improving ignition

[plinker]

I also have a GPR flinter as well as a GPR percussion rifle. It took a while for me to find out what the flinter likes and doesn't like. Mine wants to have the butt rapped on the ground 3 or 4 times to settle the powder before running the powder and patch down the barrel. Then fill the pan to almost level with 4f. That's all it normally wants. There is a barely perceptable delay when compared with the percussion rifle. I tried picking the vent, picking the vent and running powder into the vent hole , just running powder in the vent hole, etc. in order to figure out what it was trying to tell me. Once I found out what it wanted there were far fewer problems. I did not have to do any work on the lock other than enlarging the vent hole to 1/16 inch. That took less than a second with an electric drill but you could do it with a hand drill in not much more time than that.

FWIW the lock on my Pedersoli Kentucky pistol is faster than the locks on both my Lyman GPP and GPR. You shouldn't have to wait for the gun to go off after you have released the trigger. The click of the hammer release, the flash of the pan, and the boom should be simultaneous.

 

[FishDFly]

By a RMC vent liner, you unscrew the one you have and then thread the new on. Cannot be any easier.

Use Teflon tape on the threads or anti-seize on the threads before installing the new liner.

I really like the one I have, speeded up the ignition and no slapping the rifle on the side anymore.

 

[Rifleman1776]

A lot of good tips have been offered. But, so far they have been trying to shoot flies out of the air in the dark. We don't know what is causing your 'slow' ignition. It could be any one of the things mentioned or something else. That is the fun in shooting flintlocks, they were originally designed to make us crazy. :wink:
You hangfire leads me to think it might be too small a touch hole or you are overfilling the pan.

 

[M. De Land]

You might want to try making a black wire pick with a blunt rounded end and load with it in place clear to the far side of the barrel.
Pull it after loading just before firing. It keeps the flash hole consistently clean and clear and leaves a hole in the powder column for the flash to get into.
It also acts as a sort of safety while in place because it snugly and completely blocks the flash hole. MD

 

[kingsax26]

I like the wire pick idea....also ..i use a t/c pan charger that throws 3 grains at a time. went shooting today....i think it must be the vent ....the first few shots were right quick...and as a kept shooting the de;ay got longer. then i stripped and cleaned the rifle at the range reassembled....and again t he first few shots were quick and then became slower....so looks like a new vent is needed

 

[Blackbruin]

I second an rmc liner. Had frizzen hardened with kastenite. Never a problem since.

 

[Danny Ross]

You mentioned that you are inconsistent in your groups and you want the ignition to be faster and blaming the inconsistency on the slower ignition. I am guessing here, but I think you are flinching at the ignition of the primer powder and not staying focused on the front sight till the main charge goes off. Plus you have to deal with the sound for lack of a better description the Pling of flint hitting the frizzen. No matter how fast the ignition is you are still have to deal with the pan flash and the pling, that you don't have to with a cap gun. "IF" this is the case the only suggestion I have is work on keeping all your concentration on the front sight and try and ignore the rest. One of the things that helps me is wear double ear protection, ear plugs and head phones, when target shooting. I can tell you though you don't notice the delay when shooting at a deer it seems almost instant. Hope this helps. DANNY