Traditions powder chamber?

[Michigan Flinter]

 I help out at the National Wild Turkey Federation's  Jakes Day and we have over sixhundred kids come through. The event that I help out is shooting muzzleloaders.We have six .32 cal. Traditions rifles and they can get pretty dirty as the day goes on. I need the Length & I.D. of the powder chamber down at the breach so I can make a scraper to keep it clean. Thanks for you help I appreciate it.

[JB2]

This may get moved to BP shooting, AND I'm so far from being an 'expert' it ain't funny, but...

The only Trads. I've had a chance to shoot, and clean, were .50, but seemed to have a .25" powder chamber.  At least it was a .22 cal brush that seemed to clean them the best.  That was also true for the CVA's that I've cleaned.  The only one I've had apart (CVA) the chamber was about 1/2 to 3/4" deep, before I changed that.  Also, the one I had apart was drilled with a standard tip bit, so the bottom of the chamber will not be flat or square, but have the same angle as a drill bit (115 degrees?).  Most guys don't like to take them apart because of the way they are put together.  I got lucky that the old CVA came apart without destroying itself, from what I've learned here.

If I'm wrong here, hopefully someone with more experience (everybody?) will clue us both in.

[JB2]

BTW, I think it's a great thing you're doing.  More kids need to see that it ain't all zip-guns and AK's out there.

[zimmerstutzen]

Since many traditions were made by the same factory that made CVA, I suspect that the configuration of the breech system may be the same.  I am going to try to include a picture and description from an old CVA cat.

[Roger Fisher]

I help out at the National Wild Turkey Federation's  Jakes Day and we have over sixhundred kids come through. The event that I help out is shooting muzzleloaders.We have six .32 cal. Traditions rifles and they can get pretty dirty as the day goes on. I need the Length & I.D. of the powder chamber down at the breach so I can make a scraper to keep it clean. Thanks for you help I appreciate it.

We hope you teach them that blowing down the rifle's muzzle is a big no/no

[hanshi]

I have a Traditions .32 and get good results using a brush.  These odd, recessed powder chambers have never caused me any problems through several guns.

[Michigan Flinter]

Thanks everyone for your imput . With sixhundred plus kids and only five rifles they get quite a workout in one day. The rifles shoot good and many a kid hits the target on their first shot with a muzzleloader.The girls do a better job of hitting the target than the boys.THEY LISTEN to our instructions. We load each rifle and the shooter is seated at a bench where they get their instructions. It is a great feeling to see a smile ear to ear when the target is hit.

[Daryl]

Since many traditions were made by the same factory that made CVA, I suspect that the configuration of the breech system may be the same.  I am going to try to include a picture and description from an old CVA cat.

THAT is a scary looking breech system, eh, Don and Dan.

As with any breech system- the best cleaning system is to emerse the end of the barrel in water - plain water, and pump water into and out of the bore using a tight fitting patch on a jag, on the end of the loading or cleaning rod. this is the only system that will get them CLEAN! The flushign action works pefectly - no solvents, nothing to buy- tap water, cloth and a rod with jag - no brushes needed.

[longcruise]

Daryl, I always thought it was a smart way to do it.  The drum has it's threads into plenty of meat and the plug is adequately threaded as well.  The one I took apart was a Traditions .50 cal and was exactly like the one in the pic.

Seems to me I've seen dissassembly pics somewhere of a 19th century german rifle that was built exactly like this.

[Daryl]

I am looking at the fouling traps. The one on the bottom right of the picture has 2 thread between the no-thread gap and the outside.  If the breech plug is not absolutley tight against the inner shoulder and some aren't. the lack of threads at the end of the ID barrel thread, makes for a direct pressure/fouling/gas to those 2 threads.  Even with good cleaning, there is no way to get the fouing out except through dismantling the gun-  which seems nigh on impossible. Bit of time, bit of wet fouling, 2 threads only to rod out and out spits the plug - or perhaps just jets of burning BP gasses.

The idea might be sound, mike- it's the exectution that is nasty awful. Jus tlooks at all the fouling collection points and areas.  Look at the end of the drum, where it meets the bottom of it's threaded cavity in the breech plug - like I said - nasty awful!

Now, I'd like to see a cross section of their flint breech.