Egg shaped vent hole on flintlock Pistol

[TrggerOne]

Here is an egg shaped vent hole on a flintlock pistol should I be concerned about the placement because over time I can see the expanding gasses slowly eating away at the priming pan. If the hole was a little more symmetrical and smaller I would be okay with it but with its egg shape bottom it puts the bottom of the vent hole almost level with the pan Your thoughts? No I did not drill the touch hole

 

[ArmorerRoy]

 

[64Springer]

So much Sigmund Freud in that picture.

But sometimes a donut is just a donut.

 

[Phil Coffins]

I wouldn’t concern myself with that until it proves it’s self to be a problem. The hole may have been drilled at an angle so it just looks out of round, but either way how it works is what matters.

 

[No second place]

If that black spot is your touch hole it's a rather large one. Not hard to drill and tap for a proper liner. Call TOW if needed and they will talk you through it and send what you need...

 

[44Bro]

Expanding the pic, the hole was drilled on an angle. Check the depth of the bore compared to the hole. The breech plug may be forward of the lock pan.

 

[Kansas Jake]

44Bro May be right. I have an old Jukar flint pistol made that way. The touch hole was drilled that way to miss the breech plug. If I remember right the instructions that came with those kits back in the 70s said to do that if the breech plug was long.

 

[TrggerOne]

The base of the breech plug is well forward of where the touch hole is. I did not drill it and I am wating on word from the gunsmith to see is this would constitute a warranty repaire if possable, replacement, or a refund. I paid $790.00 after the promo code with out it.your looking at well over $800.00 for this pistol and it is a Merdock pistol that was the only one in stock that I could find at the time as everywhere else is on back order. I payed a whole paycheck for this this and I wished that the gunsmith put just all little more care is drilling the touch hole.

If I could have done it myself I would but I do not have the skills or the right tools to do this.

 

[TrggerOne]

Expanding the pic, the hole was drilled on an angle. Check the depth of the bore compared to the hole. The breech plug may be forward of the lock pan.

I cheked with a bore light. The breech face is well forward of where the touch hole is and the lock pan spent $790.00 awhole paycheck for me so I am you could say a little concerned and miffed at the same time. When you pay that much for something you would hope that a little more care would be put in drilling the touch hole in my opinion.

It was baught brand new other than being proofed by the gunsmith who I am wating on right now to see what he says.

 

[Kansas Jake]

My gun was a cheap Jukar kit gun. For what you paid, I think I would send it back. Maybe others have better insight.

 

[Phil Coffins]

Looks like the only way it could be vented is to drill at a stronge angle. The ones I found on line are all sold as none firing display guns and advises that drilling the vent voids any warranty. You payed about double the advertised price. Good luck.

 

[TrggerOne]

If that black spot is your touch hole it's a rather large one. Not hard to drill and tap for a proper liner. Call TOW if needed and they will talk you through it and send what you need...

I'll keep that in mind. I am waiting on the gunsmith who drilled the hole to see what he says befor I do anything to void the warranty. I payed almost $800.00 for this pistol. When you pay a whole paycheck on something you would hope that a little more care would have been put in drilling the vent hole.

 

[SDSmlf]

If that black spot is your touch hole it's a rather large one. Not hard to drill and tap for a proper liner. Call TOW if needed and they will talk you through it and send what you need...

I have found touch holes drilled like the one the OP pictures drilled at an angle to be rather on the difficult side to install a commercial liner in to. Would love to hear about your method that’s not that hard to do.

Here are some photographs of a future project gun I have sitting on the shelf with a similarly angled touch hole. Don’t pay attention to the poor condition of the bore, but notice how there is also an egg shaped hole to the breech plug. @TrggerOne, I would get hold of a borescope and take a peak at what you have before doing anything.

 

[No second place]

I have found touch holes drilled like the one the OP pictures drilled at an angle to be rather on the difficult side to install a commercial liner in to. Would love to hear about your method that’s not that hard to do.

Here are some photographs of a future project gun I have sitting on the shelf with a similarly angled touch hole. Don’t pay attention to the poor condition of the bore, but notice how there is also an egg shaped hole to the breech plug. @TrggerOne, I would get hold of a borescope and take a peak at what you have before doing anything.
View attachment 215810
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Simple drill and tap for liner...Simply a maintenance thing for single shot BP pistols. Vents liner and nipple drums and such. Just part of maintaining my match guns. Had to learn from those old paper pulpy things they called "Books" back in the day. A bit of help from sum national championship winning old timers helped also...

 

[TrggerOne]

The pistol is brand new and there is no rust at the breech and it was proofed before hand and cleaned. Compared to your pic to mine it looks like the gunsmith went in at an angle and the proceeded to wiggle the drill bit back and forth in stead of going in strate like your pictur because my vent hole is not a 1/16th inch hole not even close

 

[ColonialRifleSmith]

People who don't know what they are doing, drill the vent hole at an angle because they don't know how to pull the breech plug and notch it. They start out straight, then hit the plug. Then drill at an angle to get past the plug to the bore. To fix it, pull the plug and notch it, then install a vent liner. Semper Fi.

 

[TrggerOne]

I do not have a vice to secure the barrle to unscrew the breech plug. If I had the tools on hand that is exactly how I would to it the way you describe. This pistol just happened to be instock unlike everywhere else and acording to the websight that I orded the pistol from the gunsmith knew what they were doing.

I am waiting to hear from the gunsmith to hear what he has to say about proceeding further. If I can get it sent back and done correctly for free via the warranty and just pay for shipping I would rather do that.

I'll try to see if I can get them to send me a free shipping lable because I paied almost $800.00 for this thing and for that much that is uneceptable workmanship.

 

[SDSmlf]

Simple drill and tap for liner...Simply a maintenance thing for single shot BP pistols. Vents liner and nipple drums and such. Just part of maintaining my match guns. Had to learn from those old paper pulpy things they called "Books" back in the day. A bit of help from sum national championship winning old timers helped also...

So ‘simple drill and tap for a liner’ at a 30° angle like in the previously posted photographs? Please show a photograph of one installed at an angle. If not at an angle you are drilling a blind hole into the breech plug.

 

[No second place]

So ‘simple drill and tap for a liner’ at a 30° angle like in the previously posted photographs? Please show a photograph of one installed at an angle. If not at an angle you are drilling a blind hole into the breech plug.
View attachment 215817

Never had to drill a hole into a breach plug. If I had a plug in the way of a liner hole, removing the plug then notching it before drilling would be best.

 

[SDSmlf]

The base of the breech plug is well forward of where the touch hole is.

Simple drill and tap for liner...Simply a maintenance thing for single shot BP pistols…. Just part of maintaining my match guns. Had to learn from those old paper pulpy things they called "Books" back in the day.

Never had to drill a hole into a breach plug. If I had a plug in the way of a liner hole, removing the plug then notching it before drilling would be best.

My point was after reading and looking at the photographs in the OP’s posts (similar to what one would need to do if they wanted to learn from those pulpy old books) the solution to the OP’s concern with their new gun was not as simple as drilling and tapping for a liner. There are a number of possible ways to make a correction, the simplest being to have the gun supplier take care of it as @TrggerOne is in the process of doing.