Breech Plugs

[George F.]

Good Morning Everybody! After years of buying premium barrels with the breech plugs installed, I became over whelmed with the though of Buying a Green Mountain Barrel. Inspected the barrel by quickly giving it the "once over" and  proceeded  to fit my second breech plug in 15 years. I'm finding out again it's a pain and tedious job. I was wondering if the "Barrel Making Boys" fit those plugs when the barrel was still round then machined the flats, or are they extremely patient and high strung bunch of fellows, and fit all those plugs after the barrel was in profile? ...Geo.

[HistoricalArmsMaker]

I think Colerain and Rice plane their final run with the plug in because the grain seems identical. Getz probably does to, but Don could tell you better. But Green Mountain does not provide their barrels plug installed so its up to us to fit them by tedious time-consuming pain-in-the-arse patience!
Susie

[George F.]

Suzzie, I recently bought a 4 flute bottoming tap from a semi-local tool supply, and it doesn't have the full threads all the way to the end. The barrel was tapped as far as the bottoming tap bottomed out , but there's like 1/8"  in the plug hole that has no threads. What's the best thing to do. grind off the starter threads on the bottoming tap and finish the threads  in the hole, or taper the first row or two of threads on the plug to match the tap?

[ironwolf]

  I have taps ground square for that reason.
The GM barrels also need 1/8 inch cut from the breach end to put the plug face into the correct geometry, imho.
Kev

[don getz]

We always milled out a breech plug right on the barrel, after the barrel was finished.   We would take a piece of round
stock, turn it down and thread it, and screw it in, or fit it to the barrel.  I would then use the barrel to hold in the milliing
vise while I milled the plug out.   After it was milled, we would take it out, file all the edges, then put it back in, file the top
and bottom and more or less clean it up.  A lot of hand work, mostly filing, to do this, but it does make a good job....Don

[Dphariss]

I like fitting breech plugs.
Though the last 2 I made from round stock fit then till they contacted inside and out then machined the tang where I wanted it. Don't know its that much easier but I know its a better plug since the threads have less slop and they are made of better alloy than the available plugs.

Dan