megasupermagnum
45 Cal.
Keep in mind this is my very first flintlock build. All of my flintlock experience is on production guns, and I think all had slotted liners. My TC did. I dryballed my flintlock TC once, and was able to remove the liner, add powder, and fire, however, I think that had a patent breech with a ton of room. Now that I think about it, the only gun I haven't dryballed is my TC scout pistol, which I did have to pull a ball anyway due to getting a bunch of snow in it (long story). As I stated, I have pulled two balls with wood ramrods, and both were hickory from TOTW. One I built myself pinned and glued, and the other was their pre-built pistol loading rod. They worked. The rifle, I always carry a T handle with. Without a handle of some kind, you would never be able to grip a straight rod hard enough. Both times were with the collared ball puller from TOTW. I think the key there is that you only screw them in to where they hold. I think some people get into trouble by tightening them until quite tight, and the screw expands the ball, worsening the problem.
Back to vent liners, I plan to shape mine on the inside to fit the bore. That seems like good practice to me. I have thought about fouling, and is one reason I don't want to hug the breech plug too bad. I've seen where some have even drilled into the side of the breech plug, usually to fix a mistake in positioning the lock. It works, but it seems like you would be stuffing a lot of junk into your vent. On top of that, you would have ruined the breech plugs seal on the face. It obviously works, but it can't be as good as proper seal. I'll take pains to make sure I am away from the breech plug. If you can remove the vent liner, I can't imagine fouling stopping you from shooting the ball out. A 1/4" window is pretty big, you should be able to pick any fouling out of the way. It does not take much powder to shoot one out. A pinch of powder is all it takes. I can get maybe 5 grains in my patent breech of my TC caplock without trying hard, and as I said, that will shoot the ball hard enough you can hit a 100 yard target. If I had a non-removable liner, I would look into a CO2 discharger, which a lot of people use. They work, but I'd still prefer to have a removable liner myself.
I have thought about the slot causing issues, but I experienced no issues on the ones I used. The slot itself is quite shallow, and the only real drawback is appearance. You could still cone the outside or whatever you want to do. I have thought it might be neat to have a liner with only small pin holes on the outside, as some bushing use. It would take a special tool to remove, but it would remove any doubt about an effect on performance, and would be nearly invisible. Even a slotted liner is only visible if you look. I can understand guys like Mike Brooks who build top level guns, and try to create accurate replicas, but for a purpose hunting gun in the fashion of an American longrifle, I'll take the function of a removable liner. I see no drawbacks to it.
Back to vent liners, I plan to shape mine on the inside to fit the bore. That seems like good practice to me. I have thought about fouling, and is one reason I don't want to hug the breech plug too bad. I've seen where some have even drilled into the side of the breech plug, usually to fix a mistake in positioning the lock. It works, but it seems like you would be stuffing a lot of junk into your vent. On top of that, you would have ruined the breech plugs seal on the face. It obviously works, but it can't be as good as proper seal. I'll take pains to make sure I am away from the breech plug. If you can remove the vent liner, I can't imagine fouling stopping you from shooting the ball out. A 1/4" window is pretty big, you should be able to pick any fouling out of the way. It does not take much powder to shoot one out. A pinch of powder is all it takes. I can get maybe 5 grains in my patent breech of my TC caplock without trying hard, and as I said, that will shoot the ball hard enough you can hit a 100 yard target. If I had a non-removable liner, I would look into a CO2 discharger, which a lot of people use. They work, but I'd still prefer to have a removable liner myself.
I have thought about the slot causing issues, but I experienced no issues on the ones I used. The slot itself is quite shallow, and the only real drawback is appearance. You could still cone the outside or whatever you want to do. I have thought it might be neat to have a liner with only small pin holes on the outside, as some bushing use. It would take a special tool to remove, but it would remove any doubt about an effect on performance, and would be nearly invisible. Even a slotted liner is only visible if you look. I can understand guys like Mike Brooks who build top level guns, and try to create accurate replicas, but for a purpose hunting gun in the fashion of an American longrifle, I'll take the function of a removable liner. I see no drawbacks to it.
