A friend needs CVA Hawken flintlock help with ignition issue

tallpine said:

If you swab after every shot you are going to have problems with the tiny patent breech on Traditions rifles. Some one on here once described patent breeches as the spawn of the devil. I thought that was a dead on description.

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There's no need to swab after every shot.

All my Lyman / Cabelas Investarms rifles, whether flint or percussion, have patent breeches. Enlarged touch holes and clean breeches give me 100% reliable ignition on all. There's absolutely no need to go & spend on pans, locks or remove the breech to make it run.
Look for sufficient spark & clear path between pan & powder charge. It ain't rocket surgery.

I have a CVA hawkin in 50 caliber and I have been complimented on how fast my ignition is.
First replace the touch hole liner. I use a white lightning from TOW.
Then get a dremel tool and center the pan on the touch hole. Next use the dremel to polish the pan as smooth as possible. All of these steps helped mine a lot. Maybe not as good as a custom lock but pretty darn good for a production lock

Still think opening up (to 5/64”) and adding an inside chamfer to the touch hole in the replaceable liner is the place to start. $5 item if you muck it up and have to replace it. Always like to start with modifications to the least expensive component. And whatever you do, suggest making one change or modification at a time. Change multiple items and the problem goes away, you still aren’t sure what actually solved the problem.

Owl said:

I have a CVA hawkin in 50 caliber and I have been complimented on how fast my ignition is.
First replace the touch hole liner. I use a white lightning from TOW.
Then get a dremel tool and center the pan on the touch hole. Next use the dremel to polish the pan as smooth as possible. All of these steps helped mine a lot. Maybe not as good as a custom lock but pretty darn good for a production lock

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Wow! We have a Pilgrim that jumped right into forum and contributed some good advice.
First of all Welcome to our forum and thanks for the tips. I agree with a better liner and my friend is going to order one from Track. I personally see no value in polishing the pan. What good does it do? After the first shot it is filthy. He also has already widened the pan.
Flintlocklar

Polishing the pan is good for wiping the pan. Being smooth, more of the fouling is removed when you wipe the pan between shots and remove any humidity that has been drawn from the air.

Larry (Omaha) said:

First of all Welcome to our forum and thanks for the tips. I agree with a better liner and my friend is going to order one from Track.

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Still believe it would real simple to try out a chamfer on the bore side of existing liner and open up hole bit.

Does your friend have the correct tap (5/16”-32) and drill to install? If not, quickly on the way to trying something for $30 or so that could be done almost free. Another thing, confirm that TOW is providing Chambers White Lightening liners. It has been reported that TOW has their own version that is not quite as durable and comes with a different inside diameter than the Chambers, but can’t confirm from personal experience.

SDSmlf said:

Still believe it would real simple to try out a chamfer on the bore side of existing liner and open up hole bit.

Does your friend have the correct tap (5/16”-32) and drill to install? If not, quickly on the way to trying something for $30 or so that could be done almost free. Another thing, confirm that TOW is providing Chambers White Lightening liners. It has been reported that TOW has their own version that is not quite as durable and comes with a different inside diameter than the Chambers, but can’t confirm from personal experience.

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SDSmlf,
My friend has opened the factory liner vent, and tried to cone, but failed. He said it would not grind with his equipment. It is best for him to just purchase another liner with a coned inside. Track has a replacement liner for $4.95 which he is going to order. There is no drilling or tapping. Just screw out the factory one and screw in the new. Piece of cake!
Thanks
Flintlocklar

Larry (Omaha) said:

SDSmlf,
My friend has opened the factory liner vent, and tried to cone, but failed. He said it would not grind with his equipment. It is best for him to just purchase another liner with a coned inside. Track has a replacement liner for $4.95 which he is going to order. There is no drilling or tapping. Just screw out the factory one and screw in the new. Piece of cake!
Thanks
Flintlocklar

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Sounded like there was a White Lightening in the supply chain, my mistake. Suggest he order more than one for development. Shipping one a time can be painful.

Grenadier1758 said:

Polishing the pan is good for wiping the pan. Being smooth, more of the fouling is removed when you wipe the pan between shots and remove any humidity that has been drawn from the air.

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Makes good sense now that you explained why. I only wipe if the pan is gooey wet, and sometimes not even then. I really don't care if it looks cruddy as long as it is not wet. I will admit that I am not a hunter, but a target shooter. Prime with moisture in the pan over a period of time could very well mean.....no bang!
Thanks for pointing out why.
Flintlocklar

Open the touch hole as said. Blow down the barrel between shots.
Okthere are folk that think some how you will kill yourself if you blow down the barrel. So....
Screw a jag on your ramrod tip. Run a patch down between shots have some force so as to get a good ‘whoosh’ of air out of the touch hole.
you don’t have to go all the way to the bottom as you may push crud in. Withdraw rr quickly get another whoosh

If you wipe as @tenngun suggests there will be a plume of smoke flowing out of the touch hole.

WL liner is 32 threads per inch. Most others are 28 tpi. They are not interchangeable.

Pete G said:

WL liner is 32 threads per inch. Most others are 28 tpi. They are not interchangeable.

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Pete G you are correct. People always seem to jump on the chambers white lightning bandwagon. Am I correct in stating that the white lightning has a thread pitch that does NOT fit any factory made Italian rifle? Some of us don’t have the capability to drill and tap for a liner than may not be any better than the OX yoke ones I use or any others offered as a direct fit. If I’m correct about the threads then when recommending a white lightning please inform the person they aren’t a direct fit for Italian Guns. Chambers May offer direct fit ones now but the last I checked they did not.

@Gavin T Lane , you are correct. The White Lightning touch hole liner will not fit a factory made Italian rifle.

Grenadier1758 said:

@Gavin T Lane , you are correct. The White Lightning touch hole liner will not fit a factory made Italian rifle.

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Yet often suggested.

My .56 capgun has a home-made patent breech; I used a 3/32" drill from the drum to the gunpowder, to keep the hole open and promote fast ignition. I just judged it by eye, leaving enough meat for a #10-24 stainless cleanout screw. That capgun lights 2Fg like a 30-30 Marlin.
For Flintlocks; Can you open the channel behind the liner to 3/32" and have it work OK? Tinhorn