The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post

Captchee · August 4, 2014, 09:23 AM

First let me say the Bill Brockway has a very good book on making SXS shotguns from scratch .
Bill covers everything from making locks to making breech plugs that will be fit to old breech loading barrels so as to convert them to muzzle loading application
Recreating the Double Barrel Muzzleloading Shotgun,
by William R. Brockway.
When Bill first wrote this book , I jumped right in for a signed copy .and immediately began a review and build . Since then I bet I have built , 20 , maybe 30 SXS and I still go back to the book to reference. So if your thinking of doing the work yourself , get bills book .

When it comes to taking the original plugs out . You best fit the barrel to a proper SXS barrel jig or your likely to twist the barrels apart .
There also is the possibility that the reason this SXS was built this way is that someone could not get the original plugs out Not to mention that if the threads don’t go all the way to the bottom on the right hand barrel , they may very well have left the breech un drilled for that reason ???? I don’t know , just guessing frankly ,when it comes to that .

Ok past that . . Making new plugs of the type you have ,isn’t all that hard . Its just time consuming . Even if you have a lathe. . Then after turning , you have a lot of file work not only to make the hooks but to also shape the right hand plug so that it carries the center rib and wraps partially around the left plug . Again Bill covers how to do all that .
But making the plugs in the way seen in Belgium and Birmingham , IE what you have , is much more drawn out then using say a Germanic style .
The barrels when finished will look the same while in the stock . Its just when you take the barrels out , you will see that the breech plugs are shaped differently .

At this point , this is what I would tell you to do .
Take your barrels and plugs to a gunsmith . Not gist any gunsmith but one that’s familiar with muzzle loading guns . They also need to be an Actual Gunsmith , not a parts assembler as you may want them to do the work for you .

Also because they actually have the barrels in hand , they can better discern why this piece was done this way , then I can clear across the country. Not to mention by actually looking at the barrels first hand , one would be able to tell as to if the breech area of the barrels are welded up and thus the breeching lines Faux as you stated OR possibly actual joints as I suspect . .

But know up front this . Chances are that re breaching this piece with proper plugs , is most likely going to cost you more then what you paid for it or what its worth .
It is a .410 so you have that going for you . But she also is a Belgium .

August 4, 2014, 09:23 AM	#49
Captchee Senior Member Join Date: April 2, 2013 Posts: 439	First let me say the Bill Brockway has a very good book on making SXS shotguns from scratch . Bill covers everything from making locks to making breech plugs that will be fit to old breech loading barrels so as to convert them to muzzle loading application Recreating the Double Barrel Muzzleloading Shotgun, by William R. Brockway. When Bill first wrote this book , I jumped right in for a signed copy .and immediately began a review and build . Since then I bet I have built , 20 , maybe 30 SXS and I still go back to the book to reference. So if your thinking of doing the work yourself , get bills book . When it comes to taking the original plugs out . You best fit the barrel to a proper SXS barrel jig or your likely to twist the barrels apart . There also is the possibility that the reason this SXS was built this way is that someone could not get the original plugs out Not to mention that if the threads don’t go all the way to the bottom on the right hand barrel , they may very well have left the breech un drilled for that reason ???? I don’t know , just guessing frankly ,when it comes to that . Ok past that . . Making new plugs of the type you have ,isn’t all that hard . Its just time consuming . Even if you have a lathe. . Then after turning , you have a lot of file work not only to make the hooks but to also shape the right hand plug so that it carries the center rib and wraps partially around the left plug . Again Bill covers how to do all that . But making the plugs in the way seen in Belgium and Birmingham , IE what you have , is much more drawn out then using say a Germanic style . The barrels when finished will look the same while in the stock . Its just when you take the barrels out , you will see that the breech plugs are shaped differently . At this point , this is what I would tell you to do . Take your barrels and plugs to a gunsmith . Not gist any gunsmith but one that’s familiar with muzzle loading guns . They also need to be an Actual Gunsmith , not a parts assembler as you may want them to do the work for you . Also because they actually have the barrels in hand , they can better discern why this piece was done this way , then I can clear across the country. Not to mention by actually looking at the barrels first hand , one would be able to tell as to if the breech area of the barrels are welded up and thus the breeching lines Faux as you stated OR possibly actual joints as I suspect . . But know up front this . Chances are that re breaching this piece with proper plugs , is most likely going to cost you more then what you paid for it or what its worth . It is a .410 so you have that going for you . But she also is a Belgium .