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THE US 1861 “CLEAN-OUT” SCREW
By Craig L Barry
Figure (1) US 1861 clean-out screw snapped off [1]
Figure (2) US 1861 clean-out screw slot damaged [2]
Figure (3) US 1861 with clean-out screw undamaged [3]
More black powder muskets have been ruined by neglect than all other reasons combined. Cleaning and oiling your musket is necessary to both preserve it and to continue to use it safely. The popular and widely used reproduction US 1861 rifle-musket requires some additional steps where this is concerned. The so-called “clean-out” screw has to be periodically removed, oiled and then screwed back in to the bolster, with extra care taken not to over tighten it. This somewhat contradicts the original manual, Rules for the Management and Cleaning of the Rifle-Musket Model 1855 for the use of Soldiers with Descriptive Plates, of which the US Model 1861 was considered an updated version. The only other manual was updated for the US Model 1863. It states under Preservation of Arms in Service:
“The soldier should never dismount the guard, side-screw, washers, butt-plate, rear-sight, cone seat screw and cone, except when an officer considers it necessary. The breech-screw should be taken out only by an armorer (gunsmith), and never in ordinary cleaning. The lock should not be taken apart, nor the bayonet clasp taken off, except when absolutely necessary in the opinion of an officer. If proper and regular care be taken of the arm, this will be very seldom necessary.” [4]
The Officers Manual is worded exactly the same except in the section directly afterwards under “Taking the Arm to Pieces” the removal of the cone-seat (a/k/a “clean-out”) screw is step 12, right after unscrewing the cone. What is clear from all this is that the US Ordnance Department did not intend for the soldier in the field to remove the clean-out screws when they cleaned and maintained their US Model rifle-musket, but rather should that be necessary, an officer or probably non-commissioned officer was to perform that step. Why? One obvious reason is because if the clean-out screw was dropped in the grass during field maintenance by the soldier, the weapon was effectively out of commission.
Figures (1) (2) and (3) show three US Springfield Armory produced Model 1861 rifle-muskets from the same year of production. In figure (1) it is appears that the clean-out screw became stuck and during an attempt to remove it the screw head broke clean off. There is no evidence that the rifle-musket was taken out of service or any replacement of the broken part was attempted. Hence, the US 1861 could apparently be satisfactorily cleaned and fired without ever removing the clean-out screw. In figure (2), the clean-out screw again appears stuck in the bolster, and the screw head is chewed up from unsuccessful attempts to remove it. This is often found on surviving originals that saw heavy use suggesting that difficulty in the removal of this part was a common problem. Figure (3) shows a pristine clean-out screw maintained in “as issued” condition. This suggests it was regularly removed, oiled and replaced during the service life of this particular US 1861 rifle-musket, which appears to have seen relatively light use. The clean-out screw is still easily removed and replaced most likely because it was never over-tightened.
Since there are clearly established rules in place for the original US Model 1855 & 1861 during the Civil War-era, what are the implications for the “management and cleaning” of modern reproductions used for historic weapons demos and Civil War (re)enactments? [5] Should the cleaning procedure be the same? There are several points to consider here. First, the use of black powder blank rounds results in more fouling in the bore and bolster than live firing with ammunition. Also, Union Civil War soldiers were issued what were called Williams patent “cleaner bullets.” The concept was that firing the cleaner bullet would remove excess residue from the lands and grooves of the rifling in the bore. Whether they were actually used by soldiers is another question, but even firing a regular hollow base conical minie ball removes more fouling than repeated firing with black powder blanks. [6]
Another important difference is that modern (re)enactors lack Ordnance officers and Armorers in camp to assist if the weapon becomes unserviceable. The point is what worked for the soldier of 150 years ago does not provide the same results in the modern-era. In fact, the US Model 1861 reproduction has a well-deserved reputation for misfires for this very reason (and a few others). [7] The best possible solution is as follows:
