HAWKEN Ceaning Plug?
 

I have a Hawken type percussion about 30 years old. With barrel removed from the stock, looking at the bottom there is a hook/tang. Just in front of this tang about an inch there is a joint/line. Is this last inch of barrel with tang something that I am suppose to unscrew for cleaning? I've just been immersing the butt into a containter of boiling hot water with a little dish soap with nipple removed and siphoning with a cleaning rod and patch. I do this of course from the muzzle end pulling the soapy water up thru the length of the barrel changing the water until its clean then oiling. Question again, is the bottom part of the barrel removable??:eek:

RE: HAWKEN Ceaning Plug?
 

I have heard that many years ago there was a tool that Thompson Center put out to remove the breech plug from the Hawkins rifles. I have never seen the tool. IN ALL THE 23 PLUS YEARS OF OWNING A THOMPSON CENTER RENEGADE I HAVE NEVER REMOVED THE BREECH PLUG AND I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND YOU DO. I have always cleaned the rifles with the hot water bath, some brushing of the bore, a little solvent, and then dry it and oil it....

RE: HAWKEN Ceaning Plug?
 

The breech plug CAN be removed, but it is not part of normal maintenance or cleaning. Actually I can't think of a good reason to remove it, unless you somehow damaged the plug or nipple area severely and wanted to keep your barrel. Some models do have a threaded hole with a plug in the breech plug area, that could have something to do with cleaning, but I have never found it necessary either.

RE: HAWKEN Ceaning Plug?
 

The tool you guys mentioned was made by T/C and may still be made. I had one years ago when I changed a percussion to flintlock.
I also agree that you shouldn't remove the plug. When I clean my flintlocks, I remove the barrel from the stock, set the barrel breech first in a bucket of hot soapy water for a min. or two, then take it out and remove the flash hole. Then put it back in the water, WET (I repeat - WET) a patch, place it over the muzzle and proceed to swab the bore out flushing the barrel with the soapy water for several mins. While I'm doing that, I have a pot of clean water boiling on the stove. I take the barrel outside and hang it by one of the ramrod barrels on a bent nail and pour the hot clean water down the muzzle flushing out the barrel. Caution barrel will be very hot.
Take it inside and run some patches through it. I dry, use #13 black power solvent, dry, until patches come out clean.
When I'm done I run a patch coated with bore butter through the barrel to prevent rust.
Don't use oil with black powder - the petroleum when combined with burning black powder is highly corrosive and results in a tar like buildup.

RE: HAWKEN Ceaning Plug?
 

===============================================

Bronko

1) Barrels get no cleaner with boiling water than they do with room-temperature water. I'm talkin' any blackpowder or blackpowder substitute.

2) When removing your stored rifle from it's safe to prepare it for shooting, you should always remove ANY oils (petroleum or water-soluble) from the bore. This can easily be done by using alky (denatured-isoprophyl) 70% or greater.

3) Bore Butter/Wonder Lube 1000 does not prevent rust in the bore. Read your label again. It states "barrel exterior". The word 'inhibit" means "discourage" or "cross your fingers cuz' it might rust"

RE: HAWKEN Ceaning Plug?
 

I use boiling water with a drop of detergent during cleaning. The reason I use boiling water is to get the barrel HOT. It then dries thoroughly with a couple of dry patches. After it's dry, but still hot, I run a patch with bore butter. I think the heat helps the lube coat the steel, like a cast-iron pan with oil. I do not get any rust, inside or out. I don't use any cleaner but the bit of detergent, T/C # 13 blackpowder solvent, and then the bore butter. Maybe rust would start in a super-humid environment.

For shooting, I run a dry patch to remove excess bore butter, fire a few caps, then load and shoot. I do not see any difference in point of impact from a clean barrel, so no fouling is needed.

RE: HAWKEN Ceaning Plug?
 

Norby, I've cleaned & lubed mine exactly the same way for almost 15 years...bores are still like mirrors today, as accurate as the day I bought them