Chamber's York build

[Allan Gray]

I finally started on the stock of my .50 Chamber's York rifle this afternoon. I got the barrel to sit down in the stock and disassembled the lock.
When I placed the lock plate against it's new home on the side of the stock, I noticed that the end of the breech plug will fall directly centered on the flash pan, interfering with the touch hole liner.
I can move the barrel back a little, but there's no room to move the lock foward.
'Looks like I'm faced with "notching" the breech plug to create a channel from flash pan to the main charge.
I've done this before with success, but I'm not a big fan of "nibbling" away at the only piece of metal between my face and gunpowder.

Any words of wisdom from those out there who've come across this themselves?

Am I worrying too much?

By the way, I can tell that this is going to be a sweet rifle...very light and well balanced. When I shouldered it with the barrel in it felt like a perfect fit. My compliments to Mr. Chambers so far :bow: :bow:

 

[Roy]

I just move the barrel back a touch. I don't like notching the breech plug either. Anyway moving the barrel back that little amount did not open any gaps along the barrel channel that you might thing it would... If you already have the tang inlet though, going to need to notch the breech plug. The tapered tang will most likely show a gap if you move it.

 

[flaming canvas]

You may be worrying about it too much. The length of the plug is probably more than the thickness of the barrel wall.
I have a couple of small bores (.32 and .36) that have the plug notched and they aren't having any problems. My fowler wound up with the touch hole about 3/16 in front of the breech plug and it gets a disc of fouling built up on the face of the breech.

 

[ricklandes]

I spoke with Mr. Chambers about this same matter a few weeks back. He said that there are those that would speak differently but on all of the original Germanic style locked rifles that he has examined the breech plug is coned/tapered on the edge just as you have encountered. The larger English style locked guns will find the touch hole ahead of the plug. To do it as example one above is to do it as the old Master's did theirs.

I drilled mine and coned the plug as noted.

 

[Don B]

Mr. Landes,

Can you explain what you mean by "coning" the breech plug? Are you chamfering its leading edge to provide clearance at the touch hole?

Don B

 

[ricklandes]

No not a chamfer to the leading edge. If one were to look at the breech plug from the inside it would have a somewhat V shaped cone point in center to flared at touchhole. This is about 90 degrees to the bore or somewhat parallel to the plug face. Sorry if it did not make sense outside of my head :wink:

Jim Turpin illustrates how this is done in his DVD on building a Chambers rifle if any would like a viewable refernce.

 

[Allan Gray]

Thanks, Rick

This is exactly what I did the last time I came across this.

I held the breech plug against the corner of a bench grinder wheel, and cleaned it up with a file, created a "half-cone" shaped notch.
I also don't like the added cavity for grunge to collect.

I'll also move the barrel back a tad. I haven't set the tang yet.

 

[ricklandes]

The last one I did I cut with a small chain saw file...