1. Put a folded patch or small piece of wood between the hammer and percussion cone to plug it.
2. Remove the clean-out screw and put it in your tin cup for safe keeping.
3. Run a stream of hot, soapy water through the bore. It will exit out the flash channel.
4. Use a vent pick and patch to clear any black powder fouling from the flash channel.
5. Put a drop of oil or grease on the threads of the clean-out screw and replace it “thumb tight.”
6. Continue field cleaning the rest of the weapon as you would otherwise. [8]
Then, upon returning home from the weekend event, a more thorough cleaning of the bolster area can be performed with the barrel dismounted from the stock and placed in a pail of soapy water. The flash channel and percussion cone should be reamed out with pipe cleaners to remove any accumulation of fouling missed during field cleaning. This should greatly reduce misfires. There are several variables that cause misfires which can’t be controlled like dud percussion caps, etc. However, the overwhelming number of misfires from reproduction US 1861s can be eliminated by keeping the flash channel completely clean and free of fouling. On the other hand, failure to do so can lead to a hardened cake of residue building up that completely blocks the flash channel and will require a professional gunsmith to remedy by removing the blockage with power tools.
NOTES
1. Image courtesy photo collection of Curt-Heinrich Schmidt.
2. Image courtesy previously sold item, Cowan’s Auctions (May 2, 2007)
3. Image courtesy collection of the author: Note how the clean-out screw head is slightly raised above the bolster to provide greater depth to the slot. The reproductions do not capture this nuance correctly and the screw heads are flush with the bolster.
4. Erskine S. Allin, Rules for the Management and Cleaning of the Rifle-Musket Model 1855 for the use of Soldiers with Descriptive Plates, US Government Printing Office (Washington, DC), 1862, p. 19. It is true there is no original period manual for the US 1861 specifically. This manual never existed it is a complete fabrication by me. New descriptive plates were sketched and I produced a “new manual for US Model 1861” which was published by the Blockade Runner in 2009 (www.blockaderunner.com). See section under books and manuals. The information is mostly the same except for the steps involving the Maynard tape primer.
5. The US Model 1861 evolved from the earlier US 1855 design which used the Maynard tape primer system. It was a disadvantage not an advantage. Note, the "improved" US Model 1863 and later models did away with the clean-out screw, as did Colt with his Special Model of 1861.
6. See Dean S. Thomas, Round Ball to Rim Fire Part I, Thomas Publications (Gettysburg, PA). Also, quite a few relic “cleaner bullets” are found on Civil War battlefields in a cluster, suggesting they were discarded or dropped by soldiers rather than used as intended.
7. Craig L. Barry, The Civil War Musket: A Handbook for Historical Accuracy, Watchdog Publications (Warren, MI) 2005. There is a chapter dedicated to the various design differences between the original US 1861 Model rifle-muskets and the currently available reproductions. There are quite a few differences, actually.
8. It is also recommended that you carry a spare “clean-out” screw in the implements pouch of your cartridge box, in case you should drop or otherwise lose this part during cleaning.
By Craig L Barry
Figure (1) US 1861 clean-out screw snapped off [1]
Figure (2) US 1861 clean-out screw slot damaged [2]
Figure (3) US 1861 with clean-out screw undamaged [3]
“The soldier should never dismount the guard, side-screw, washers, butt-plate, rear-sight, cone seat screw and cone, except when an officer considers it necessary. The breech-screw should be taken out only by an armorer (gunsmith), and never in ordinary cleaning. The lock should not be taken apart, nor the bayonet clasp taken off, except when absolutely necessary in the opinion of an officer. If proper and regular care be taken of the arm, this will be very seldom necessary.” [4]
The Officers Manual is worded exactly the same except in the section directly afterwards under “Taking the Arm to Pieces” the removal of the cone-seat (a/k/a “clean-out”) screw is step 12, right after unscrewing the cone. What is clear from all this is that the US Ordnance Department did not intend for the soldier in the field to remove the clean-out screws when they cleaned and maintained their US Model rifle-musket, but rather should that be necessary, an officer or probably non-commissioned officer was to perform that step. Why? One obvious reason is because if the clean-out screw was dropped in the grass during field maintenance by the soldier, the weapon was effectively out of commission.
Figures (1) (2) and (3) show three US Springfield Armory produced Model 1861 rifle-muskets from the same year of production. In figure (1) it is appears that the clean-out screw became stuck and during an attempt to remove it the screw head broke clean off. There is no evidence that the rifle-musket was taken out of service or any replacement of the broken part was attempted. Hence, the US 1861 could apparently be satisfactorily cleaned and fired without ever removing the clean-out screw. In figure (2), the clean-out screw again appears stuck in the bolster, and the screw head is chewed up from unsuccessful attempts to remove it. This is often found on surviving originals that saw heavy use suggesting that difficulty in the removal of this part was a common problem. Figure (3) shows a pristine clean-out screw maintained in “as issued” condition. This suggests it was regularly removed, oiled and replaced during the service life of this particular US 1861 rifle-musket, which appears to have seen relatively light use. The clean-out screw is still easily removed and replaced most likely because it was never over-tightened.
