My free muzzle loader.

[725]

I've had the same problem with drum screws. It's easy to drill 'em out and re-tap with a larger screw. Use a hex head or socket head to replace. Some (and I'm one) think it's and ugly feature, but it's a blessing when you load a dry ball or have a difficult charge. Unscrew the drum screw, and add a pinch of powder and a difficult charge will go and a dry ball will pop out and go a few feet down range. Now my cleaning protocol always includes pulling the drum screw, cleaning the drum & screw, applying anti-seize and reassembling. Turns out beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all.

[yeahbub]

The factory screws tend to be soft steel and the head gets grossly distorted or they twist off. I've had some success at avoiding having to drill them out by soaking with Kroil or equal parts ATF and acetone. The acetone will thin the ATF and get it in there. After a week or so, it'll be ready to try. I used slip-joint pliers to grab the head around the outside, the plier teeth creating a wrenching feature in the edges of the head. it was still stiff to move, but it came out. I replaced it with a grade 5 socket head cap screw with a rounded profile.

[Tackleberry41]

I have soaked that screw several times, theres just nothing to grab to twist it out. The newer one looks to take a flat screw vs beveled like the older one.

[StolzerandSons]

Its been sitting in a pile, I wasnt gonna mess with it at all, expecting the guy to eventually say 'oh hey did you finish that rifle' and I put a bunch of work into it so it can rust in his closet, since he admitted he really doesnt plan to do any muzzle loading. But he has since cut off contact and forgot I had the rifle. But if he had it, it would just be a pile of parts to rust in the garage.

Am I missing something here? Is this another persons property that you weren't going to mess with but since he has cut off contact and now you feel that you own it(did you try to return it to him? or even mention you still have it?), you are going to go ahead and build it for yourself.

Is there more to the story because so far this doesn't paint you in a very good way.

[Tackleberry41]

Am I missing something here? Is this another persons property that you weren't going to mess with but since he has cut off contact and now you feel that you own it(did you try to return it to him? or even mention you still have it?), you are going to go ahead and build it for yourself.

Is there more to the story because so far this doesn't paint you in a very good way.

Well someone gave him the kit, probably found in the back of a closet. If he had it, it would slowly rust in a closet. Hes had the same 1911 apart for 4 yrs 'gonna finish it'. I didnt say 'hey Ill take that and finish it'. I asked 'get yourself a muzzle loader', so he was taking advantage of my usual generosity. And expected me to do all the work, for nothing, as usual. And he does owe me money, I had threaded a barrel for a friend of his, dropped it off my last visit. The usual story about not being able to get ahold of them. But he also would generally forget to even tell his son we were coming to visit. Aint for him, doesn't really matter. I had an extra ticket for a concert last year, so he went, no gas money, nor did he buy any beer. And spent the whole trip with his nose in his phone. We had our falling out, I asked about the cash 'yea, yea, yea'. I am not holding my breath a money order will show up.

It will be like the bow he swore he could order when he worked at bass pro. I gave him the cash, then I was pestering him after several months of no bow. Then I found out they do not even make a lefty version of the bow. I was being a jerk after 6 mo. He had spent the money, now I was taking food out of his kids mouths.

I havent done diddly squat to it, still a pile of unfinished parts in the garage. If he pays me whats owed, Ill send it to him. If not it cost me $40, well whatever time I had in threading the barrel. He was also the one who shot my chrony and just said 'well that sucks, guess we cant use that anymore'.

[Glassman66]

Well someone gave him the kit, probably found in the back of a closet. If he had it, it would slowly rust in a closet. Hes had the same 1911 apart for 4 yrs 'gonna finish it'. I didnt say 'hey Ill take that and finish it'. I asked 'get yourself a muzzle loader', so he was taking advantage of my usual generosity. And expected me to do all the work, for nothing, as usual. And he does owe me money, I had threaded a barrel for a friend of his, dropped it off my last visit. The usual story about not being able to get ahold of them. But he also would generally forget to even tell his son we were coming to visit. Aint for him, doesn't really matter. I had an extra ticket for a concert last year, so he went, no gas money, nor did he buy any beer. And spent the whole trip with his nose in his phone. We had our falling out, I asked about the cash 'yea, yea, yea'. I am not holding my breath a money order will show up.

It will be like the bow he swore he could order when he worked at bass pro. I gave him the cash, then I was pestering him after several months of no bow. Then I found out they do not even make a lefty version of the bow. I was being a jerk after 6 mo. He had spent the money, now I was taking food out of his kids mouths.

I havent done diddly squat to it, still a pile of unfinished parts in the garage. If he pays me whats owed, Ill send it to him. If not it cost me $40, well whatever time I had in threading the barrel. He was also the one who shot my chrony and just said 'well that sucks, guess we cant use that anymore'.

A guy can't afford to have a friend like that very long!


Randy

[Tackleberry41]

A guy can't afford to have a friend like that very long!


Randy

Hes the drug dealing cop and fake vet from my stolen valor thread.