Stubborn drum cleanout screw- need ideas

[White Fox]

Recently acquired a plain but nicely fitted new-to-me lefty 36 cal percussion rifle. Nice-ish maple stock, 13/16ths barrel, mix of iron and brass fittings. Cleaning it before firing, the nipple was hard to remove, but finally came out after sitting a few hours with Kroil.

I would like to remove the screw in the drum. It won't budge. Soaked it in Kroil, including plugging the nipple and pouring some down the barrel, and tapping the screw with a brass hammer. No results after a week. As the barrel is pinned in place, I haven't applied heat from a torch or hair dryer.

What suggestions do you folks have? More patience? Let it soak longer? Heat from an electric soldering tool?

Thanks!

 

[exMember]

Use a propane torch and heat it up good then use a screw driver, apply pressure and smack the back of the screw driver with a hammer.

Before anything I'd use a good quality penetrating oil like PB Blaster penetrating oil.

The heat normally works great for stubborn stuff like that.

 

[afishhunter]

Why remove it?
Remove barrel from stock, but breech end in bucket of hot soapy water.
Use a wet cleaning patch to pump the hot soapy water through the drum and barrel.
When bore is clean, remove the barrel from the bucket.
Run dry patches down the bore until they come out dry.
Lightly oil a patch and run tbrough the bore to prevent rusting.

Pumping the hot soapy water will clean the inside of the drum.

Does the drum assist in holding the breech plug like on CVA/TRADITIONS rifles and pistols?
If so you can remove the drum and breechplug for a good cleaning, without worry of the bronze brush (if used) jamming.

 

[Fyrstyk]

I have read that it is recommended that the drums of CVA and Traditions rifles NOT be removed.

 

[exMember]

You can remove them, but like with this clean out screw, you better let them soak for a couple weeks then heat around the barrel. Ive replaced a few of these drums this year already.

Oncw the clean screw has come out, use white plumbers tape on the threads. I only remove mine maybe twice a year and the tape does a much better job than any grease i know of.

 

[mechteacher]

I have used many things on jet and piston aircraft engines for anti-seize. The best of all I`ve found to be Permayex nickle Anti-Seize #77124 is 8oz/226g
Nipples, flashhole liners, screws, sparkplug, every thing will remove easy. Steel plug in aluminum in salt water not a problem. It is electrily conductive. Just a little is needed and it will not wipe off with a rag.

 

[muzzlestuffer]

Recently acquired a plain but nicely fitted new-to-me lefty 36 cal percussion rifle. Nice-ish maple stock, 13/16ths barrel, mix of iron and brass fittings. Cleaning it before firing, the nipple was hard to remove, but finally came out after sitting a few hours with Kroil.

I would like to remove the screw in the drum. It won't budge. Soaked it in Kroil, including plugging the nipple and pouring some down the barrel, and tapping the screw with a brass hammer. No results after a week. As the barrel is pinned in place, I haven't applied heat from a torch or hair dryer.

What suggestions do you folks have? More patience? Let it soak longer? Heat from an electric soldering tool?

Thanks!

If you heat it use a heat gun not a torch at least if you care about the finish? Also if you can tap your screwdriver with a small hammer as you try to twist it out should help. if you do get it out chase the threads with a tap and put a little oil on the threads and remove the screw every cleaning it won't seize up on you.

 

[toot]

I worked on submarines for 20 years and used ANTI SEIZE COMPOUND a grey paste sometimes called NEVER SEIZE COMPOUND, on all threaded items. and yes it is impervious to salt water.

 

[Fyrstyk]

I usually do not remove the "clean out screws" but for those that I do, once I get them out I file the head of the screw to fit a nipple wrench, put anti seize on the threads and re-install. I have never had a problem removing the screw after this modification, and there is little chance of buggering up the screw slot.

 

[White Fox]

Finally got the screw out. Old coot in our church loaned me a dipstick-style electric engine block heater. After straightening it out, ran it all the way down the barrel- it just barely fit- plugged in and let sit a few hours. Warmed things right up, as in too hot to touch. After a few cycles and a lot of raps on the screwdriver handle the screw grudgingly came out. Will be re-installed using a good anti-seize agent.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Winter Hawk]

Do chase the threads in the drum with a tap, just to make sure they aren't buggered up.

~WH~

 

[afishhunter]

I have read that it is recommended that the drums of CVA and Traditions rifles NOT be removed.

Admittedly, CVA didn't recommend removing the drum back when they made sidelocks.
Tradituons still doesn't.
Fact is, both recommended/recommend NOT to remove them.
Something about lining up the flash hole square to the bore.
However, if you are smart enough to index the drum to the barrel before removing the drum, "lining everything up" becomes a non-issue.

I never had misfires or hang fires after removing and reinstalling the drum and breech plug.
(and it let me find and remove a patch a previous owner had left in the bore/breech that a "good" worm would not remove that WAS causing misfires and hang fires.)

 

[Winter Hawk]

So what did the drum look like? The ones I have seen went clean through the breech plug and had screw threads on both sides, and were drilled through from the muzzle after being installed. What I have been able to learn is that their flintlocks used the same part but the bolster was cut off flush with the barrel flat to make the flash hole liner. Normally the bolster is just screwed into the outer wall of the barrel.

~WH~