Author Topic: Grinding back a breech plug face  (Read 92 times)

Online rfd

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Grinding back a breech plug face
« on: January 24, 2026, 11:47:20 PM »
I've had more than a few of the Pedersoli Bess and Charlie kits where their touch hole was partially drilled into the face of the breech plug.

Here's the breech plug for a Pedersoli '66 Charlie - I was pleasantly surprised to see that its breech plug face wasn't desecrated and the touch hole was perfectly drilled within 1/32" of that plug's face ...



Here's the breech plug for a Pedersoli 2nd Land Pattern Bess ...



Usually I open that plug face channel a bit for ease of cleaning out and better ignition.  But instead, would grinding the plug face smooth and thus removing that 3/32" deep channel be structurally okay to do?


"To err is human - I get to prove my humanity on almost a daily basis" ~ rfd.
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Offline 45-110

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Re: Grinding back a breech plug face
« Reply #1 on: Today at 12:29:12 AM »
Just taper their cut into a enlarged tapered funnel, they way many where done.

Online rfd

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Re: Grinding back a breech plug face
« Reply #2 on: Today at 12:31:23 AM »
Just taper their cut into a enlarged tapered funnel, they way many where done.

Yep, I've done that near a dozen times, but that's not as good or proper as a flat faced breech plug.

"To err is human - I get to prove my humanity on almost a daily basis" ~ rfd.
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Online whetrock

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Re: Grinding back a breech plug face
« Reply #3 on: Today at 03:34:02 AM »
If you were to just cut the whole plug back, then it would no longer fill the threads in the breech. And that would leaves you with a dangerous fouling trap--basically a recessed ring all the way around the barrel just ahead of the plug. You don't want that. The threads on the plug should completely fill the threads in the breech. So, just widening the divot and smoothing out the step where the drill stopped so that there is no ledge is the normal course of action here.
« Last Edit: Today at 03:37:07 AM by whetrock »

Online rfd

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Re: Grinding back a breech plug face
« Reply #4 on: Today at 03:38:48 AM »
If you were to just cut the whole plug back, then it would no longer fill the threads in the breech. And that would leaves you with a dangerous fouling trap--basically a recessed ring all the way around the barrel just ahead of the plug. You don't want that. The threads on the plug should completely fill the threads in the breech. So, just widening the divot and smoothing out the step where the drill stopped so that there is no ledge is the normal course of action here.

Yup, 10-4, what I figured.  Been there, done that dremeling many times, thank you.

"To err is human - I get to prove my humanity on almost a daily basis" ~ rfd.
The only government I trust is my .45-70
Traditional Muzzleloading Association