Cleaning a Breech Plug
- Thread starter Hitit9999
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Omega
Well-Known Member
I throw mine into a ultrasonic cleaner, using various solutions, with simple green being the easiest.
Chiflyguy
Well-Known Member
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- Aug 6, 2019
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I bought some breechplug cleaners from CVA and use the bore cleaner.
Muzzle-Loaders Breech Plug Flexible Cleaners - 50 Pack - MZ1615 Amazon product ASIN B08YW6LT35
Muzzle-Loaders Breech Plug Flexible Cleaners - 50 Pack - MZ1615 Amazon product ASIN B08YW6LT35
I soak mine in bore cleaner and the brush it out.
soggybottom
Well-Known Member
Dawn soap
Tooth brush
Warm water
And q- tips
Tooth brush
Warm water
And q- tips
This is what I do minus the q tips. I have a breech plug brush I run through it with some Dawn on the brush. Rinse with hot water.
wsm
Well-Known Member
x2 on what soggybottom said .
Depends on the plug but...
CVA OEM is 3mm
CVA and Western BH209 plug is 1/8"
Most T/C and Traditions are 1/8"
Knight bare primer and Savage MLII are 5/32"
If a drill bit that size wont fit in your flash CHANNEL....IT AINT CLEAN. You are yanking your chain using pipe cleaners and Qtips. They wont even phase hard carbon deposits. Ive seen literally hundreds of guys that swore the plug channel was clean. UNTIL they tried the drill bit.
Hex head drill bit the correct size and a nut driver handle to fit it. Use a smaller bit first if needed.
Pro Shot SS gas port brushes can be useful too after you ream out the hard stuff.
CVA OEM is 3mm
CVA and Western BH209 plug is 1/8"
Most T/C and Traditions are 1/8"
Knight bare primer and Savage MLII are 5/32"
If a drill bit that size wont fit in your flash CHANNEL....IT AINT CLEAN. You are yanking your chain using pipe cleaners and Qtips. They wont even phase hard carbon deposits. Ive seen literally hundreds of guys that swore the plug channel was clean. UNTIL they tried the drill bit.
Hex head drill bit the correct size and a nut driver handle to fit it. Use a smaller bit first if needed.
Pro Shot SS gas port brushes can be useful too after you ream out the hard stuff.
Last edited:
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- Dec 5, 2014
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Thats a pin vise. The torch tip cleaner is not really needed. A flash hole grows with each shot. Only the channel needs routine cleaning. Never force the rough section of the tip cleaner through your flash hole. Just get a .035-.036 pin gauge for the flash hole. Then you know when its grown too large.
You can do the exact same thing with a Wheeler screwdriver set and a hex head drill bit. The big advantage is with the $14-$15 Wheeler kit you can use an extension. So even a rifle like a Knight can be cleaned without removing the plug. Comes in handy on lengthy range sessions when you may need to clean the plug before the barrel. Such as BH209 users.
I can shoot all day using BH209 without cleaning the barrel but the flash channel will be filling up with carbon.
A hex head bit fits right in one of these handles and i end up needing the other bits anyway at times. The case easily holds a couple drill bits.
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/wheeler-engineering-space-saver-screwdriver-set
You can do the exact same thing with a Wheeler screwdriver set and a hex head drill bit. The big advantage is with the $14-$15 Wheeler kit you can use an extension. So even a rifle like a Knight can be cleaned without removing the plug. Comes in handy on lengthy range sessions when you may need to clean the plug before the barrel. Such as BH209 users.
I can shoot all day using BH209 without cleaning the barrel but the flash channel will be filling up with carbon.
A hex head bit fits right in one of these handles and i end up needing the other bits anyway at times. The case easily holds a couple drill bits.
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/wheeler-engineering-space-saver-screwdriver-set
Last edited:
Learned something new, thanks!Depends on the plug but...
CVA OEM is 3mm
CVA and Western BH209 plug is 1/8"
Most T/C and Traditions are 1/8"
Knight bare primer and Savage MLII are 5/32"
If a drill bit that size wont fit in your flash CHANNEL....IT AINT CLEAN. You are yanking your chain using pipe cleaners and Qtips. They wont even phase hard carbon deposits. Ive seen literally hundreds of guys that swore the plug channel was clean. UNTIL they tried the drill bit.
Hex head drill bit the correct size and a nut driver handle to fit it. Use a smaller bit first if needed.
Pro Shot SS gas port brushes can be useful too after you ream out the hard stuff.
peytoncreekhunter
Well-Known Member
Above is my method too except I use a brass wire brush.
Yes but the whole problem is that none of that does anything for the flash channel other than create wet carbon. You might be ok if using percussion cap plugs but it wont even phase the stuff a 209 primer leaves in the flash channel. That port brush set i posted will cut through carbon if its soft enough or thin enough. Its a stainless brush set made to remove carbon from gas ports.
Like i said try the correct size drill bit in your plug. If it dont fit....It AINT clean. If you soaked it in a solvent and it aint clean you just made it worse.
Like i said try the correct size drill bit in your plug. If it dont fit....It AINT clean. If you soaked it in a solvent and it aint clean you just made it worse.
Any concerns with the cleaning solution gumming up and causing issue in future use? I didn't realize submerging one of those was ok.
Wiley
Well-Known Member
I just now finished cleaning mine after firing one shot Saturday and killing an 8 point. I always hose the breech plug down real good with solution for removing black powder/replacements and let it sit for a few minutes. Then I take a small diameter wire that I have randomly kinked and run it in and out of the flash hole while turning the breech plug until I'm satisfied, clean and re-grease the threads, make sure ALL of the wet solution stuff is dried out and I put her back together. A very thin coating of Bore Butter in the bore and she's good till next year. I will have an occasional look over the months before next season though.
