Vent Liner

[Rles221]

I am not new to Flints. But I feel that i am reading the post in this forum. Out a huntin in another post said you should remove the vent liner after cleaning. I have a .45 cal Kentuky that my grand father gave me and i dont recall enyone or myself ever removing it to clean or replace it.
this my sound syupid but should i do that???

Rick

 

[rich pierce]

never. The only reason to remove a vent liner is if it is burnt out, too large, and needs replacing.

 

May I ask why? ::

I've always removed mine to clean it, and never had a problem. Of course, mine is slotted for a screwdriver and easy removal... I wouldn't recommend doing it with one that is not slotted and filed flush with the barrel.

I got my GPR in the late 80's as a Christmas gift from my father... I know I've taken out, cleaned, and replaced that liner in the barrel a hundred times, just like the percussion nipple on my T/C Hawken.

 

[Rles221]

The only reason is that no one ever told me you had to remove and clean it. The reason I ask is i just recieve a GPR(Flint) and i have been looking at what other people say about them. After my greandfother passed I didnt have enyone that was into traditional muzzleloader so I shoot alone and hunt alone> All my freinds are in-liners.

 

[hairsmith]

The touch hole liner just like the breach plug handles all the pressure of each shot.
Why add the wear of removing it when it is unnecessary. The breach plug is not removed for each cleaning.
Cleaning a little BP fouling out of a gun is not that hard. It is something that has bin done for 300+ years.

Personal I HATE cleaning the copper fouling out of a modern rifle much more than BP fouling. And have found the copper fouling to be more detrimental to the gun than BP fouling to a flinter.

Much less the plastic fouling that the inliners must have.

Hairsmith :imo: :results:

 

The touch hole liner just like the breech plug handles all the pressure of each shot.
Why add the wear of removing it when it is unnecessary.

Yes, there's pressure there, but there's a big difference: the breech plug doesn't have a hole through the middle of it, and the vent liner isn't torqued down to the point you have to have tons of leverage to get it out.

Now, you may have a point with the wear thing, but I haven't noticed any. Of course, that doesn't mean it isn't happening.

 

[Zonie]

Seems I just made this comment on another post, but here's my opnion.

The large hole in the typical Flintlock vent is enough to get more than enough water thru it to clean the barrel. The vent liner does not have to be removed for cleaning.

In fact, with the Flintlocks barrel removed from the stock and the breech in a bucket of water, and a cleaning patch on a jag on a cleaning rod you can easily rapidly fill and power drain the barrel by just moving the patch/jag/rod up and down.
(By removing the breech from the bucket and doing some careful aiming before plunging the rod back down the bore, more than one cat who thought he was in safety, across the yard, found himself a little more than damp! :.

A Precussion gun nipple has a very small hole thru it and will not let in enough water to adaquatly flush out the breech and flash hole, so the nipple should be removed for cleaning.
:imo:

 

I agree that one does not have to remove it to get water to flow through the barrel... and I'll usually pump water through the barrel with it in before I remove it, then remove it and pump more water through. I will then give the threads of the liner a brushing with an old plastic toothbrush. I then finish drying and lubricating the barrel, put a tiny drop of oil on the threads of the liner, and put it back in.

I guess I was looking for a good, solid reason as to why I should not remove my vent liner ever until it needs replacing. Some of the replies to both of these threads make it sound like it is a very bad idea to ever touch the vent liner until it wears out, yet my personal experince is just the opposite.

(By removing the breech from the bucket and doing some careful aiming before plunging the rod back down the bore, more than one cat who thought he was in safety, across the yard, found himself a little more than damp!)

:crackup: That is hilarious! Gonna have to remember that one...

 

[Howard]

I'm with Static on this one. I remove the vent liner just about every time I use my flinters. The only exception is when I only fire a handful of shots at the range (it's so cold here sometimes that I give out before the rifle does). Otherwise, I unscrew it and make its cleaning part of my regular cleanup. However, when I put it back in, I apply a good dose of choke tube lube, so it won't seize the next time I try to remove it. I also use choke tube lube on the threads of my caplock nipples and in-line breech plugs, and I find they all come out without too much difficulty. Also, it's not necessary to torque these vents, nipples, or breech plugs down for them to stay in place. A good tight (but not overly so) fit is all you need.
Oh yeah, one more thing. If I've shot a particular ML a fair bit over the course of a year, I'll replace its vent liner, nipple, or (in-line) breech plug (as the case may be). I do it even if an examination reveals no obvious signs of wear and tear. Probably an excess of caution on my part, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

:m2c:

 

[freetrapper20]

I really am no expert on vent liners and also take mine out when cleaning. It has never caused me a problem and actually seems to make the cleaning easier. I am concerned that if I never took it out, over a very long time frame, how hard would it be to get out if I needed to remove it?????
Don't want the booger to be stuck in there so tight that I have to take it to the shop to get out. (Mine are slotted for a screwdriver).

 

[rich pierce]

I like the traditional aspects of using a flintlock, else I might as well just "go inline". There were no removable vent liners on original flintlocks. Most rifles never had their barrels removed for cleaning. You can tell because the holes for the pins are not worn. On some originals, the barrel was never removed, as far as I can tell.

That's the main reason I'd not remove a vent liner. Because it was not done back in the day. And it would be impossible to remove some types that are carefully fitted, filed flush, and have no slot.

But if folks feel better about getting their gun clean and this works for them, and they are secure in getting the vent liner back in, more power to them.

 

:huh:This seems to be a subject that has been on other sits. Well after about fourty years of smithing and shooting I have never removed any vent in order to clean or replace one from ware. One moment please, I can see the resopnes, how much shooting? Lets say about 50 to 100 rounds per week, with BP.
Also have never pulled breech plugs. Why aske for trouble. Also have repaired some 100 to 150 flinters. Seems that some like to make work for themself. Clean your weapon wright and one should not have any problems. Correct cleaning seems to be the NUMBER ONE PROBLEM ! :thumbsup:

 

Okay, cool. If being PC is the reason, I'll definitely go along with that. No problem, and I agree. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't another reason due to safety or longevity that I was missing. :redthumb:

 

[bezoar]

The controversy comes from companies selling reproductions of barrel wrenches to use and telling us to use pull thru cleaning equipment everytime we clean,

and that company sells 300,000 rigby doubles, that i assume they want unbreached at every cleaning.

 

[Jerry Gowins]

Crazy Frenchman,

I'm new to all this (just received my first BP gun today), so could you please explain the correct way to clean a flinter?

Thanks!

Jerry

 

[Rles221]

Jeryy
I would post that and get the input of the vets that have been doing it for years. I've owned and stot BP since I was 12 but only had my grand father to show me what to do Im learning that he flow by the seat of his paints. Learned alout from the guy in this forum.
Rick

 

[Rles221]

Over the years Ive tried to get it out it is sloted so i thought it was for a screwdrive for removal but being scared to harm the gun never tried to hard at it