Touch hole position

[kswan]

Ive just started a Tennessee flintlock rifle which came with a pre inlet-ed stock. The touch hole is very slightly forward of center, just enough so I notice it. Is this a potential problem or what effect it could have? At this point it cant be moved anyway as it would throw off the lock plate mounting screw.This is my first experience with a flintlock so there may be many more questions coming I cant find with the search :wink:
Thanks

 

[MSW]

ideally, the touch hole should be in the "sunset position:" that is, with the centerline of the touch hole at the same level as the line between the front and back edge of the pan, and the hole should be spaced in the middle (fore & aft) of the pan.

from what you describe, the vertical alignment is OK, but the front- to- back position is off. if it's a few millimeters, I don't think it will have a very noticeable effect.

I would recommend that you give the gun a try. I suspect that the diameter of the touch hole (your post didn't mention a liner) might make more difference than the location. it's been my experience that the hole can be big enough so that you can just see the grains of powder peeking out, but not so big that the gun will self -prime. Your experience may vary, as will others who have good results with larger holes ... just remember that the hole can be enlarged, but not shrunk (at least, not without a bunch of welding and cussing).

a photo might help, but I wouldn't get too terribly worried... be happy, and

Make Good Smoke!

 

[GANGGREEN]

I just built this rifle and through my own stupidity, placed the lock slightly forward of where it should be (I used a re-purposed barrel with the touch hole already present). I was intending to drill for a new touch hole liner and to move the touch hole ever so slightly forward when I did if the position of the hole caused any sort of ignition problem. When I fired the flintlock a couple of dozen times to sight in and familiarize myself with the gun, I found the ignition to be quite fast and reliable. Assuming yours is going to be similar to this, I wouldn't get too worked up about it.

 

[Zonie]

When someone new to building comes along, I always recommend building a flintlock.

Why?

Because moderate errors in locating the touch hole will cause no problem with the gun firing like it should (as long as the vent hole is forward of the breech face).

Percussion guns on the other hand must have the nipple and hammer lined up and very little room for an error in positioning these can be tolerated.

 

[Vaino]

Don't know if the location of the TH pictured below is "ideal", but it surely does the job. If the TH is "off" slightly fore or aft, a suitably sized grinding stone in a Dremel can easily enlarge the pan so it's centered w/ the TH. Have done this to a couple of LRs. The TH as shown below is located vertically at the "sunset" position.....Fred

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I have seen a number of flinters on which the touch holes were "out of " the ordinary for the usual placement. The only ones that failed to ignite reliably, were to low, or too far forward or backward. When I say too far forward or back, I mean 3/16 or more from ideal. Too low can sometimes be alleviated by grinding the trough of the pan a little lower.

But this question also brings up another issue, The conventional wisdom is for the ideal placement to be over the center of the pan and on the line across the upper edge of the pan. But locks have a myriad of pan shapes. Some much deeper and some much broader than others. Some of the older CVA locks had pans that had the deepest spot away from the barrel flat. Some even had barely any space dished out along the barrel flat. Where the pans are so shallow, can the touch hole be higher, or should the pan be made deeper along the flat.

I know that some tests have been made concerning the speed of ignition and prime placement. (Banked to or away from the hole) But is that speed also affected by the shape of the pan. My first flinter was a cva kentucky pistol with a very shallow pan that was not even a millimeter deep along the barrel flat with a slightly deeper wide pan space a 1/4 inch from the flat. Yet it sparked and fired rather reliably for such a configuration.

 

[Vaino]

I don't miss the TH location by much, if any, but the Dremel cures any small discrepancy that does rarely occur. I use Chambers locks and have had no problems to speak of....other's locks I don't use.

My squirrel LR is tolerant of varying amounts of prime and it's location in the pan.....never paid any attention to priming....just put some 4f in the pan, closed the frizzen and fired. Can't imagine that the original users of flintlocks went to any great lengths to fire their guns....unlike modern, overly complicated shooters......Fred

 

[kswan]

Thanks very much for the replies. Im at about the same as the picture Flehto posted. I think Im going to be ok with this. Im about 2 day +- from completion, I ll know for sure then.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Nothing over complicated about the amount of prime powder. Newbies fill the pan and wonder why the lock goes click, ssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhh, boom. Every flinter I have had does better and ignites faster with minimal prime powder. Barely enough to cover the bottom of the pan.

 

[Vaino]

I mainly used a flintlock for hunting squirrels and perhaps I'm just lucky since my primer throws varying amounts of 4f.....sometimes I swipe the excess off w/ my finger so the frizzen will fully close and other times the amounts vary but don't seem to affect ignition times or my shooting. Throughout a day of hunting, the LR is in varied positions, sometimes even upside down and again I don't notice any difference in ignition times caused by prime location in the pan and could care less.

Just like to keep it simple...and others do it their way. Whatever works......Fred