Stuck bolster cleanout screw

[BlackPowderGuy (AJHS)]

Hi all,

The bolster cleanout screw in my cabelas investarm .50 cal percussion is locked up...It is a flat head screw and I am worried about stipping the head if I play with it anymore. I thought I'd put anti-sieze on it last year, but maybe not.

Three questions:

1. Ideas for loosening it?
2. Any ideas where to get a replacement for when I do get it out?
3. Is there any reason to even remove it as long as the gun is working fine...after shooting I remove the nipple and soak it in parts cleaner and while it soaks I run a Dawn/hot water through the bore and it comes out the bolster and nipple area anyway, so maybe I should just not worry about it till something "goes wrong"?

 

[michiganmuzzy]

Dont worry if it wont come out. It is not really a ‘clean out’ screw. It was used to cross drill the breech plug for the flame channel. If you do REALLY want to take it out then heat it up several times (unloaded please) and soak it with a good penetrant between heatings. The heat/cool cycles will loosen the corrosion or whatever is holding it in place. Check with CFNParts.com to find a replacement.

 

[deermanok]

I can't remember how many of my sidehammer guns have the same problem. Lol, I think all of them.
I don't even worry about it.
When I clean the barrels, I always pull the nipples anyway.
I use the hot soapy water plunger method which cleans the drum area just fine.
I also use the cheapie dollar store Q-Tips. They're more bendy and I can swab around in the drum pretty easy to remove any black powder residue left over.
Then I use pipe cleaners to swab out the fire channel.
Done!
A dab of anti-seize on the nipple threads and reinstall.

 

[Greg_E]

Check Dixie gun works, Deercreek, and Track of the Wolf for that screw. The heat and cool cycles with a little penetrating oil is probably best, remember to put the penetrating oil in the nipple hole to soak the back side of that screw.

I had the same problem on my old CVA Kentucky rifle. A little butane torch and some PB Blaster managed to get it out, bought a couple replacements from one of the above.

 

[10gaugemag]

Kroil and heat cycles.

Some say leave it but I figured if it starts to rust over time the corrosion will eventually weaken the threads enough that you will have a nice hole blow out one day.

I remove mine after every shooting session, let water clean the female threads as well as female nipple threads.

Pretty simple 1 minute task, no reason not to do it.

 

[user 25154]

All the replies I read sound good. Have used them at one time r another. Boiling for 20 minutes in a big pot of water with nipple out works good also. Might take 3 tries. Kroil with nipple plugged and barrel standing up will take about anything out. Might take 2 weeks for it to seep thru to outside of screw head where u can see it seeping thru. The torch works. It's a last resort for me though. If all else fails. Drill and easy out will remove it.