Since there are clearly established rules in place for the original US Model 1855 & 1861 during the Civil War-era, what are the implications for the “management and cleaning” of modern reproductions used for historic weapons demos and Civil War (re)enactments? [5] Should the cleaning procedure be the same? There are several points to consider here. First, the use of black powder blank rounds results in more fouling in the bore and bolster than live firing with ammunition. Also, Union Civil War soldiers were issued what were called Williams patent “cleaner bullets.” The concept was that firing the cleaner bullet would remove excess residue from the lands and grooves of the rifling in the bore. Whether they were actually used by soldiers is another question, but even firing a regular hollow base conical minie ball removes more fouling than repeated firing with black powder blanks. [6]
Another important difference is that modern (re)enactors lack Ordnance officers and Armorers in camp to assist if the weapon becomes unserviceable. The point is what worked for the soldier of 150 years ago does not provide the same results in the modern-era. In fact, the US Model 1861 reproduction has a well-deserved reputation for misfires for this very reason (and a few others). [7] The best possible solution is as follows:
1. Put a folded patch or small piece of wood between the hammer and percussion cone to plug it.
2. Remove the clean-out screw and put it in your tin cup for safe keeping.
3. Run a stream of hot, soapy water through the bore. It will exit out the flash channel.
4. Use a vent pick and patch to clear any black powder fouling from the flash channel.
5. Put a drop of oil or grease on the threads of the clean-out screw and replace it “thumb tight.”
6. Continue field cleaning the rest of the weapon as you would otherwise. [8]
Then, upon returning home from the weekend event, a more thorough cleaning of the bolster area can be performed with the barrel dismounted from the stock and placed in a pail of soapy water. The flash channel and percussion cone should be reamed out with pipe cleaners to remove any accumulation of fouling missed during field cleaning. This should greatly reduce misfires. There are several variables that cause misfires which can’t be controlled like dud percussion caps, etc. However, the overwhelming number of misfires from reproduction US 1861s can be eliminated by keeping the flash channel completely clean and free of fouling. On the other hand, failure to do so can lead to a hardened cake of residue building up that completely blocks the flash channel and will require a professional gunsmith to remedy by removing the blockage with power tools.
NOTES
1. Image courtesy photo collection of Curt-Heinrich Schmidt.
2. Image courtesy previously sold item, Cowan’s Auctions (May 2, 2007)
3. Image courtesy collection of the author: Note how the clean-out screw head is slightly raised above the bolster to provide greater depth to the slot. The reproductions do not capture this nuance correctly and the screw heads are flush with the bolster.
4. Erskine S. Allin, Rules for the Management and Cleaning of the Rifle-Musket Model 1855 for the use of Soldiers with Descriptive Plates, US Government Printing Office (Washington, DC), 1862, p. 19. It is true there is no original period manual for the US 1861 specifically. This manual never existed it is a complete fabrication by me. New descriptive plates were sketched and I produced a “new manual for US Model 1861” which was published by the Blockade Runner in 2009 (www.blockaderunner.com). See section under books and manuals. The information is mostly the same except for the steps involving the Maynard tape primer.
5. The US Model 1861 evolved from the earlier US 1855 design which used the Maynard tape primer system. It was a disadvantage not an advantage. Note, the "improved" US Model 1863 and later models did away with the clean-out screw, as did Colt with his Special Model of 1861.
6. See Dean S. Thomas, Round Ball to Rim Fire Part I, Thomas Publications (Gettysburg, PA). Also, quite a few relic “cleaner bullets” are found on Civil War battlefields in a cluster, suggesting they were discarded or dropped by soldiers rather than used as intended.
7. Craig L. Barry, The Civil War Musket: A Handbook for Historical Accuracy, Watchdog Publications (Warren, MI) 2005. There is a chapter dedicated to the various design differences between the original US 1861 Model rifle-muskets and the currently available reproductions. There are quite a few differences, actually.
8. It is also recommended that you carry a spare “clean-out” screw in the implements pouch of your cartridge box, in case you should drop or otherwise lose this part during cleaning.
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