I am considering changing a .62 flintlock over to percussion. It has a large Siler lock on it now.Is it possible to plug the touchhole refinish it then fit a drum and nipple to it. Also will a large Siler percussion lock sit in the same inlet as the current flintlock. Has anybody attempted this before? I would like some input prior to deciding if I want to try it or go another route.
Converting a flintlock
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Journeyman,
There is no need to plug the touch-hole. You are going to drill it out and thread it for the drum. There is all so no need to buy a new lock. Just cut the pan off flush with the lock plate. File what is left of the pan with a rat tail file so the drum will fit through the pan area. Buy a hammer from Chambers or Track and fit it to the tumbler. Plug the screw holes (frizzen spring, frizzen) with lead. Drill the drum for the nipple at the correct position to the hammer. That
There is no need to plug the touch-hole. You are going to drill it out and thread it for the drum. There is all so no need to buy a new lock. Just cut the pan off flush with the lock plate. File what is left of the pan with a rat tail file so the drum will fit through the pan area. Buy a hammer from Chambers or Track and fit it to the tumbler. Plug the screw holes (frizzen spring, frizzen) with lead. Drill the drum for the nipple at the correct position to the hammer. That
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I'm sure it can be done, but I gotta ask, why would you want to do such a thing? ::
(No disrespect meant... I'm simply in the middle of a love affair with the flintlock, and can't imagine anyone wanting to convert one to percussion. :cry
Bushwhacker
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WHY?????? :: :redthumb:
Because as a young man I took many deer with my rifles , however as that was many moons ago and I now seem to be unable to hit anything smaller than a volkswagen at rock chucking distance I have concluded that my romantic affair with this beautiful lady is a one sided affair. Oh dont get me wrong I love her look , her feel on a cold morning and her gracful lines , however as an avid hunter I feel it my duty to hunt with what I know will deliver for me an accurate humane killing shot.It was hard to arrive at this decision however I gotta hunt. I need to see the smoke and smell the powder and make meat. It was not a easy choice as I spent nearly a year waiting for the flinter and had moved my 25 year old hand built .54 Hawken to the honored place were it now rests and reminds me of many hunts, old friends and the like. No I wish that I could cuddle this beauty in my arms and make her speak my desires , but romance aside I believe that with this rifle in my hands every deer in my direct line of fire would be safer than in a zoo. I hope that at least answers some of your queries. Thanks
freetrapper20
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Just did the same thing with a 50 cal.Traditions Pa. Rifle that had a junk (flint)lock on it that I got off a blanket at voo. Took out the touch hole liner and drilled and tapped the hole 5/16 x 24 for the powder drum I decided to use. Popped in a replacement percussion lock for that rifle that I already had. Lined up and marked on the drum for the nipple location. Drilled and tapped that for 1/4 x 28 thread for the nipple. Done !! If I can do it anybody can cause I'm better at tearing up stuff than fixing it. Might want to pick up a couple powder drums in case you mess up the first one like I did. They are only a couple bucks. Track of the Wolf had everything needed: drills, taps, powder drum jig, etc. Now I have another shooter for next to nothing.
Mine is a maple stocked 38 inch .62 calibre with a large Siler hanging on it. I aged the iron work on her to make it look a 100 yrs old.I had the lock tuned to perfection.If looks could alone could kill this baby would fill a pick up truck.However the facts of the matter are that at the end of several weeks shooting here on the farm my target board looks like it had attacked with a claymore mine , that is except for the 12 inch large round thingy located directly in the middle of it. I think this area is generally considered to be the bulleye or more truthfully the entire target proper. I could wait until I saw a herd,then aim for the small deer standing at the front and I could rest assured that I would kill the large buck standing well off back of them . Or perchance I should discontinue this self inflicted humilation by admitting to myself that an old man should know better than to fall into a Hawkeye head trip and tell Mel that a hit with a converted to cussion gun beats all the small misses in the world. Once again thanks much for the info Ghost and others , I will proceed based on your well thought out procedure for converting this hussey into a babe.
