever, do I have to clean my breech plug, and How do I clean it?

Please don't flame. If I am way off base, please teach me. Thank you.

 

[arcticap]

By cleaning the breech plug, I think that you mean the
inside of it since it should never really need to be removed.
The TC rifles have a patent breech with a powder chamber
that's narrower than the bore diameter. Some think that it's
self cleaning in that not much powder residue accumulates in
it because of efficient burning. It's also because during the
routine "pump and flush" cleaning regimen that most flintlock
shooters use to clean their barrels, most of the residue is
flushed out. But take note that usually isn't the case unless
the breech is soaked for up to 15 minutes or so to first loosen
up the crud. It can be soaked by plugging the vent with a
toothpick or a feather and putting some water in the barrel,
or by putting the barrel breech in a bucket of [warm soapy] water.
The vent liner could be removed to promote more flushing action
to help the debris exit through the vent during the pump and
flush. Sometimes residue will build up directly behind the vent
liner.
Then there are breech plug fouling scrapers which is a ramrod
attachment that a person needs to determine the correct size
to use to fit into their powder chamber. If the powder chamber is
too narrow for a breech plug scraper to enter, then a smaller
diameter bore brush can be attached to a cleaning rod to reach
in to scrape the sides of it.
Using a fouling scraper is not always routine unless there's an
accumulation of powder fouling residue left over from previous
shooting sessions or if shooting a lot, but it's not a bad idea to
use it to check whenever cleaning.
A wide fouling scraper can also be used to clean the face of
the breech plug if any residue is accumulating there.
Here's pictures of several breech plug scrapers and the rounded one
in the middle may be a TC but I don't know if it fits the flintlock.

Below aren't diagrams of the TC breech plug but they show where
the powder residue can accumulate.

 

[fyrfyter43]

The breechplug on a traditional gun is not intended to be removed. That's an in@#$* thing.

To clean the patent breech, simply "pump and flush" to clean the barrel. Remove the barrel from the stock (your TC has a hooked breech so it's easily removed). Put the breech end in a bucket of lukewarm soapy water. Wet a patch and push it down with a cleaning jag, and pump it up and down. After a couple of strokes, it will seal and draw water up the barrel )you'll feel the difference). Keep pumping the water up into the barrel and back out through the vent. This will break up and flush out any fouling in the breech.

I sometimes also use a patch wrapped around a .30-cal. bronze brush to clean the patent breech. Wet the patch and when you run it down the barrel, it will take a little push to get it to go into the breech. Twist it a few times (clockwise, so you don't loosen the threads and end up with the brush stuck in the breech!) I use the same method to make sure the breech is dried and then oiled when I'm done cleaning the gun.

 

[Das Jaeger]

Never

apologize for being new or for asking questions here . :banghead:
These people here on the Forum , like me , didn't know sqwatt at one time either . Someone taught them by them asking questions too , or someone showing them how to or giving them detailed descriptions at least . Remember that . Nobody here invented the wheel , most things have been done already , we all don't know sqwatt about something or the other in life , and once you think you know it all , it just proves you don't know sqwatt again .

Das Jaeger

 

[bellyup039]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

That is what I thought, I just got confused with all the breechplug talk.

Once again. Thanks.

VERY HELPFULL ONCE AGAIN. (this site is the best)

 

[madcratebuilder]

Great diagrams arcticap. It's a good day when I learn something new, thanks.

 

[Zeke/PA]

As others have mentioned, the T/C's Patent Breech makes barrel removal and cleaning easy.
I prefer however to pump fairly HOT water thru the barrel when cleaning as the barrel seems to "air dry" easier.
The crud DOES come out though.
In my early Black Powder days I had the same breech plug fears and I removed the plug in my T/C Hawkin.
The plug was as clean as a whistle mainly because of careful hot water cleaning done as soon as possible after a range session.

 

[badpenny]

i want add an amen to jaeger's post,when i think back on some of my dumb mistakes.thank the lord for sam fadala,and his blackpowder loading manual.no one at home shot blackpowder so i had to learn the hard way.

 

[billnpatti]

You will never be "flamed" on this forum. We take every question seriously and try to give our best answer no matter how new you are to black powder shooting. Ask and it shall be answered in a flame free manner.

Now to yor question, you should never need to remove your breach plug for cleaning. That is not a normal procedure. If you will use the "pump and flush" method of cleaning, you should never have a problem with gunk building up in your bore. Like one of the other answerers told you, there are breach scrapers that you can use occassionally to be sure that there is no gunk build up in spite of doing a good pump and flush cleaning. You can get one from any of the online dealers such as Track of The Wolf or Dixie Gun Works.

Now, what else do you want to know?

 

[mykeal]

Just a point of clarification on nomenclature.

The patent breech is the name for the small chamber at the end of the bore. It has nothing to do with how easy or difficult it is to remove the barrel from the stock. The chamber is usually in the breech plug that is attached (screwed) onto the end of the barrel.

The breech plug itself may or may not have a hook on the back; this feature is called a hooked breech. It's purpose is to fit in a slot in the tang to secure the back of the barrel so it's not necessary to screw or bolt the barrel into the stock at the back end. The hooked breech, not the patent breech, is what makes it easy to remove the barrel for cleaning.

 

[bellyup039]

billnpatti, I realize that now. Another fourm that I frequent, Pirate4x4.com I am used to flaming, and I guess I just figured it was all over the net.
THANKS

mykeal, Mine is Hooked. Very easy to remove barrel.
thank you too.