And yours is different how?
Trade gun vent position
- Thread starter Wawyasto
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Dremel type tools , are excellent tools , ya' just have to learn where they are appropriate , and how to use them. I don't use brand name Dremel tools , 'cause they're too expensive for my tastes. I destroyed perhaps 4 of them over 40 yrs., and finally local hardware stores began handling them for $30 or less. This has allowed me to have 4 of them hanging on my bench , w/ different bits I use the most. Time has shown me , that the cheap hardware store tools , last just as long as the expensive ones. Many folks say , power tools of this type should never be used to work on m/l's , but the way I see it , If a tool saves me shop time , and the end result , is as good,or better as using an old fashioned tool , I'll take it. For instance , Installing most butt plates to perfection , takes about an hour , employing a 1/4 " 36K RPM die grinder , and a dremel type tool for the fine work. These comments are not spoken, to antagonize the purists among us , but to encourage folks that can benefit from using a modern tool. .........oldwood
Comfortably_Numb
The Evil Mike Brooks
You probably have a crud build up in your breech. Stick a tooth pick in the vent hole and pour some water in the barrel and leave it sit upright for a couple hours to soak. Dump out the water and run a breech scraper in there and scrape out all the crud. You should be good to go then.
Never
Col. Batguano
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If the priming powder is covering the touch hole you will get something of a "fuse effect" / longer lock time while it takes the powder a little time to burn down to the touch hole. I think (although I have no evidence to prove it) this isn't so much the time it takes to burn down, but may be a buildup of fouling in the touch hole from the top portion of the priming powder (during the first part of the pan powder igniting) that the rest of it has to overcome in order to ignite the main charge. Basically the difference between the first couple of sparks, and the totality of the whole priming charge igniting.
We don't see this after a successful shot, because the gas blowing out the touch hole clear most of it away, but after a flash in the pan there's lots of crud all over the place in there, which leads me to the above theory.
Pletch may have some super slow motion videos that show the difference between fast ignition and slower ignition. Flint guns in general are about 3x slower than cap guns, and they generally show more variability in their speed. That's part of what adds to their challenge.
We don't see this after a successful shot, because the gas blowing out the touch hole clear most of it away, but after a flash in the pan there's lots of crud all over the place in there, which leads me to the above theory.
Pletch may have some super slow motion videos that show the difference between fast ignition and slower ignition. Flint guns in general are about 3x slower than cap guns, and they generally show more variability in their speed. That's part of what adds to their challenge.
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Range results...
I'm getting more consistent ignition, but still not what great. I've got ignition about 70% of the time now. vent hole is 1/16", as the next size won't go in.
I'm going to dish out the pan a bit to try and center the vent a little more and maybe open up the vent another size. I'm also noticing that my shots are going 6-8" right at 25 yards. Not sure if it's me or the gun yet, I'll deal with it once I get this thing going off when it should.
I'm getting more consistent ignition, but still not what great. I've got ignition about 70% of the time now. vent hole is 1/16", as the next size won't go in.
I'm going to dish out the pan a bit to try and center the vent a little more and maybe open up the vent another size. I'm also noticing that my shots are going 6-8" right at 25 yards. Not sure if it's me or the gun yet, I'll deal with it once I get this thing going off when it should.
Can you feel powder through the touch hole with the pick before each shot ? Load might be bottle necking in a fouled patent breach.
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Yep, checked every time.
Touch hole too small and might be too close to breech face. Probably why it was cheated forward in the first place but is still too close.
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UPDATE - SUCCESS!!!
After dishing out the pan a bit more and soaking the breech to remove crud I was still having no/slow ignition. Soo, I pulled the barrel, locked it into my drill press and ran a 5/64 bit through the vent liner hole. I tested using 10 blank charges, all went off save one I failed to pick, my bad. Lock time was significantly shorter than before as well. Now to work on why round balls are shooting way right.
Side note: I live on the edge of town, literally. As in property lines are the city limits. My 2nd or 3rd shot got the attention of the local Gendarmes who happened to be next door at the car wash cleaning his ride. Needless to say I shortly thereafter received a visit from him and a couple other interested LEOs. However once they saw what it was and what I was doing their concern turned into interest in muzzleloading and actually had to fire an 11th shot for them so they could see how it worked. Small town living, you couldn't pay me enough to go back to a city.
After dishing out the pan a bit more and soaking the breech to remove crud I was still having no/slow ignition. Soo, I pulled the barrel, locked it into my drill press and ran a 5/64 bit through the vent liner hole. I tested using 10 blank charges, all went off save one I failed to pick, my bad. Lock time was significantly shorter than before as well. Now to work on why round balls are shooting way right.
Side note: I live on the edge of town, literally. As in property lines are the city limits. My 2nd or 3rd shot got the attention of the local Gendarmes who happened to be next door at the car wash cleaning his ride. Needless to say I shortly thereafter received a visit from him and a couple other interested LEOs. However once they saw what it was and what I was doing their concern turned into interest in muzzleloading and actually had to fire an 11th shot for them so they could see how it worked. Small town living, you couldn't pay me enough to go back to a city.
Glad you got it fixed. I opened up the vent liner in my Pedersoli Trade Gun to 5/64 also which helped ignition. I also have figured out I need to bump the butt on the ground a time or three after dropping a powder charge to settle things and get powder near the liner. I am gong to smooth/chamfer the inside of the liner also which I hope will help.
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UPDATE #2 -THE DRAGON IS SLAIN!
Local club had out Fall rendezvous this weekend (of which Kansas Kid was our Booshway) and tried my luck with it in the Trade gun match. 15 shots for record, 14 went boom, 1 flash in the pan which was my bad as I failed to pick the vent. I'm declaring my issue resolved, Thanks everyone for all the help.
Now I gotta figure out if this thing is really shooting a foot right at 25 yards or if it's me. I see some bench shooting off sandbags in my near future. But that's for another thread.
Local club had out Fall rendezvous this weekend (of which Kansas Kid was our Booshway) and tried my luck with it in the Trade gun match. 15 shots for record, 14 went boom, 1 flash in the pan which was my bad as I failed to pick the vent. I'm declaring my issue resolved, Thanks everyone for all the help.
Now I gotta figure out if this thing is really shooting a foot right at 25 yards or if it's me. I see some bench shooting off sandbags in my near future. But that's for another thread.
