T/C Hawken Breech Plug
Anyone ever pull one? This is my first. I was thinking of using maple blocks fitted to the barrel and the plug, then epoxied in place and tightened in the vice and wrench before drying. Sound like adequate overkill? It is a friends gun, I volenteered to help out. Been looking for a busy project. This one needs a choke lapped in the bore. It was a botched kit gun. I was told it has never been fired. That may help with the plug being, or hopefully not being, rusted in place. Think I have a good shot at getting it apart?
I have taken more than a few apart. I use a "B-Square" breech plug wrench and a set of their vise blocks. The vice blocks are machined half octogon. They are aluminum. If you don't wrap a pice of newspaper around the barrel you will get aluminim tracks on it. I have a five inch craftsman vice that I use them in. It twists and is barely adequate. Without an appropriate wrench you will probably screw yourself up. If you have to get a better wrench. Thompson Center used to make something that fit over the bolster and was grasped with a bigger wrench. Try someone like the Log Cabin Shop and see if they still list them on their web site. Maybe they still have the breach item. If you aren't afraid to spend a little money go right to B-Square for a good outfit.
I tried and failed. Did not damage anything. Got on the phone and found out about and located a T/C breech plug wrench. I take it off tomorow. I was told the plugs are super tight.
26 June 2004, 00:41
TailgunnerYou probably already know this, but be sure to remove the nipple & drum first as they are threaded through the barrel and into the plug, locking it into place.