It has been done, in the 1850's and 1860's, many flintlocks were converted to percussion systems, I own one such gun...
The pan/frizzen & spring was removed and the gap left by the pan was filled in with metal...
The hammer was replaced with a percussion one (heavy type for it's day), the barrel was made with a permanent drum that was welded (reforged) into place, drilled and tapped for a musket nipple...
Kinda' a naive question but if the gun is a poor shooter being flint how will changing it to percussion improve it's shot grouping. If it is the "flinchlock factor" I can see where the change would improve the guns performance.
Bushwhacker
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I must be missing something here :hmm: Changing to a capper will make you more accurate? :: sounds like you need a lock tune up and more pratice :sorry: :redthumb: I've been building and shooting flin'eers well over 30 years now. They're more reliable and shoot better in the rain. None of this POP, POP, POP. Suck it up and pratice, pratice, pratice :m2c: :redthumb:
Couldn't be that a .62 rifle is following Brother Newton's law and beating you up as much as the poor beast downrange? I shot .650 roundballs in my 16 bore fusil, but she was plumb heavy with a 42" barrel and with 82 gr FFg she had a reassuringly solid recoil. Just what do you stuff in a .62 cal rifle?
Ye gots to give thyself up for dead regardless and relax when shooting a flintlock. There is no accuracy difference, and a well timed & primed flintlock is not perceivably faster than a percussion lock. I had a "Snap - 2 - 3 - POW!" with my percussion yesterday. Ain't no guarantee a sidelock won't take it in it's mind to dawdle occasionally. Follow through on every shot and the problem is reduced.
Ye gots to give thyself up for dead regardless and relax when shooting a flintlock. There is no accuracy difference, and a well timed & primed flintlock is not perceivably faster than a percussion lock. I had a "Snap - 2 - 3 - POW!" with my percussion yesterday. Ain't no guarantee a sidelock won't take it in it's mind to dawdle occasionally. Follow through on every shot and the problem is reduced.
I had always shot percussion and decided to get a flintlock. I didn't know about nipple picks, pan loading or follow through. On my first trip to the woods with my new flinter a 160 class buck(very rare in these parts) ran in chasing a doe and stopped in the clear 45yds away. The gun didn't go off with the first try and hang fired on the second. I flinched so badly the sight was 2 ft over the bucks back when the gun went off. I did the same on several does on later trips.This is when I decided to learn how to shoot my gun. I now am deadly with it but it took a while and lots of determination.
If you do decide to modify the Flintlock, get the smaller diameter drum for the nipple.
The Siler lock mainspring rests under the pan bolster which limits how much material you can remove from the area to make room for the drum.
I think a 1/2 inch diameter drum will work.
The Siler lock mainspring rests under the pan bolster which limits how much material you can remove from the area to make room for the drum.
I think a 1/2 inch diameter drum will work.
kentucky bucky
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Journeyman,
You can do this without permanently changing your gun. I have a .54 longrifle that is convertable with 2 large Siler locks. The touch hole is removable with a screwdriver and has the same threads that the drum does. I can change from flint to cap in about 5 minutes. I thought this would be a neat thing to do until I started shooting flint more. I have become more confident now and haven't changed it to caplock in years. A caplock may not be the cure to all your problems. It could be patching, charge, ball size, powder type, lube, rough bore, or in my case the "lose nut" behind the trigger. This might be the best route to give you the option of reconverting.
:m2c:
You can do this without permanently changing your gun. I have a .54 longrifle that is convertable with 2 large Siler locks. The touch hole is removable with a screwdriver and has the same threads that the drum does. I can change from flint to cap in about 5 minutes. I thought this would be a neat thing to do until I started shooting flint more. I have become more confident now and haven't changed it to caplock in years. A caplock may not be the cure to all your problems. It could be patching, charge, ball size, powder type, lube, rough bore, or in my case the "lose nut" behind the trigger. This might be the best route to give you the option of reconverting.
:m2c:
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