Vent pick in the touch hole while loading

[cornstalk]

So last night I'm watching one of The Woodland Escape's videos and at the end the three guys are going to shoot and all three put their vent picks in the touch hole before loading. Theory being that a channel is left in the compressed powder in the barrel that aids in the flame from the pan igniting the charge. I'd never seen that before, perhaps because I shoot on my own property instead of a range, or perhaps because it really isn't a thing. What say you folks.

 

[Kansas Kid]

Try it and form your own opinion. I poke after each shot and before I prime and that seems to work well for me as I rarely have a problem.

 

[William Sublette]

I thought I was the only one that did that. I invented it in 1997.

 

[garypl]

I have been leaving a vent pick in the touchhole while loading for many years - I agree that it leaves a straight path into the main charge and also keeps 3f from trickling into the pan when your touchhole is getting worn. Wait, that’s a feature - Auto Prime!

 

[Nor'Easter]

That's how I do it also. Seems to work for me.

 

[cositrike]

I always use a vent pick when loading

 

[Grimord]

It has been my belief that it is not flame from the pan that ignites the powder charge, but the heat generated by the pan flash that sets off the powder charge. Which is correct?

 

[Brokennock]

It has been mentioned here many times.
There is some historical reference to it.
I do it with one gun and not the other.

My smoothrifle has a vent liner. I would occasionally get a slower than average delay between sear break and ignition, and every now and then a pan flash with no boom. I remembered reading about leaving the hole with a pin or wire through it and tried it. Never had an ignition issue after that, and ignition was FAST..... with that gun.
I recently went back to a gun that I stopped using after getting the smoothrifle, it has the flash hole drilled directly through the barrel wall, no liner. I naturally proceeded to load as always. I use 3f in everything regardless of bore. Things worked fine, but in the much lighter gun recoil was more than I'd like. So, I decided to try some 2f loads to see if I could change recoil impulse.
Pan flash. Pan flash. Pan flash.
Worked some rarely used 4f into the hole and was able to fire the charge.
Tried a few 2f loads with no pick in the flash hole,,,, no firing issues. Tried another one with the pick/wire, pan flash.

Now, that lock could use a good tuning. It is not the best sparking lock I've used. It would seem that with the combination of less spark, larger granule powder, and a further distance for the heat/flash to travel through the vent hole (compared to the thin walled liner), that the added hole in the powder becomes a detriment instead of a benefit.

So. Try it. Try it with different powders. I do like knowing that as I load and up until the point I prime the pan, that hole is blocked. When I travel with a charge in the gun during hunting season that hole gets blocked anyway, with the pick/wore in the hole loading method, it isn't a change in anything.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

I started doing it too. Seems to help it go boom.

 

[Pete G]

I only pick the vent when I have a flash in the pan. Happens once about every 3-4 years, but I only use White Lignin’ liners drilled out to .0625.

 

[TarponStalker]

I’ve tried plugging the vent with a paper clip before loading. Maybe it was just bad luck but I didn’t feel the powder charge made it fully to near the vent and I had a few FIP. But now I always pick the vent after loading. I feel I get a faster ignition this way. I’m sure much depends on the gun and what we use to plug the vent.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

After shooting I always clean the hole with a little pipe cleaner.

 

[akroguy]

Patent breech....if using 2F, might get bridging and no powder in there. Happens on my P'soli Kentucky. As long as I pick before priming to make sure the charge got into the chamber, it goes bang nicely.

Each gun, each chamber geometry demands it's own treatment.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Flintlocks....finicky little fellers ain't they?

 

[deerstalkert]

Flintlocks....finicky little fellers ain't they?

Ah! but when you learn what tickles them they are umm, fulfilling!

 

[oldwood]

Have shot 50 + years w/ different flint guns. All I do as part of the priming sequence , is ,before priming ,insert a soft wire touch hole pick , 1/16 " . If a crunching is felt while picking , that's the indication of powder at the inside of the touch hole liner. Next , Have always used FFFFG in the pan , so if right handed , tilt the gun to the left side , and bump the stock to seat some FFFFG inside the touch hole liner. Goes off well.

 

[deerstalkert]

Have shot 50 + years w/ different flint guns. All I do as part of the priming sequence , is ,before priming ,insert a soft wire touch hole pick , 1/16 " . If a crunching is felt while picking , that's the indication of powder at the inside of the touch hole liner. Next , Have always used FFFFG in the pan , so if right handed , tilt the gun to the left side , and bump the stock to seat some FFFFG inside the touch hole liner. Goes off well.

good Lord oldwood! banking prime against the vent? prepare to get flamed!!!!!!!!!! pun intended!
do it the same meself.

 

[hanshi]

I use a feather in the vent at the range but never bother with it in the field.

 

[LongWalker]

I use a feather in the vent at the range but never bother with it in the field.

I insert a feather in the touchhole before loading, and remove it after seating the ball or shot charge. Been doing it since I was a kid, it seems to improve consistency.

 

[DuncNZ]

I have filed soft brass rod into a flash hole sized pricker and prick the flash hole after loading , this is to ensure the flash hole is open and not blocked by powder ,and to make a space in the powder charge to allow the flash to penetrate the load , not fuse its way in . I place my pan powder under the flash hole , I used to tilt the pan powder away from the flash hole because I was told that was the way to do it , I changed after reading this article Part 5 — Timing Powder locations in Pan In fact the whole article is worth reading .