Broken Breech Plug?

[ElDiablo]

Anyone ever seen something like this with a CVA Optima V2 before?! Posted by a guy on another forum.

 

[deermanok]

I guess anything is possible.

 

[txhunter58]

Wow. I never have. Wonder where the missing parts went. If out of the barrel, prob not good

 

[phalanx]

Never happened to me in my pistols either. Wonder what the load was and if it showed evidence of cracking beforehand.

 

[MrTom]

The remaining lip seen here is curled into the inner face of the plug. Its supposed to be standing straight up. Just off hand I'd say someone got on the finger nut at the other end with a wrench or vice grips and leaned on it. That would also answer why the remainder that's missing came off.

Here's an old plug from my V2 Accura. See how the thin area is not curled in? There are about 600 shots on this plug.

If you look carefully at the rim at 10 oclock you see where some flame cutting is just getting started, most likely due from a granule of BH209 that didn't get cleaned out of the thread's ends. Still, the thin rim is straight, not curled like in the picture. I have fairly strong hands and bear down pretty good on that thumb nut and have never curled the thin rim. Someone used a tool on it to do that.

 

[wild willy]

The remaining lip seen here is curled into the inner face of the plug. Its supposed to be standing straight up. Just off hand I'd say someone got on the finger nut at the other end with a wrench or vice grips and leaned on it. That would also answer why the remainder that's missing came off.

Here's an old plug from my V2 Accura. See how the thin area is not curled in? There are about 600 shots on this plug.

If you look carefully at the rim at 10 oclock you see where some flame cutting is just getting started, most likely due from a granule of BH209 that didn't get cleaned out of the thread's ends. Still, the thin rim is straight, not curled like in the picture. I have fairly strong hands and bear down pretty good on that thumb nut and have never curled the thin rim. Someone used a tool on it to do that.

I agree if you look closely you can see the lip was sheared off

 

[ElDiablo]

The shooter claims he hand-tightened as the manual says to. He broke two like that back to back. Using 777 and a Thor 300 gr. bullet. I’m wondering if something is off with the barrel threading.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

I agree with Mr.Tom, that was way over tightened. Maybe not the last time he shot, but at least once and stress fractured that sealing lip.

 

[MrTom]

The threads are clean on his plug. And two doing the same thing? Nada. If the barrel's threads were messed up that deep it would have shown up on the plug's threads. If he's hand tightening these plugs, tell him to knock off his coffee for an hour before doing the plug.

 

[ElDiablo]

Well the guy got a hold of CVA and they told him to mail it in. He’s leaving on his hunt in two days - So they said go buy another and we’ll pay for it….

 

[brownisdown]

Any chance the bp was stuck (no tape or grease) and too much force trying to take it out?

 

[Underclocked]

I think he must have used a cheater bar on the breech plug tool to curl them and break them off like that.

 

[brownisdown]

It is never the owners fault.Bad product from maker.If it has been 2 times,maybe he will try number 3.

 

[southdakbearfan]

Any chance he dropped it on the ground and didn’t notice he fractured the lip?

 

[ElDiablo]

It’s all a mystery. But he is going to the store today or tomorrow to buy another CVA (on their dime) and then he’s going to attempt to sight it in before he leaves Thursday morning for the hunt.

 

[HV-Muzzleloaders]

The shooter claims he hand-tightened as the manual says to. He broke two like that back to back. Using 777 and a Thor 300 gr. bullet. I’m wondering if something is off with the barrel threading.

I would say you might be correct about the threading, etc. The counterbore at the bottom of the threads might not be quite deep enough in the barrel.

 

[snapbang]

Another lesson to learn here is shoot your guns and have them prepared earlier than two days before you go on a hunt. I was young and made those mistakes myself so im not waiving a finger at anyone. Ive done hunts with fellows who just bought the gun a few days earlier and didn't even shoot it before they show up. Irritates me a bit.

 

[crazyboutduck]

I’ve had my optima for approximately 20 years, give or take a little bit, and I’ve never had or seen this issue. I always clean the breech area and plug thoroughly. I use either breech plug grease or gun oil when I reinstall the plug, and only cinch it down. It seats fine with no blow by, and comes out very easily. Looks to me like severe over torquing. Just my opinion for what it’s worth. Then again, I may be completely off base.

 

[southdakbearfan]

One other though was there is a bunch of fouling in the end of the threads that caused and continue to cause the damage when it’s threaded in fully.