I get a considerable number of CVA .50 cal percussion muzzle loaders coming in with damaged breech plugs. Often with broken hooks because the owner did not remove the nipple assembly before attempting to remove the plug. These are the pre-inline style with nipple on the side of the barrel and a hooked breech plug. My question is: Is anyone making replacement hooked breech plugs. I have checked Dixie, ebay, Midway, Brownell, Amazon, and general searches with no success. I can make one but figure a ready made one will be cheaper for the customer. Any leads on this greatly appreciated.

I junk those rifles and sell the customer a new one; everyone is better off.

Yeah when you can buy a brand new CVA Wolf 209 from Bass Bonkers for $230.00 its pretty hard to justify trying to put $150 to $200 into a repair.

On traditional style rifles, CVA says the breech plugs are never to be removed. The bolster threads go through the plug threads and mate up with an internal flash passage.

When made the plug is installed first. The bolster threads are then machined and the bolster is installed. If you remove the bolster, then the plug you now have a problem. Unless the plug goes back in at the exact same index the bolster will not thread in right.

If you try to remove the plug with out removing the bolster first, you have a bigger problem. The bolster prevents the breech plug from turning. All kinds of mayhem then ensues resulting in the destruction of the barrel.

Could the broken hooked breech extension be from bubba slapping a cresent wrench on it then twisting the extension off?? Betcha??? The barrel is ruined at this point.

Why people think they need to remove the plugs from traditional muzzle loader I'll never know.

quote:

Originally posted by Scota4570:

Why people think they need to remove the plugs from traditional muzzle loader I'll never know.

Well Scota4570, have you ever heard the phrase: "Hold my beer for me"? Yeah, that's why people figure that they should try to remove them !

Not everyone can afford a new rifle. Some of my customers are well off and some are not so well off. I don't buy into the "never remove the plug" line. I also don't agree that a broken breech hook is reason to scrap the barrel. Yes, the customer broke it off. So what! I'm the expert he brought it to for repairs. Apparently no one is making replacement parts for it. So, I'm getting a bolt with 18x1.5 mm threads and carving a hook on one end, fitting it to the barrel, drilling and tapping to fit the nipple bolster and this man is going hunting with it. Will I make money on it, no. Will I have a happy customer, yes. Any real gunsmiths, gunsmiths, not parts hangers or wannabees, wish to comment?

quote:

Mike in Michigan

I can't argue, because it's your time and your dime Mike in Michigan.

I have been gunsmithing full time since I got out of CST in 1982. When I got out of school I think I counted about 20 or so full time gunsmiths in Alberta that were fully trained and apprenticed. There were at least that many pretty good hobbyists working out of their garages. When I moved to Edmonton there were actually 10 fully trained guys working full time here in the city.

I might be wrong, but I think I am the last guy working full time in Alberta that actually has a 2 year diploma from one of the US gunsmithing schools and the full four years apprenticeship. I know for a fact that I am the only gunsmith that has a completely tooled out shop and works at it full time here in the city. The other guys all quit because they simply couldn't pay the bills anymore.

I generally keep hearing two things from my customers. There are no gunsmiths left to choose from anymore and I charge too much. Being noble and the bigger man is fine. But if you're gone, you won't be doing your customers any good and there has been a lot of that going around the last few years.

For the record: I am retired, working out of a shop in the corner of a barn behind my home. I understand the difference between me and someone who needs to "keep the lights on". Sorry if I came across too heavy back there. I take special interest in doing what most cannot, or will not do for technical, personal or business related reasons.