Marksman Tip: Check Your Cleaning Rod Stop
Tom Trevor and Don Harpold found the following problem that can cause inaccuracy in your rifle. During the September 1999, outing of the Burbank Muzzle Loaders (primarily black powder cartridge shooters) it was noticed that Tom's .45-70 trapdoor rifle had a broken cleaning rod lock(stop). The cleaning rod stop is located in the forestock and held in place by the front band spring and stock recess. Under normal firing, the barrel is not touched by the stop. However, when the stop is broken as in the photograph, the firing recoil causes the rod to move forward which rotates the forward end of the stop up into the bottom of the barrel binding the barrel between the stop and the barrel band. This has been found to cause a drastic fall off in accuracy in rifles known to be accurate shooting arms.
At the annual September 1999 Springfield shoot, six rifles out of thirty-five had broken stops. It seems the stop would be one of the last things to consider if an accuracy problem develops, but it is something that should be checked. Guns with the broken stop seemed to perform much better after the stop was replaced.
For more infomation on the problem or the Burbank Shooting Club, please contact Tom Trevor at 818-360-9064 or Don Harpold at
Dwharpold@aol.com