Original 1853 Enfield Touch Holes

[nkbj]

Is anyone familiar with how the original 1853 Enfield breech plug was made, of how big in diameter the hole going from beneath the nipple into the bore actually was?

 

[user 34300]

I do not have an original. I do not know how they are "supposed" to be. My Parker Hale had a tiny passage. No powder could get under the nipple. Reliability was poor. I opened it up. IT fires 100% now.

The plug is actually a cap on these guns. The barrel is threaded on the outside rather than the way it is usually done.

 

[nkbj]

Mine (an Armisport) is tight. Once cleared it works fine but there definitely is a process to be observed.
I've looked at it and considered what you have done, opening it up. And I may still. Something I've definitely considered is looking into a Mag-Spark type firing of 209 primers for initial clearing rather than popping musket caps through it.

Hopefully someone will come along that knows how the weapon system was originally engineered. I'd really be interested in knowing not just how big the entrance into the bore was but also what it took to prep the piece for a reliable first shot. I suspect some of the answer is in the amount of primer compound in the caps.