I clean the flash hole with a welding tip cleaner several different size small rasps.. It works great on the flash hole.

If you have a drill holder you can spin the drill. Otherwise hold the drill with pliers/vice grips, and spin the breech plug.

I missed the part that you didn't get an 1/8" drill in it.

OK. Back from the shop again with success. Got the 7/64 and then the 1/8 drill in and cleaned out the passage. That build-up was hard and I was worried that I would be taking metal before. Going after it with a little more confidence and determination got it done.

Muley Hunter- I understood. Bought some Hornady bullets to try just for that reason and they go in the barrel pretty firm but I already had the mis-fire troubles. Didn't think to try sabots. Now that I got the breech plug clean I can get on with it. Got to get to the range now.

I bought the soaker jar with the basket and took someone else's advise to use Carburator cleaner spray can. Neither of these touched it or even softened the crud. Should I be soaking it in Hoppe's instead?

When I get to the range, I will still use the shotgun primer, BH209, no swabbing, with Federal bullets and also the Hornady bullets. The federals are easy to keep loading without cleaning, I will have to see if the hornady's will keep loading or not.

Is there something to the comment earlier about a breech plug being modified for BH209?

The breech plug may have been the problem all along. I read your first post about using a drill, and assumed you had it clean.

The Feds will probably work ok now, but it still wouldn't be my choice for elk. Deer maybe, but not elk.

Here is another choice. The 300gr will work great on elk.

https://www.thorbullets.com/

I would definitely modify your plug. But in the mean time no swabbing and federal209A primers should work fine.

This is a well known problem and isnt just BH209 specific. Long term use of 209 primers will leave a hard deposit if not cleaned properly after use. Many people just assume its the metal. Mags leave more carbon in the channel than non mag primers.

The same thing happened to me with my first Knight Rifle. I assumed the channel was clean and it wasnt.

The typical modification is made by enlarging the flash channel to 5/32 and replacing the flash HOLE with a Savage type vent liner. Sometimes the vent liner is slightly recessed in the breach plug to create a small "pocket" for the powder. It also brings the powder a little closer to the primer.


Vent liners are around $3-5 each and you simply replace them when the hole reaches .035 or more. It beats the heck out of buying a new plug. The larger flash channel takes longer to fill with carbon and reduces pressure to the primer when fired.
Plug on left has the vent liner mod


It looks like this from the top.

I wouldn't worry about modifying your BP. That buildup was your problem. Just from now on take that 1/8 bit to it every 10 shots that you are using BH. As I said before, that's the ONLY drawback I've found with using BH but it is sure a hell of a lot better than dealing with that crud ring from T7 and the bore stays 10 times cleaner.

Apparently, you don't seem to realize ignition gas move up and around, escaping that seated bullet faster than the skirt engages upwards and motions that bullet upward.

It helps to explain why the Federal bullet was found on the ground 40 yards away. It also helps to cement more posting evidence on troubles that occur sometimes when conicals are used with Blackhorn.

The thread-starter specifically stated in his first post that things were OK using Pyrodex. That should have set-off some kind of powder-type warning bell with you initially, as it did me. I'm not saying his problems aren't compounded thou. He needs to address those other 1-2 issues too.

Also, I would like to know the size of his factory breechplug flash-hole. He states it's clear, but how big is it? Is it defective?

Shouldnt be , he said its a new gun with maybe 60 shots through out.

Uhhh Trip7, you must have missed post #23. His BP wasn't clear. He just didn't work the drill bit long enough. He finally got it clear now. It was so bad he couldn't even get the 1/8 bit in there and thought the channel was smaller it was so carbonized up. He got it clear now. BH is a hard powder to ignite and he needed every bit of that flash channel open.