How tight are tang screw threads supposed to be?

[Heir Kommt Die Sonne]

On a rifle, say if the barrel tang can unscrew by hand strength alone or is reinforced by plumbers tape to make it tight. How critical is heavy torque for tang threads?

I know it is important because this is the part protecting the exploding powder from your face. It is a critical component. But how tight does it have to be?

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Nothing on the rifle should be "tight". All screws and bolts should be "snug". The tang screw does not offer protection from a blow-up, by any degree of tightness. It is the shear strength of the screw going down to the trigger plate, and through the stock that offers that, and will do so even if it's loose. How the barrel is bedded in the stock is mainly what keeps the barrel and breech plug in place.

If your rifle actually blew up, at the breech plug, I believe your face would be gone even if the tang screw was not in the gun.

I see no purpose, or good coming from putting tape on the threads. Never use heavy-torque on a firearm. SNUG, not tight.

 

[Heir Kommt Die Sonne]

breech plug

yes breech plug. It's been a while since I absorbed myself with black powder rifles. It's the breech plug threads i'm talking about here, not the tang screw that goes down vertical.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Do'h!

 

[Heir Kommt Die Sonne]

Do'h!

I can unscrew it with not much effort with my hands. I put plumbers tape on there and now it's pretty snug but I'm not sure if it's safe.

 

[Fyrstyk]

Use some blue locktite on the threads of the breech plug, and snug it down to the witness mark. (you do have a witness mark, right?) If the plug has to be removed later, a little heat will do the job of loosening it up.

 

[Heir Kommt Die Sonne]

Use some blue locktite on the threads of the breech plug, and snug it down to the witness mark. (you do have a witness mark, right?) If the plug has to be removed later, a little heat will do the job of loosening it up.

whats a witness mark?

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

This is an alignment mark on the barrel and breech plug, the breech plug on a traditional rifle should be fairly tight, I used to fit them by hand to within a 16 th of a turn then crank it down to final alignment with a wrench. I would then mark a small line on the barrel and breech plug so it could be returned to the same place should it ever need to be removed. This is the witness mark mentioned earlier.

 

[AK Hunter]

Since we are talking about the breech plug now, the breech plug just needs some lube on it to keep the fowling out of the threads so you can get it out to clean. If you over tighten it putting it in without anything on the threads & the burned powder gets jammed into the threads you will have a hard time getting it back out.
I just wipe a little bore butter on the threads when I thread it back in, then just snugged down it will be tight enough. It's not going to unscrew.

 

[Heir Kommt Die Sonne]

This is an alignment mark on the barrel and breech plug, the breech plug on a traditional rifle should be fairly tight, I used to fit them by hand to within a 16 th of a turn then crank it down to final alignment with a wrench. I would then mark a small line on the barrel and breech plug so it could be returned to the same place should it ever need to be removed. This is the witness mark mentioned earlier.

It doesn't have it. And when it's at final tightness, the tang is out of line with the barrel. Maybe it's not the original breech plug?

 

[paul harm]

Get another breech plug and fit it. Make it very tight with a wrench. A breech plug should bottom out inside as well as outside. In other words, the threaded end of the plug should go to the end of the threads in the barrel with no gap as well as no gap on the outside between the breech plug and barrel. That is what stops any fouling from getting into the threads. Or what's a lot easier is to by trial and error make a washer the correct thickness to fit, usually shim stock. Do it for the inside as well as the outside. How tight ? Damn tight. It's also what stops any fouling from getting into the threads. About a wrench with 10/12" of leverage would be right. Good luck.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Which way is It out of alignment? Clockwise or counter clockwise? If its clocked at 11 o'clock you can continue to fit and tighten it, if its past 12 o'clock enough material needs to be removed from the barrel to get you back to 11 to 11.30 . I hope I didn't confuse you too much.

 

[paul harm]

Jack has some good advice. The only thing to add is check to make sure the threads have bottomed out also.

 

[Heir Kommt Die Sonne]

Which way is It out of alignment? Clockwise or counter clockwise? If its clocked at 11 o'clock you can continue to fit and tighten it, if its past 12 o'clock enough material needs to be removed from the barrel to get you back to 11 to 11.30 . I hope I didn't confuse you too much.

When I tighten it all the way it's counter clockwise at 11'. That's why I needed to add plumbers tape so It can be snug being at 12'