Servicing the Remington Genesis Muzzleloader

Make no mistake about it. A clean, well-maintained blackpowder hunting rifle can mean more meat on the table in the same way that a clean, well-maintained target gun can mean more rounds in the X-ring. In many states, particularly those with high-density populations, hunters aren’t allowed to take game with anything but a blackpowder rifle. Even the type of blackpowder rifle is tightly controlled in some states.

Pennsylvania, for example, allows smokeless-powder rifles in some areas and restricts all blackpowder hunting to flintlock. Perhaps Pennsylvania’s lawmakers believe that the delayed ignition of the flintlock makes it more sporting than the speedier percussion cap. And maybe it is if you’re a whitetail deer. I’ve never heard any other reason for the restriction, and I’m not positive it hasn’t been eased as I write this.

But I believe a smart hunter going into any state for the first time will check out its hunting laws before packing his gear for the trip. So until I’m officially informed otherwise, I’m pretty sure the Genesis is outlawed and unwelcome in the Keystone State. And in one way, that’s too bad, because the Genesis is a very wellput-together rifle with some unique design features I’ve not seen in other muzzleloaders.

I believe it would be extremely accurate, but I’ll leave that determination to those in the business of publishing reports on accuracy. I did take a close look at lands and grooves. They were very sharply cut and very true, and would most certainly do a fine job of launching both .50-caliber saboted/lubed conical or patched round-ball projectiles. The swiftest among these would be 179grain ball.

Backed up with 110 grains Workmanship is above average, wood is handsome, and accuracy should be more than satisfactory in the rifle’s presently specified .50 caliber.

The single socket-head screw on the end of the Allen wrench (supplied) retains the components and secures the retainer to the breech block. The hole visible in the end of the plug accepts a #209 primer. Clean, lightly greased threads are crucial for easy removal and reinstallation of the plug. of FFG, the ball would exit the barrel at about 2,050 fps. The ball pales in muzzle energy, however, when compared to the 365-grain, flat-base lubed conical seated against 120 grains of FFG.

This combination produces 1,885 foot pounds of muzzle energy, which is a good 200 foot pounds more than the round ball. Ammunition and the Genesis To help your customers avoid mistakes in the ammunition department, you should know that there are only three types of powder that should be used in the Genesis’blackpowder, Pyrodex, or Triple Seven; and three types of bullets’t he saboted conical, the lubed conical, and the patched round ball.

The sabot conical engages the rifling even in cases where the projectile may be slightly smaller than bore diameter. The sabot is self-lubricating. Never use additional lube when shooting saboted projectiles, and never use a sabot when the projectile is around ball. The sabot isn’t designed for around ball, and can separate from the powder charge to create a dangerous air gap in the barrel. With a lubed conical bullet, the projectile itself engages the rifling to create a gas seal and impart spin.

A patch or sabot should never be used with a lubricated conical, but any bullet not used with a sabot should be lubricated. The greased patch and the round ball always travel together. In this case, the patch provides both the seal and contacts the rifling for rotation. These rules generally apply to all in-line muzzleloaders. Is It Loaded or Not? After the American Revolution and the Civil War, hundreds if not thousands of muskets and rifles recovered from battlefields were found to contain double charges.

Usually, the reason for this was attributed to the sheer panic of combat. After all, the citizen soldiers didn’t receive a whole lot of training in those days, and things got pretty hot for outfits like the Colonial Volunteers on Bunker Hill and, much later, for the former fishermen, farmers, and lumberjacks who made up the 20th Maine Infantry on Little Round Top during the battle of Gettysburg. While a hunter might not actually panic, excitement can still lead to carelessness during a hunt.

The best way to determine if a muzzleloader is loaded is to start with a rifle you’re sure is empty. Drop the ramrod down the bore until it bottoms out, and mark the rod even with the end of the muzzle. After that, if the mark is an inch or more above the muzzle, you can be certain there’s something lurking deep inside the barrel. Most often, what lurks is a projectile with a charge of blackpowder behind it. (Don’t ever pound on such an obstruction. As you know, the powder is sensitive to impact.

