Vented drum

[stubshaft]

Many years ago I remember reading in the reference section of the Dixie Gun Work catalog a "tip" on getting better ignition out of a percussion gun. I was based on drilling the drum with a #50? drill to allow the flame to reach the powder.

Although I have never tried this I was wondering if anyone did and what the result was.

 

[crabyx78]

Are you thinking the nipple and not the drum?
There is the chance of to much blow back if the
nipple is drilled to big.
I use a hot shot nipple which works good on my
cva mt.rifle and it will sometimes kick the hammer
to full cock on firing. Be safe.

 

[stubshaft]

No, it was the drum. It was supposed to be drilled facing at about a 45 degree angle foreward. Looking at it from the side it would be in about the 2:00 position. The thought was that unless there was air flow from the nipple into the main charge the cap may ignite and the flame would just blow back rather than igniting the powder (I've had that happen with musket caps on a Renegade).

 

[rafterob]

Yes-way back when in the '70s some were promoting that idea and my opinion is that it was erroneously based on the concept of the vent hole on flintlocks. Some people actually drilled a small vent hole into the top of their percussion barrels facing forward 45 degress. I have not seen one of those barrels in years, so perhaps they have been junked by now. I think the consensus since then has proven it to be a farce. Failure to ignite is never an issue of blowback pressure. Usually it is an obstructed flash channel. I have been shooting heavy for 4 years now, I have a Traditions hawken and a CVA Mtn rifle both in percussion. I make sure they are cleaned well after shooting. I only swab during a shooting session when loading gets a little sticky. I have never had a misfire using CCI #11 caps with either Pyrodex or Goex Black.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I did something different with my Spanish made rifle that had a weak mainspring, and was giving me both hammer blow-back, and caps coming loose off the nipple.

I drilled a 1/64" diameter hole through the clean out screw in the end of the drum. The drill bit just fit in the screw-driver slot in the screwhead. I figured it was be much easier to replace the screw, if this didn't help, than the drum. The small hole DID vent gases, and stopped the hammer from blowing back and releasing that spent cap, so I considered the effort a success.

I never thought that such a hole was needed to get the flame through the drum and into the powder charge. Don't people fire caps off in a empty barrel at night, pointed at a leaf on the ground, and watch to see how long a flame comes out the barrel? If a cap can burn up that much oxygen to send a flame 10 inches out of the muzzle of a long barreled rifle, who would worry about that same cap getting flame to the powder?

As others have noted, if there were ignition problems, it was doe to improper, and inadequate cleaning of the gun- not the small amount of air inside the drum in these guns. :hmm: :rotf: :thumbsup:

 

[Zonie]

I had an old CVA Frontier .50 that was inconsistent in firing.

I had read the venting idea and decided to try it on that gun so I drilled a 1/16 inch hole at a 45 degree angle up and forward.

It did improve the ignition, very much so.
Where it would mis-fire about every 3rd shot before drilling, after drilling it would fire 9 out of 10 times.

I really don't recommend doing this to a gun , but it did work for me.

 

I had a chunk gun that was vented. Normally it is done at about a 45* angle in the drum, facing forward. Mine was vented through the clean out screw and blew at right angles to the rifle. The reason that most guns were vented was not to get the flame to the powder charge, that would happen anyway as long as the rifle was cleaned and well maintained, but to relieve air pressure between the cap and the main charge. Supposedly it created a faster ignition, as well as relieving back pressure. Does it work,. I forgot about the vent at one shoot until the fellow shooting to my right caught the blown out gas and flame on the back of his neck. I was reminded very quickly to set up a flash shield.
Mark :idunno:

 

[stubshaft]

Thanks for the replies guys!

 

[zrifleman]

If you feel you must vent your percussion rifle, buy an Uncle Mikes Hot Shot nipple that has 2 vent holes. It might stop hammer blow back but won't help improve accuracy. The vent just adds one more unnecessary variable.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I agree: Uncle Mike's "Hotshot" nipple will do everything that my venting through the clean out screw did for my gun. I just did my work about 8 months before that nipple hit the market! :idunno: :hmm: :thumbsup:

 

[stubshaft]

I don't really want to vent it. I was more curious as to how/if it had worked. It was just one of those many things that I had wondered about over the years.

Thanks for the tips though.

 

[Jim/OH]

I used to shoot with a couple of people that "vented" their percussion rifles. It was my understanding that it was to keep the drum open of crud by blowing it out, so the next shot would go off reliably. These were done like Paul said, by drilling the cleanout screw, and as Papa said, the person standing next to one would get burnt like a flintlock, so they had to watch, or put up a shield so competitors next to them did not get hit with stuff. This practice seems to have gone away, as I do not know anyone doing it now. I do not think it was all that great, with some definate disadvantages. :thumbsup:

See ya, Jim/OH :hatsoff:

 

[4570tc]

I did it on a few guns that had problems going off regulary. and YES it works! by drilling a .050" hole At 2 O clock, angled @ a 45deg. never had a problem on the firing line? and both my dad and I killed deer with those guns I built 20 some years ago. Mine is a 58cal. and my dads is a 50 cal.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I vented one in the 70's according to the dixie instructions. The gun did not misfire in dry weather but hunting in the rain the vent hole caused the gun to draw moisture until I learned to "plug" the vent with beeswax.The drawback was the vented gases tended to burn the stock in the area of the vent.

 

[walruskid1]

mark, was that the bill large .55? i blew apart a fingertip by getting it in front of the vented drum! still, the most accurate smokepole i own. walrus kid (dave)