Slow Ignition

[walley]

I bought an extra vent liner for my Lyman Trade
rifle. (The Allen type) I installed it the other
day and the ignition was very slow. Kind of like
squeezing a balloon till it pops. The shots were
more of a shove than a kick. Of course my accuracy
suffered severely. The original (Slotted) liner
gives average to instant ignition. The only
difference I can see between the two are the way
they are coned. The flash ports look to be the
same size in both liners. I am using Goex 4F in the pan.

Does the cone direction change the ignition speed?

Thanks

 

[musketman]

I bought an extra vent liner for my Lyman Trade
rifle. (The Allen type) I installed it the other
day and the ignition was very slow.
Does the cone direction change the ignition speed?

Sure does, there should be a delay because the flash has to make it's way down to the bottom of the Allen type socket flash hole and then funnel in, whereas the original liner's flash hole is closer to the surface, closer to the flash, closer is faster...

If the cone on different on the back side of both liners, this too will change the way the flash is distributed to the awaiting powder, cone shapes can be changed with a power rotor tool, but you may need to locate a screw slot type to get similar results as before...

 

[Old Charlie]

In my TC my experience has been just the opposite. The new allen liner is much faster than the old slotted one that was in it.
Old Charlie

 

[Java Man]

I have also had a couple guns with the Allen screw type external cone. Ignition time was just fine. Try more priming powder maybe.

 

[Russianblood]

What size is the actual vent hole? I've found a lot of vent liners have a 1/16" or less hole. I prefer a 5/64" hole for more consistant ignition.

 

[Wehrmacht]

70mm or 5/64ths :thumbsup:.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I'd go with 5/64ths--70mm seems a trifle large.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

I'd go with 5/64ths--70mm seems a trifle large.

From what little I know, (not much) The originals had much larger vent holes than is found today. When their life or next meal depended on ignition, they wanted it when they needed it most.

 

[Russianblood]

My blunderbuss has a 3/32" hole and has never had a "flash in the pan". Of course, I load it with 1f or 2f only. With 3f it would probably self prime. :grin:

 

[redwing]

Make sure you have trimmed the new liner to be no more than the barrel wall thickness. You can check this by running a tight patch on your jag down the barrel. If you can feel the vent its too long.
This will cause a slow fire. These Hex vents also need more powder in the pan to work well. I replace all of these with the Chambers Lighting Vents. :thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

TC's hex wrench designs are as fast as lightning compared to their original screwdriver slotted version.

If the hex vent liner is also coned on the inside like I assume the original is, there must be something else going with your ignition because the hex design liners are absolutely, significantly faster than the old style screwdriver slotted ones.

Damp main charge from too much cleaning solution on cleaning patches, poor powder, something...

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

70mm is about 2.8 inches. I suppose self- priming would be fairly easy, though. I'll bet the side blast from the vent would be spectacular!

 

[roundball]

"...Hex vents also need more powder in the pan to work well..."

Must be something peculiar to your rifles, components, methods, or something...that statement does not apply across the board...fill my pans the same way as always...keep the level of prime below the hole, close the frizzen and rock the rifle to bank the prime away from the vent...ignition seems like a single instantaneous event every time.
:thumbsup:

 

[Wehrmacht]

No wonder all my load falls out the touch hole :redface:. I better try 7mm maybe. blankty-blank metric system anyhow :cursing:. :winking:.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

No wonder all my load falls out the touch hole :redface:. I better try 7mm maybe. blankty-blank metric system anyhow :cursing:. :winking:.

7mm works out to about .280" which is well over 1/4".

 

[redwing]

What is considered fast in a mass produced factory rifle may not be so fast. When the factory rifles are compared to fine custom rifles they may be slow.
Many of these rifles have coil springs which do not compare in the speed and power of a real lock such as a Siler.
I just don't like the looks of the big ugly hex hole above the pan of a nice Siler lock. This is what I like, we all have defferent taste.

 

[hazens ranger]

Ka boom I do not claim to be an expert how ever I bought a southern kit about 4 years ago it came with one of those allen head vent liners. I did not like the idea of the vent hole located so far back. I built the gun first 3 to 4 trips to the range were very frustrating considerable slow ignition if it went off at all. I changed the liner to a slotted vent like my other flinter now it shoots great. I would change the liner to a slotted vent. Just my 2 cents

 

[roundball]

"...we all have defferent taste..."

Yeah, I've heard all that before about coil springs this and that...I agree we have different tastes...for my tastes mine look fantastic laying across the rack of a big 10 pointer...they're just tools to me, I don't fall in love with'em... :grin:

 

[ffffg]

weather you drill them out or shoot them, vent liners get larger with time usually from ignition force.. its in my opinion why old bessie has such good ignition, the holes bigger than you suspect.. now before you start drilling you need to now if your going to use 3f 2f or 1f etc.. larger powder can have larger flasholes, you dont want the pwder going thru the flashhole giveing you a fuse effect. the flash shoould jump thru to the powder.. my opinion only.. dave..

 

[walley]

Can you guys remove your vent liners while the
barrel is still mounted on the gun? I can not,
I have to remove the barrel to remove the liner.
The reason I ask is, when the barrel is setting
in the rifle a very small bottom portion of the
Hex liner's socket is blocked by the pan. The flash
hole seems to be clear though. I don't know if maybe
a portion of the flash may be blowing above the
flash hole causeing the delayed ignition. I'll try
and post a pic of it on the gun and see what you
guys think.

Ineresting though, how some of you are have'n excellent
results with the Hex liners, while others are/were in
the same boat as me. :hmm: