1/16th touch hole

[Mike in FL]

Having a little trouble with pan flash on subsequent shots from my Pedersoli GPR. Only a thorough wash and dry and squirting alcohol through the liner from the inside, between shots guarantees a no-delay shot. So I started thinking and remembered an old article from Jim Chambers who advocated a liner that was coned on the inside, and another article in Muzzle Blasts recommending a 1/16th hole thru the liner. So I ordered a coned one from TOW. But, like the GPR, the hole is smaller than 1/16, so I'm gonna drill it out.
Here's my question for those who know: the comes liner was inexpensive but I don't want to screw it up. Should I put in in a vice to drill it, or just do it after installing it? I'm hoping to fix it so my second and subsequent shots won't need such cleaning in preparation. I've always cleaned between shots at the range with one wet and two dry, but in the woods not so much unless there is plenty of time. Nothing abnormal about my load. Thanks very much in advance.

 

[deerstalkert]

before replacing the liner try this, works for me.
i insert a pick as far into the flash channel as i can get it, then load. remove the pick and prime.
if i do this every time i never have a flash in the pan or a delay.
if you do swap out the liner, drill after you install it. chance of buggering up the threads if you do it in a vise. jm2cents

 

[SDSmlf]

What does the inside of your current liner look like, straight or chamfered? And what size hole does it have through it?

While it might get me called a heretic, I typically open up all my liners with a chamfer on the inside and a 5/64” through hole using a #2 center drill worked by hand from the inside. Once I started using the 5/64” hole all my hangfires and flashes in the pan went away. Might be overkill, but better than an under-kill in my experience. The open area increase between the 1/16” and 5/64” diameters is 25%, pretty significant. Liners are cheap. Order a few and experiment. All anyone can tell you is what they like and works for them in their gun. You will have to figure works for for you in your gun.

As far as how to how to drill out the liner, don’t hold it in a vice and damage the threads. To hold it, screw it into a threaded block, a threaded nut, or thread it into the barrel. I always hold the drill in a pin vice and turn by hand. Find more control when I can feel and see what is going on.

 

[Art Caputo]

There are lots of viewpoints and studies on flash hole sizes and designs(ie coned, straight, etc.). The majority of my flintlocks are flat faced, coned on the inside(White Lightning) and have flash hole diameters of #53(.0595”) or 1/16”(.0625”). This size seems to be the perfect balance between fast ignition and a clean flash channel. I have used flash holes as small as 3/64”(.047”), and, have a 20ga Fowler that has a 5/64”(.078”). Interestingly, the fastest perceived ignition I’ve had was a 3/64” flash hole in a 50cal rifle, but it was easily fouled requiring frequent picking… So I eventually opened it up to .0595”. While the 5/64” flash hole in my Fowler gives fast ignition, I only use the larger gradual size 2F as a main charge to keep the powder from plugging the flash hole channel or draining to the pan….and, I make sure nobody is standing to my right side! My personal preference used on my last few rifles is #53(.0595”) in a White Lightning liner. I drill the hole with the liner mounted in the barrel using a hand drill set on low speed….easy.
Drill bits; inches, drill bit(red), metric(green), decimal.

 

[Uncle Miltie]

A scraper to scrape the fouling from the face of the breech each time you clean the rifle will keep fouling from building up and causing ignition delays. Using a looser patch/jag combination will keep fouling from being pushed into the breech and touch hole instead of being removed by the patch.

 

[Gonetocamp]

If you can find a nut of the correct size, screw the liner into nut, insert the nut into the vise, and drill the liner 1/16. Worked for me.

 

[Grenadier1758]

A couple of things to consider here, @Mike in FL. First of all, you have a Pedersoli rifle with a chambered breech. A manufacturing triumph as the breech construction is built into the chambered breech and they can select a flint, percussion, right or left to install on a barrel right out of the inventory. that cleans Pedersoli should have a vent liner, probably called a foccone or vent screw. I would hope that it has an internal cone. This leaves us with the task to make the gun reliable as we shoot it and keep the black powder fouling from clogging the flash channel from the touch hole to the powder chamber. Normal wiping can push powder fouling into the chambered breech. A normal breech scraper will not enter the chambered breech unless it is custom fit to the chambered breech. A vent pick will clear the touch hole but may not open up through the accumulated fouling. A 22 or 30 caliber brush with a damp patch will clean the chambered breech and a vent pick will clear the touch hole. Of course, there is the "no wiping" method where one loads the rifle with a very wet patched ball that wipes fouling from the grooves and pushes the fouling down between the powder and the ball. This works best at the range as the very wet patch and fouling has little time to dampen the powder making a slightly inconsistent charge.

If you drill the touch hole to a larger diameter, I find drilling the touch hole with the vent liner installed in the rifle is easier than risking damage of the touch hole while holding the liner in a vise. The 1/16" is probably the best size for maintaining consistent pressure inn the powder chamber. The number drills, with the #50 being a good choice between the 1/16 and 5/64 drills. If you open up the touch hole, very slightly chamfer the entry to smooth the flow of heat from the pan to the powder charge.

 

[Mike in FL]

Wow, thanks. I didn't expect so many useful methods. This place makes me happy; everyone trying to help each other without touting their way is the only way.. I really appreciate Kate it and now feel co didn't to proceed.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

I usually go with the #50 drill for most bore T-Hs, but in some of my loooooong barreled ones (60" or better) where I use 1Fg powdah, I go with the 5/64" size T-H there.

 

[hanshi]

About all the liners I've had come across my shop bench sported a very tiny holes (pilot hole). Two things I do before permanent installation is: #1. open the inside cone as much as I can. #2. drill out the vent hole to 1/16". After that it stays in the gun.

 

[TreeMan]

Order a RMC ox yoke Allen wrench liner. Coned on the inside and outside and come pre-drilled to 1/16. Yes they aren’t very HC but they work better than any liner I’ve tried. I have them in all my flinters.

 

[wayne estes]

If you’re using the Chambers White Lighting touch hole liner simply install as directed and run a 1/16 bit through the hole and you’re done. Easy peasy. It’s coned enough on the inside to be both safe and fast.
W

 

[Timber Wolf]

Replaced the vent in my (Lyman) GPR with an allen wrench RMC liner and it seemed to help. Drilled the vent on my Pedersoli Trade Gun to 5/64th and it works great (I intend to work on the inside cone some but have not gotten around to it). But overall I usually solve my ignition issues by just shooting one of my bone-stock Kibler rifles. ; )

 

[Jasonb1911]

Having a little trouble with pan flash on subsequent shots from my Pedersoli GPR. Only a thorough wash and dry and squirting alcohol through the liner from the inside, between shots guarantees a no-delay shot. So I started thinking and remembered an old article from Jim Chambers who advocated a liner that was coned on the inside, and another article in Muzzle Blasts recommending a 1/16th hole thru the liner. So I ordered a coned one from TOW. But, like the GPR, the hole is smaller than 1/16, so I'm gonna drill it out.
Here's my question for those who know: the comes liner was inexpensive but I don't want to screw it up. Should I put in in a vice to drill it, or just do it after installing it? I'm hoping to fix it so my second and subsequent shots won't need such cleaning in preparation. I've always cleaned between shots at the range with one wet and two dry, but in the woods not so much unless there is plenty of time. Nothing abnormal about my load. Thanks very much in advance.

I just converted a Pedersoli Kentucky rifle from percussion to flint. I bought a factory Pedersoli vent liner and it was already coned on the back. I'm not sure that replacing the factory vent on your rifle is needed. Maybe just opening up the hole will work. As someone else said, Pedersoli uses a chambered breech, so maybe the powder is having trouble getting into the flash channel due to fowling from the breech? Just a thought.

 

[longcruise]

The Pedersoli channel from the barrel through the breech plug is notoriously small according to some who have seen the plugs removed.

 

[Mike in FL]

Order a RMC ox yoke Allen wrench liner. Coned on the inside and outside and come pre-drilled to 1/16. Yes they aren’t very HC but they work better than any liner I’ve tried. I have them in all my flinters.

That is a good idea. Thanks. I had INE on a TVM and it was great

 

[Mike in FL]

I mean one, not ine.

 

[Rob M.]

What does the inside of your current liner look like, straight or chamfered? And what size hole does it have through it?

While it might get me called a heretic, I typically open up all my liners with a chamfer on the inside and a 5/64” through hole using a #2 center drill worked by hand from the inside. Once I started using the 5/64” hole all my hangfires and flashes in the pan went away. Might be overkill, but better than an under-kill in my experience. The open area increase between the 1/16” and 5/64” diameters is 25%, pretty significant. Liners are cheap. Order a few and experiment. All anyone can tell you is what they like and works for them in their gun. You will have to figure works for for you in your gun.

As far as how to how to drill out the liner, don’t hold it in a vice and damage the threads. To hold it, screw it into a threaded block, a threaded nut, or thread it into the barrel. I always hold the drill in a pin vice and turn by hand. Find more control when I can feel and see what is going on.

Smart.....

 

[Mike in FL]

I did it! A tad difficult getting the factory liner out but managed it with a gunsmith screwdriver set I've had for years. Now has the 1/16 hole. Then I dished pour the liner with a 9/64 drill bit so it is comes on both ends. Looks great. Can't wait to try it. I don't know if the breech is chamfered, but I think it is. A .38 bore brush gets a little stuck at the breech. With a flash light while the liner was out, I could see the breech and the breech face. Breech face is really close to hole, but definitely behind it. I'm confident I have it fixed. I'm really extra fond of this Pedersoli. Before working on flash hole, it was shooting under an inch at 50 yards from a the bench. Actually about 1/2 inch. Staying within that little orange dot that come on a shoot-and-see target. I have no other guns that will do that. Factory sights are excellent. The rifle is very heavy due to the one inch barrel flats, much like an original plains rifle. The one down side is the 1:48 twist, which limits accuracy when more than 60grns of BP is used. Even 65 grains opens groups a bit. I much prefer about 80grn in a 50 but I don't reckon we can have it all. I would not have had the confidence to. fix the vent hole without the input from this site.

 

[waksupi]

I'm puzzled by those who say you must drill out a vent. I've owned and shot dozens of flintlocks over the years, and never have needed to enlarge the vent for consistent ignition. I usually will change out the vent by the time it reaches the dimensions often recommended as peak accuracy falls with a larger vent, in my experience.