Drum nipple

[thompson50]

Is it possible to to remove a drum nipple from a cap lock and install a touch hole liner to make it a flintlock?

 

[Musketeer]

If there's a flintlock version of the same gun, yes, you can replace the drum with a liner and the caplock with a flintlock. If not, then it could still be done but would (or could) require a lot more work (finding a suitable flintlock and fitting it to the gun). I've considered doing this with my Pedersoli Harper's Ferry percussion pistol, as it uses a drum system and the lock from the flintlock version is the same dimensions as the percussion version, so it should be a relatively "drop-in" procedure.

edit: This is assuming that the hole for the drum lines up with the pan of the flintlock. Just thought of that, and there might be some adjustment required there as well.

 

[mooman76]

Short answer yes, I've done it. Sometimes not worth it cost wise but we don't always do things because of cost or not do things because of coast. Just saying cost is a factor and the gun I did, the lock cost more than the whole gun. To each his or her own.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Depends on your rifle and who made it. If it is a CVA/Traditions rifle with the drum threads that go through the breech plug, then the conversion is something I don't recommend.

Zonie has provided a copy of the CVA/Traditions breech plug with the drilled through drum.

For those who don't know, this is what a CVA style Ardesa breech plug and drum look like. Ardesa makes the same guns for Traditions now that CVA has stopped importing them.

View attachment 49087

Expand the quote to see the attachment.

 

[Grimord]

I've done it with two of my guns, a Pedersoli Frontier and a Hatfield. The Hatfield was originally a flint gun that I was able to convert to percussion using a drum & nipple and a Pedersoli Frontier percussion lock which virtually dropped in as these guns are almost identical. The Frontier was originally a percussion gun that I switched to flint using a L&R replacement lock which was durn near a drop in. I also converted a Lyman Great Plains flint lock to percussion using a custom made Mule ear percussion lock. I wanted to be able to switch from percussion to flint, or vice versa, pending the availability of real black powder.

 

[thompson50]

That is what I was expecting to hear. Thank you for the good information and possibly talking me out of a beautiful rifle.