CVA breechplug removal?

[Buckshot Bill]

Can the breech plug on cva sidleocks be removed to have the barrels re bored like on T/C barrels? I have read conflicting opinions on this so I was hoping to hear from someone with first hand knowledge

[bubba.50]

short answer, NO. CVA barrels, breechplugs and drums are machined together after assembly makin' it virtually impossible to take it apart then have everything go back to together & line up perfectly. and on disassembly you run the risk of boogerin' up threads with chips & burrs from the machinin' processes.

[725]

I just went through this. CVA (at least my Hawkin type of old) plants those breach plugs in with Kryptonite! I tried to unscrew the thing but as bubba.50 notes, they don't come out well. Mine never came out. As the rest of the ML was in OK shape but the breach area was totally corroded out from neglect and a many years old charge left there, I had the breach cut off, a new breach installed on the newly cut end (had to take off three inches of the barrel), & threw away the old "hook" type feature. Now I have to remove a wood screw from the tang to remove the barrel. Appropriate adjustments had to be made to the ram rod underlug, wedge placement, etc. and now the rear sight is three inches closer to my old eyes. Haven't had time to shoot it yet. Looks good, however. Lots of work for such a gun. Still, if it turn out to be a shooter, it will have been worth the work.

[Buckshot Bill]

Thanks for the info gents! I looked around but couldn't find anything-is there a replacement breech plug on the market that I could have installed in a cut off barrel to hook into my existing tang?

Basically I have two rotted out .50 barrels I would like to have bored into a larger smooth caliber for guns I already have and am looking for options on utilizing them.

[Col4570]

https://www.google.com/url?q=http://...UPQGPZoHWdVfIA
This info might help your projects. It was a kit that someone had tried to deactivate by drilling into the touch hole and driving in a steel pin.It was necessary to cut of the damaged piece and make up the loss with a Nocks Breach.Regards.

[rfd]

NONE of the spanish built (cva, traditions and others) trad muzzleloader rifles/pistols will allow their patent breech plugs or cap lock bolsters to be removed - at least without damaging the barrels. traditions goes further to state that attempting to pull a breech plug will essentially destroy the barrel. it's as if plugs and bolsters are welded on, which in some manner i do believe they are, and why i avoid such brands of trad muzzleloaders. just not worth their cheaper price tags. fwiw, i've found that the far better quality pedersoli trad muzzleloaders are of the same ilk - their patent breech plugs almost appear to be welded on, and even with my specialized patent breech plug socket and rcorp wrench could not remove pedersoli flintlock kentucky rifle or pistol patent breech plugs. the only offshore trad flintlock muzzleloaders that i can easily remove their patent breech plugs (with special tools) are those built by investarms (branded as lyman or dgw). for those, easy peasy for me ...

[johnson1942]

if you find a breech plug that fill the gap just right do this. cut off the tang on the old one and the new one. high temp silver solder the old tang on the new breech plug. had to do this once and it turned out great. high temp silver solder skills are hard to come by,may be you can find someone with them, i learned this many years ago in a shipyard. never forgot them.

[KCSO]

The CVA drum screw all the way through the breech plug and is drilled after assembly. In addition the breech plug is in billy heck tight and you need the right wrench. It can be done but you need the right tools. I have an extension bit for re drilling the drums and I turn my own drums and re fit the nipples with another special tool so it all lines up right. But it isn't that big a deal to re barrel the CVA with a standard drum and nipple barrel set up and would likely be cheaper than recutting the existing barrel.

[Buckshot Bill]

if you find a breech plug that fill the gap just right do this. cut off the tang on the old one and the new one. high temp silver solder the old tang on the new breech plug. had to do this once and it turned out great. high temp silver solder skills are hard to come by,may be you can find someone with them, i learned this many years ago in a shipyard. never forgot them.

Are you saying cut the hook off the original bp and silver solder onto the new one?

[johnson1942]

ive done that if the new one fills the gap just right, yes. but again you need someone who knows how to high temp silver solder. high temp silver solder if done right is much better than welding.

[mooman76]

You might contact who is doing the boring to see if they can do it for you. I know some people do bore them so there must be something that can be done. You might also just try getting another barrel.

[Buckshot Bill]

You might contact who is doing the boring to see if they can do it for you. I know some people do bore them so there must be something that can be done. You might also just try getting another barrel.

I read on a couple forums Bob Hoyt does them so I'll probably just call him. The rifles have good barrels, but I have spare barrels with damaged bores I'd like to have rebored to mess around with. I love my .62 t/c I had ed rayl rebore

[Buckshot Bill]

ive done that if the new one fills the gap just right, yes. but again you need someone who knows how to high temp silver solder. high temp silver solder if done right is much better than welding.

I know how to silver solder so that part isn't a problem.

[johnson1942]

go for it

[bob208]

they are no problem if you have the right tools and know what you are doing. when I worked for a barrel shop we took them apart rebore or sleeved them put them back together never had a problem. the right tools are not a big bench vise and adjustable wrench.

[rfd]

they are no problem if you have the right tools and know what you are doing. when I worked for a barrel shop we took them apart rebore or sleeved them put them back together never had a problem. the right tools are not a big bench vise and adjustable wrench.

depends on the barrel/plug manufacturer. it will take more than "good tools" to "unscrew" a traditions or cva breech plug.

[bubba.50]

unless he's changed recently, Robert Hoyt won't fool with a CVA breeched barrel.

[bob208]

I have even had to heat up t-c barrels to get the breaches to come out.