This project begins with a 5/8" X 18 grade 8 bolt.







After the head of the bolt is cut off, it was trimmed, and squared to a length about 0.020" longer than a OEM CVA plug.







Then a rebate is made in the end of the plug, so it can marry with the barrel.







One of the reasons to make a CVA plug, is so one can make a 'powder pocket'. A powder pocket seems to provide more reliable ignition using BH209.













Then the flash channel was drilled with an eighth inch drill.








Now is the time during the making of this breech plug i get nervous. The plan here is drill a flash hole with a #69 drill through about 3/16" of hardened steel. If the drill sticks, and breaks, all the previous work is for naught.







It is just wonderful when it works. Now i set out to form the primer pocket. A good reason to make a breech plug is so one can adjust the depth of the primer pocket, and the length of the breech plug, so one gets a little 'crush' of the primer of choice. If the crush is done correctly, there will be no blow by.









The length of the OEM plug and an STS primer is 1.289".









My goal is to make the length of this breech plug with primer inserted longer than the equivalent measurement of the OEM plug. One can't make this length too long, or the rifle won't go into battery. If the length is too short, there will be no 'crush'. Different rifles, and different primers require different lengths, so coming to the correct length is a guess and by golly situation.















I can't know if the 1.311" length will work in my rifle without trying it. If it is too long, the powder end can be sanded shorter. It isn't very likely it will be too short, because it is longer than the OEM plug, but if it is too short, going to a longer primer may be the fix. If it is too short for all primers, then an O-ring can be used. More work needs to be done, before a trial, but i am tired, so the work and testing will have to wait.

WOW you have some talent. I can not work in metal. Now wood is something else. But when I work with metal I can guarantee nothing will be centered or straight.

ronlaughlin

Great project and it is really neat that you have the talent and the tools to complete this project... wish I did.

I have a couple of comments, I somewhat disagree with your thought about the powder needed to ignite BH. I think you already no I usually go the opposite direction and install the 'flash hole' at the end of the breech plug. I prefer using the inverted cone shape of the Lehigh Vent liner for the project. The inverted cone is important in reducing the blow back pressure from entering the breech plug and up against the face of the primer.

I have been using using a converted breech plug in a couple of my ML's for some time now. Shooting BH with it is not a problem even using a older Remington 209-4 primer, which I believe is the coolest primer that i know of. I also use Win T7 primers and routinely use Win W209 primers.

This is what my conversion looks like



If you look at the last picture in the display you can see the Knight brrech plug is a lot longer than the CVA plug.

Do you have any Lehigh vent liners? If you do and sometime if you in the mood make one of your plugs but install the liner on the end and see if it works as well for you as it does for me.

Here are a couple of CVA plugs that I converted some time back... The one on the right is my best theory. And then if you add your abilty to head space the plug (which I did not do) it would IMO be a great CVA plug.

Western Powders is besides themselves with the problems that are inheirent to the CVA plug. To the point that they alter CVA plugs and pass them on to CVA users so that they might get a more reliable BH shooting CVA.




This drawing kinda explains my theory... but you know theories they are normally good and justified to the person that presents the theory



Hope some of this makes sense to somebody other than myself....

mike

sabotloader

You are giving me too much credit, if you think i have a theory or a thought about igniting powder. I am just a copy cat. That CVA plug i am working on, is just a copy of the Omega plug. My Omega(s) work perfectly using BH209. So, to make the CVA a BH209 shooter, i just make a copy. So far so good; 100% ignition with BH209. When it gets below zero here later on this winter, My Accura will be sitting loaded, and dirty, over night in the cab of my pick-up. This will be the true test, and if the Accura works then, i will gain a lot of confidence.

ronlaughlin

I understood that you were running a copy of the Omega plug, i have modified a couple of those also adding a Lehigh vent liner. And then I went back and altered another one by putting a ventliner in and then drilling it for a 25 acp cartridge. The 25 acp using a regular small rifle primer ignites BH also without a problem good weather or bad weather...








This is the one that drilled out for a 25 acp