Traditions Fox River .50 Cal Screw Removal Advice

[possom813]

1st, do I even need to remove this screw

Looking at the side, the piece that the nipple screws into has a screw in the side going into the barrel.

The flash hole is clean, but I wanted to do a deep clean on it and this screw isn't quite stripped, but it's pretty close

Any ideas, or can I just leave it alone?

This is destined to be a .50 plinker that I'm not into for very much.

[ogre]

I recommend that you leave it alone. Many people call it a clean out screw but the simple reality is that when your patent breech was machined it left a hole that had to be tapped and plugged. Leave it alone, you can do a fine deep cleaning without touching it.

[RU shooter]

Leave it be . Just flush out the nipple and drum well with water and get it dried out good

[arcticap]

1st, do I even need to remove this screw

Looking at the side, the piece that the nipple screws into has a screw in the side going into the barrel.

The flash hole is clean, but I wanted to do a deep clean on it and this screw isn't quite stripped, but it's pretty close

Any ideas, or can I just leave it alone?

This is destined to be a .50 plinker that I'm not into for very much.

I would recommend to replace the screw so that it doesn't rust in place.
Being able to remove the clean out screw is very helpful when cleaning out the drum and flash channel.
I've used cotton swabs & pipe cleaners among other things to keep the flash channel clear.
I remove it during each cleaning and clean & lube the threads, and make sure to not over tighten it.
It takes some elbow grease to clean out the flash channel but well worth it to help prevent misfires.

This was originally posted in 2012:

The slot of the cleanout screw of a used Traditions Trapper pistol
that I bought was buggered which made it a pain to remove.
But I finally got it out after soaking it in Liquid Wrench.
I determined that the replacement screw for CVA/Traditions is
a 5M x 5mm so I went to the nearest True Value hardware store
where I found that the only replacements that they had were
hardened and blued hex head screws in 5M X 5mm, 5M x 6mm
and 5M x 8mm.
I tried the 8mm first but found that it was too long and protruded
from the drum too much.
I settled on the 6mm because the 5mm simply looked too small
without a flat head and easy to lose.
The 6mm fits great but will hit the nipple threads if it's screwed
all of the way in. So I simply reverse the screw a partial turn
from that point and it fits perfectly.
I also bought a 4.5mm allen wrench to turn it with.
Total cost for the screw and wrench was $1.38 with tax, so I
bought another one of each as a spare.
It's good enough until I get some original screws, and I like the
fact that this replacement screw is hardened and already blued.

[Tripplebeards]

I just removed my seized in screw by putting my barrel in a vise and removing the screw with a impact screw driver. Instead of replacing the screw I cleaned up the threads and screw head. I then re blued it and put plenty of muzzle loader thread anti seize on the threads of the nipple and clean out screw. The 1995 gun I just picked up. It I was told it was never fired and looked to not be but the threads were still packed with black gum and the nipped threads were rusty. I’m sure it was fired and not cleaned properly. The barrel seemed pretty clean.

[Eddie2002]

What tripplebeards said but start with some heat and then oil cycling the treatments two or three times before using the impact screwdriver. Having that screw getting rusted in place is common and most of the time it doesn't need to come out. Wrapping the threads with some teflon tape or using antiseize grease on it before putting it back in. The only reason I remove them is because it's handy to be able to remove it incase you dry ball. I replace them with a wide headed stainless steel screw, it's not period correct but it's on a beater CVA Hawken so who cares and it matches the stainless nipple I use.

[waksupi]

Those screws are not intended to be removed. They are just a manufacturing short cut.

[Tripplebeards]

Those screws are not intended to be removed. They are just a manufacturing short cut.

Now you tell me.lol

After I removed it I wondered what purpose it served as it didn’t make any sense to me why it was there in the first place. Is there a reason,and is it possible, to remove the plug in the end? Figured for better cleaning purposes. First percussion...sorry, probably a dumb question.

[FLINTNFIRE]

Leave them in place , I have never had the need with proper cleaning to remove one , The hex head ones sit flush but just really do not look right on a traditional rifle , though one rifle I bought has one it it so there it stays .

Its a shooter after all not a historically correct display piece , so if there are no issues or problems why go looking for one . Now go load and fire it and enjoy the pleasing effects of shooting a relaxed style .