Or if you didn’t know, you’re likely to find that out quickly and painfully.) In the old days (and sometimes even today, depending on the circumstances), removing a charge meant getting down inside the bore with a worm rig on a sturdy rod, turning the worm into the lead slug, and pulling it out via the muzzle. That takes care of the bullet, but the powder remains in the gun. This has to be killed by drowning’and I don’t mean a quick dip. Blackpowder is classified as an explosive.

It must be thoroughly soaked in order to deactivate it. And it must be kept thoroughly soaked before and during any attempt to clear it out of a barrel. Clearing a Double Charge Always work with the safety on, as you should with any rifle. Loosen the forend screw and remove the ramrod. Turn the rifle upside down. With the supplied Allen wrench, which fits all screw sockets involved here, completely back out the forend screw and the two takedown screws to its rear.

A Rear Stock (AW composite) (finished) B Fore Stock (AW composite) (finished) C Ramrod Retaining Spring Screw D Ramrod Retaining Spring E Barrel Assembly (kit) (length 28") .50 Cal. Perc. (twist 1-28") E Barrel Assembly (finished) (length 28") .50 Cal. Perc.

Blued (twist 1-28") F Plug Screw (4) G Rear Sight H Front Sight I Rear and Front Sight Screw (3) J Breech Plug K Ramrod Thimble (2) L Ramrod Thimble Screw (4) M Sling Swivel Stud – Front Nut N Sling Swivel Stud – Front O Forend Stock Screw P Frame (aluminum) (blued) Separate the forend from the barrel and the barrel from the receiver. After being certain the breech-plug percussion-cap hole is clear and, with the muzzle pointing upwards, submerge the breech end of the barrel in a pail of hot water.

Fill the bore with more hot water. Wait at least 30 minutes, and if you get distracted and lose track of the time, wait another 30 minutes.

It takes a full 30 to saturate and safely kill a Q Breech Block Pin R Clic – Breech Block S Clic – Breech Block Spring T Clic Pin U Trigger Guard Pin V Frame Barrel Screw (2) W Breech Block X Breech Block Screw Y Firing Pin Z Firing Pin Spring AA Firing Pin Retainer BB Pistol Grip Cap CC Pistol Grip Cap Screw DD Sling Swivel Stud – Rear EE Buttpad FF Buttpad Screw (2) GG Tang Screw HH Tang Screw Washer II Hammer powder charge.

You can gain some additional "saturation insurance" if you remove the breech plug prior to placing the breech into the pail of water. I’m going to assume a less than cheerful scenario. The breech plug won’t budge. A special wrench is supplied with the Genesis to undo it, but a stuck plug is a good indication the rifle has been neglected.

A longer Remington Genesis In-Line Muzzleloading Rifle (Specifications subject to change without notice) JJ Hammer Handle KK Hammer Mainspring LL Hammer Antagonist Spring MM Hammer Pin NN Trigger OO Trigger Pin PP Trigger Guard QQ Trigger Guard Spring RR Pin SS Trigger Guard Screw TT Safety UU Safety Pin VV Ramrod 28" (aluminum) WW Ramrod Tip .50 Cal (aluminum) XX Ramrod Assembly YY Wrench ZZ Wrench Handle AB Allen Wrench length of rod than the one provided might give you more leverage to get the plug moving, but you’ll probably have to douse it with penetrating oil.

If you win the battle, return the barrel breech to a fresh pail of hot water. Use a brush and Remington Express Concentrate (recommended in the owner’s manual) to clean its threads and those in the barrel. Wipe both dry with one or two cleaning patches be-

A " The pin retaining the plunger and its spring is visible at "B." fore applying grease sparingly to each area individually. Once the plug is removed, you can attack what remains in the barrel from two directions as long as you keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. One way to do this is to insert the ramrod with cleaning jag attached into the muzzle. Push the projectile and what remains of the powder out the rear of the barrel.

