My buddy gave me a CVA Bobcat that was still loaded.  The breach plug was stripped and nipple broken off so when it was tried to be unloaded.  What should be done with it?

Try pulling the ball from the muzzle?
Soak the bore with oil for a few days before.

The problem is now the nipple is snapped off the the breech plug piece is stripped and won tfit in the tang.

First you need to make the barrel safe.
Pull the ball and clear out the powder.
If you can't get the breach plug out its got to come out the muzzle.

Cut the breech plug tang off flat. Drill a hole thru it. Use a reverse thread EZ out in the breach plug. Soak the breach plug threads with Liquid Wrench or other penetrating oil before hand. Might use a torch to heat the thread end as you twist on it.  

I highly recommend you do NOT drill on a barrel with a live charge in it.

I don't recommend putting a torch to the breechplug of a loaded gun either!!!
As crazy as it sounds, boiling is the safest way to apply heat to a muzzleloader to unstick parts. I just did it yesterday on a buddy's inline to free the breechplug. Soak it in a 50/50 mix of acetone and Dexron ATF for a few days(this will soak the powder charge) and then drill the hole for the EZ-out. Then boil it for at least an hour with the breech submerged by several inches. Put it in the vise and put the EZ-out to it with a breaker bar and it should come loose. Then EZ-out the nipple. Replacement breech plugs are out there.

Pull the charge with a wood screw welded to the end of a long rod with a slide hammer on it.


If that doesn't work, put a drill on the end of a pilot'd rod and drill the bullet and load out.





Once it's unloaded, chuck it up in a lathe and bore the breech plug out while cutting in reverse. At some point the plug (or the remaining threads) will break loose and you'll be left with threads you can clean up with a tap.





As for the nipple, just drill it out by using gradually increasing drills until you're at the minor diameter of the threads. CVA nipples are a 6x1mm thread, unless its been retapped at some point, so your minor diameter will be a 5mm drill, which is about halfway between 3/16" and 13/64". If you can, use a left handed 3/16" drill bit, which should also get the remaining threads to back out.





After that, mill and thread a new breach plug, install a new nipple and you're good to go.



Edit: Alternately, send it to me, I've been looking for a donor barrel to make a 8" volley gun from

DO NOT REMOVE CVA SIDELOCK BREECH PLUGS.

Also,

DO NOT REMOVE CVA SIDELOCK NIPPLE DRUMS.


If you do remove them do not put them back together.  The entire barrel assembly (plug, chamber, channel) are drilled out and tapped with everything installed.

Well.  I found out that CVA sold all existing parts to a company and they don't sell the breach plug or drum separately. They do sell the barrel with the plug and drum installed.  Going to just go with that route.

You may have to widen the cut for the barrel tennon, so order a safe edge file I'd you don't have one.  And the barrels usually come in the white, so pick your favorite finish now.

Also, when you get the barrel DO NOT TAKE THE DRUM OUT.  It's a pain in the ass to get it back in completely correct.  If the hammer and nipple don't line up, put a torch to the hammer and bend it to fit.

I don't think its possible to get any parts for it now, is it?

I was always leery of CVA sidelock guns, maybe a fault on my part- but there were other manufacturers with better quality.

I'd saw off the barrel right ahead of the drum (since that area is stripped).  Buy another breechplug and have the barrel tapped for it.  Inlet it.  Then determine where the nipple goes. That determines where the drum goes.  Drill & tap for drum and then install.