Drilling Touch Hole

[TarletonRanger]

Hey guys, going out on my second trip to the range with my new GPR flinter, (my first flintlock) this weekend and have a question. I've seen many posts about drilling out the touch hole liner (I reckon that's the shiny bit of metal that your able to insert a screw into) out to 5/64. I was wondering if ya'll do it while it's in the rifle itself, or if ya'll are takin it out to perform the operation.

Thanks for the help, as a 21 year old stranger to the flintlock, this site is a GOLDMINE!

Jake :front:

 

[Rebel]

The touch hole is that hole that goes into the side of your barrel just about level with the top of your pan. I pull the lock and lay the gun down so it is flat and stable, and drill them in the gun. You might want to try drilling it to 1/16" first, especially if you are using 3f powder.You can always make it larger latter if needed.

 

[davy]

Hey guys, going out on my second trip to the range with my new GPR flinter, (my first flintlock) this weekend and have a question. I've seen many posts about drilling out the touch hole liner (I reckon that's the shiny bit of metal that your able to insert a screw into) out to 5/64. I was wondering if ya'll do it while it's in the rifle itself, or if ya'll are takin it out to perform the operation.

Thanks for the help, as a 21 year old stranger to the flintlock, this site is a GOLDMINE!

Jake :front:

Here ya go! ::

Davy

 

I drilled mine out of the gun, but I guess there's no reason you couldn't drill it while it's in the gun.

I found that 1/16" was not enough for my GPR, and had to go bigger. I also drilled the inside part of the hole bigger, which you couldn't do while it were in the gun. I also put a slight chamfer on the hole on the outside to help "funnel" the fire into the hole.

It's a pretty big hole now, and I can't shoot FFFg in the gun any more with that vent liner in it, but it dang sure goes off every time I pull the trigger now! ::

 

[Mike Brooks]

If you go bigger than 1/16 your accuracy will probably suffer.

 

[Birddog6]

It's a pretty big hole now, and I can't shoot FFFg in the gun any more with that vent liner in it, but it dang sure goes off every time I pull the trigger now! ::

Why ? Load it with a vent pick in the vent hole & the powder will not trickle out the vent hole. Wiggle the vent pick upon removal & this opens a hole straight to the powder charge & enhances the ignition, thus you can use the 3F same as before.

As for accuracy sufferering with a larger vent, if you go from 1/16" to 5/64 & accuracy is off a tad, just bump the powder charge up 3-5 grains & you will be right back where ya were. It has always worked for me & everything from 40 cal. and larger that I own has a 5/64" vent hole in it & it has never been a problem

:results:.

 

It's a pretty big hole now, and I can't shoot FFFg in the gun any more with that vent liner in it, but it dang sure goes off every time I pull the trigger now! ::

Why ? Load it with a vent pick in the vent hole & the powder will not trickle out the vent hole. Wiggle the vent pick upon removal & this opens a hole straight to the powder charge & enhances the ignition, thus you can use the 3F same as before.

Um, duuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! (I wish they had a graemlin that smacks himself in the forehead!) :redface: :shake:

You'd think that was obvious. No, not for me... my solution was to switch to FFg. Which, I have to admit, works fine, but I liked shooting the FFFg.

Thanks man. Sometimes it's hard to see the solution that's right in front of your face. :thanks:

 

[Birddog6]

Just for safety sake, I should state that you Do NOT close the frizzen on the vent pick to hold it in place while loading the rifle......... Too much chance of a accidental discharge.....

I prefer to use the lil hand forged small vent picks with the lil curly Q on the end of it that TOW sells, I bend the last 1/2" of it into a arc & I twist the end of a pipe cleaner to the end of it, or you can tie a strip of leather to it.
Anyway, set the cock on Half-cock, stick the vent pick in the vent (Not real tight, just push it in) so the tip is pointing toward the charge & wrap the pipe cleaner or leather around the OPEN frizzen so it will stay in place. Load the rifle, unwrap the tie, work the vent tenderly in the hole to insure the hole is open & remove the vent pick, charge the pan & you are ready to go.

I have used 3F successfully in rifles with large vents for years this way.
:thumbsup:

 

[Stumpkiller]

You don't have to remove it from the barrel (some, like mine, are "permanent" and must be backed out with a bolt extractor which destroys them). I recommend you remove the lock to avoid marring the pan. I drill mine out, as needed, with a bit held in a pin vise by hand and with finger pressure alone. Slowly and carefully.

 

[bdarin]

I drilled mine out to 5/64, out of the barrel to keep chips out, works fine. I use FFg in my .50 Hawken, 90 gr., even use it in the pan. Everything works just dandy. Slight delay between poof and bang, but groups don't suffer. :hatsoff:

 

[TarletonRanger]

Thanks guys. C'mon now.....I did know what the touch hole was :winking: I just wanted to make sure the about the liner, and that I didn't need to take it out.

I appreciate the advice on drilling it out. So far I've been priming with 3F and loading with 2F. Ignition is a fast poof-boom! I hope to quicken up this process by drilling out the touch hole.

Thanks again folks.

Jake

 

[Mike Brooks]

Thanks guys. C'mon now.....I did know what the touch hole was :winking: I just wanted to make sure the about the liner, and that I didn't need to take it out.

I appreciate the advice on drilling it out. So far I've been priming with 3F and loading with 2F. Ignition is a fast poof-boom! I hope to quicken up this process by drilling out the touch hole.

Thanks again folks.

Jake

Put in a chambers white lightin' liner and no more poof---boom. It'll be as fast as a caplock.

 

[squirejohn]

I recently purchased a Chamber's Early York rifle that I had assembled in-the-white by one of Chamber's recommended builders. At a recent "vous" we were comparing my York with another Chamber's York and discoveredm my vent was was larger - somewhere between 1/16" and 5/64". The other rifle had a vent that was considerably smaller in diameter - probably 1/16" or less. Would it be safe to assume that the builder who assembled my gun drilled out the vent? By the way the gun performs flawlessly with very fast lock time. Also I got 163 shots out of the first flint!! I don't think I ever even got even 1/2 that number of shots out of a flint before on any of my other Silers, L&R or Davis locks. The second flint is still in the gun (only 26 shots so far)so I don't know whether the long flint life was a fluke or not.

 

[Bear Rider]

squirejohn,

The touch hole will enlarge over time due to the gas jet. That may be the cause of the size differential.

 

[Birddog6]

If it is a fairly new rifle the vent hole was obviously drilled larger than the other one. If when you drill a vent & leave a .025 - .030" straight wall thickness in the center, it will take ? thousands of shots to make a noticable difference in the vent hole dia. I have put 5000 shots thru one & could not visually tell a difference,. Also depends on the liner material & how large a charge you shoot in the rifle.