If that doesn’t do the trick, try flushing out any residual powder in the breech with hot water. Then insert the ramrod through the breech and gently push everything out the muzzle. Now it’s time for some serious final cleaning. After attaching the jag end to the ramrod, place a clean patch that’s been soaked with high-quali- Right and far For reasons explained in the text, no repairs can be made to the mechanism. If repairs are required, the entire assembly must be replaced.

Bty solvent on the jag and insert the rod in the bore. Swab from breech to muzzle with short strokes. Using the same technique, do it again and again with fresh, dry patches until the last one comes out clean. Finally, one more patch, this one dabbed with Rem Oil or equivalent, should be shortstroked through to condition and coat the bore. What do you do if you lose the war with the breech plug?

Gracefully accept defeat and resign yourself to going at the double charge via the muzzle with a worm or bullet puller, then continuing on with the swabbing, cleaning, and lubricating. What’s a Torch Cam? I’ve never seen a similar feature on any other in-line blackpowder gun. The hammer on this rifle rebounds after striking the cam assembly (which resembles a breech block and houses the firing-pin assembly), never to near it again until it’s fully cocked and the trigger is pulled.

The Torch Cam is never removed from the receiver, but good design work has ensured that it’s easy to clean the firing pin group it houses. Place a finger over the back plate (firing-pin retainer) of the cam. Undo the screw shown in the photo. Easing off on the retainer will let the firingcontinued on page 22)

pin spring push the pin and retainer to the rear for removal. When you reinstall the assembly in the cam, the firing pin goes in first, then the spring. And make sure you line up the hole in the retainer with the hole in the cam’s mounting arm before turning in the screw. Another little detail: Just over the word "Remington" in the front edge of the torch cam’s locking cut in the receiver, you’ll see the tip of a rounded pin. This is the breech block locking detent.

It’s important to include the detent and its recess in your cleaning process, so if it seems sluggish, spray a little solvent inside and repeatedly push the detent into the receiver until it moves back and forth freely. The detent is powered by its own spring, also housed in the receiver walls, which can be removed for replacement in the event it becomes weakened or broken. The spring and detent are both retained by a pin clearly visible on the upper right-hand side of the receiver.

The pin is knurled and has to be drifted inward. I suggest you not drive it clear through’only far enough to free the spring and detent. What’s Missing Here? A good exploded diagram, that’s what. Maybe you’ve noticed that the schematics found in owner’s manuals (and subsequently published here) have been declining in quality lately. That’s because owner’s manuals used to be prepared by people with training in the graphic arts.

Nowadays, training is not necessary, and a "graphic designer" is anyone with a computer, a scanner, and few pieces of software. As a result, those beautiful black and white line drawings produced by the engineers in the design department are being scanned, not as line art, but as halftone (grayscale) photographs by computer weenies who don’t know the difference. And so, instead of reproducing the crisp black lines of the original drawing, we get a photograph of the drawing made up of fuzzy black dots.

But forget about trying to educate a computer weenie; they already know everything. Fortunately, in this case, the rifle is simple enough in its design that the photos will guide you through servicing and disassembly, even if the drawing is difficult to decipher. And the trigger assembly’perhaps the simplest one you’ll ever encounter’is made even simpler by virtue of the fact that you can’t repair it. How simple is it? The photos on page 6 will give a pretty good idea.

And if you look closely at the actual trigger assembly once you’ve removed it from the receiver, you’ll notice there are only a few parts’s prings, hammer, and cross pins among them’t hat are made of metal. Of course, this doesn’t really matter, because if anything ever goes awry with the trigger assembly of a Genesis, there’s only one thing you can do, which is to clean it. If that doesn’t solve your problem, you’ll have to call Remington (or perhaps Brownells) and order a complete replacement.

There are no exceptions to this, I’m afraid; you simply can’t acquire individual parts for the firing mechanism of this rifle. I