removing a breech plug

[Bill]

I must apologise in advance for my question. I know that I have read posts on how to remove a breech plug before, but for the life of me, i can't find it today!
I have searched on this site trying to find old posts on the topic, without success.
Anyway, I want to remove the breech plug from the .32 caliber Montana barrel that I posted about earlier. I have never done this before, but have access to tools, etc. I have looked at the seam between the breech and barrel and am unable to see even a line to show that they are two separate pieces. Of course I know that they are separate and that the barrel most likely was assembled a the factory I would assume.
Any help/suggestions will be appreciated.
bill

[smylee grouch]

                                                                                                                                                  Enclosed is a photo of my breech plug wrench, you can adjust it to most any angle of breech plug and clamp barrel firmly in vise off of breech threaded area and turn with both hands if its tight.    Smylee

[Jim Kibler]

I just use a big crescent wrench with a piece of brass wrapped around the bolster while clamping the barrel in a big vise between pieces of hardwood.  Don't extend the crescent wrench  to the top edge of the tang or you can risk deforming this edge to some degree. 

That's a nice wrench you have there smylee.

Jim

[Captchee]

  if its the  hook breeched CVA your talking about , the reason you dont see a line is becouse there isnt one . the plug fits completely to the inside of the barrel .
 you have to remove the drum from the barrel before you can  remove the  breechplug .
also know that alot of times with those rifles , removing the plug can  result in the plug  and both the barrel and breech threads being damaged .

again . do not heat the barrel to cherry red or solder the plug back in as was sugested for you to do on another forum .

[Captchee]

sorry Bill  and everyone else
 i see that person asking this same question on another forum ,was talking about a 54 cal barrel . my mistake .

 But again , Bill
  The case may very well be that the plug fits to the inside of the barrel and does not have an outer mating shoulder  . Thus you will not see a line ..
Can you post a photo of the breech end of the barrel . If so , most anyone here could tell you  if the above is the case .
 Also as I mentioned , if this is  a rifle like a Traditions CVA or Pedersoli ,  with a drum type bolster or flint  liner  , your going to have to remove that bolster  or liner first  even though with the Pedersoli ,  you should see a line where the breech mates , the CVA or traditions , you wont .

[holzwurm]

I use a plug wrench made by the Smith at Friendship with a hook on each end to fit different plug sizes and tapers.  Has worked well for me.

MY biggest problem is holding a tapering swamped barrel in the vise so it won't roll up and out of the vise under the torque of removing/replacing a plug and NOT score or imprint the barrel. I have lead liners for the vise jaw but still the taper nags at me.   

[Dave B]

I have seen the use of bondo and maple slabs cut to allow for the gripping of a double barrel breach that one of our brothers from up north used to pull the breach pins with out damage to the plugs or the barrel. I have used maple chunks with a half octagonal cut out in each half to grip the barrel better and it works good. Dont grip the threaded area though stay just below that so the vice is not binding up the threads.

[Bill]

Thanks everyone for the terrific responses! I really like smylee's wrench, I belive with that I could loosen just about anything! I looked at the breech again and it is indeed on that goes inside the barrel. It kind of threw me a curve that way as I haven't seen that type of breech plug before. I will make all my preparations and hopefully be able to remove the plug within the next day or two with this advice.
Thanks a lot
bill

[smylee grouch]

One of the benifits of using a wrench like the one I use is that you can clamp it to an angle and have both sides clamped evenly tighjt and not risk marring the top edge of the plug which can (marring the top edge)get you alot of clean up or repair work .     Smylee

[JDK]

Somebody posted a jig they had made up to hold the barrel while unbreaching.  It was clamped to their bench top.  Can't find the origonal post and have searched every which way I can think of.  Help?!  J.D.K.

[JDK]

Found it!  Mr. Dennis Glazener's barrel vise.  I am going to build a copy of this....sooner than later.

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=18218.msg172250#msg172250

[Bill]

Well! It took me a little while to actually get around to un-breeching the barrel but it was a success! It actually took me longer to secure it into the vise (find) the huge Crescent wrench and then grab onto the tang with the wrench. The breech plug came right out the first try! The face of the breech is very nicely polished I found. Now I will finish inletting the barrel in the channel and then tackle the breech plug inlet. Thanks again for everyone's input.