Yep, the slightest bit of wear will change the allingment of the flats thus making the barrel likely to never fit right without major work. If you use the right lube and cleaner along with the proper proceedures, you'll never have to worry about removing the plug for cleaning.

 

Yep, the slightest bit of wear will change the allingment of the flats thus making the barrel likely to never fit right without major work. If you use the right lube and cleaner along with the proper proceedures, you'll never have to worry about removing the plug for cleaning.

There are people who remove the plug kind of oftehn (like yearly)...can usually tell they've done it by the loos fit of the plug OR the shim they used to bring it back to tight.

On a good plug, the shoulder of the p;ug will contact the end of the barrel at the same time the inside of the plut contacts a ledge in the barrel...it's a nice bit of calcualtion to get these two flats to come out dead flush AND the flats of the breech plug to line up.

Got to give me a reason to remove the plug. Are some guns that are desgined that the plugs are basically never removed (almost all double barrled shotguns)...and they seem to survive for 120-150years with no problem if they've been clenaed correctly (and I belive in the long hot soapy water process rather than the "squirt -n-wipe" modern cleaners).


If it tickles you to remove it, then get the right wrench...and be prrepared to so a bit of work to make up for the slack multiple removals/instalations is going to create.