Making touch hole bigger

It seems most guys make there touch hole larger than stock size.Should i drill my stock one out a little bigger or leave well enough alone,most guys say it will improve my firing. Like i say flint lock is new to me and no one around me shoots one so no one local to learn from and I don’t want to be doing things that aren’t correct.

Are you getting a lot of misfires or slow ignition? If not, don't fix what ain't broke.

I have been getting some problems with ignition but i think i have to narrow it down and not chaise my tail so I’m looking for some ideas. I changed my flint last night so we will see if that was the problem if not we will try drilling flash hole a little bit bigger.but its been so humid that may have played into the problem my pan looked like a bird bath.

Hi,
Flintlock can be a challenge!
Priming with fine 4F and sometimes with 3F can result with soup in your pan.
High humidity will cause condensation in the priming pan.
Yon can resolve this with a wipe of alcohol.
Wipe the frizzen and the pan, this will remove dirt an moisture.
Yeah, I know more junk to carry in your shooting bag. All you need is a small squeeze bottle ( plastic )a squirt on the frizzen, flint and pan, wipe quickly.
You can use those alcohol wipes that come in a sealed package, but with those you leave a wrapper trail as you go ( not good )
A clean dry flint and frizzen are a must for constant ignition.
Happy shooting!
Fred

Hopefully you have a set of number drills. There are several number drills between 1/16 and 5/64" diameter. If you have to open the touch hole, use the number drills to open the touch hole a step at a time.

I am one who does not believe in enlarging a touch hole to "improve ignition". My touch holes are .059 and I never have ignition problems. If the priming powder ignites, the gun says "BOOM". Google whitelightening liners, made by Jim Chambers, and modify a replacement liner to look like his on the inside. The channel from the apex of the interior cone to the outer surface of the barrel should be no more than ~ 1/32".

LJA said:

I am one who does not believe in enlarging a touch hole to "improve ignition". My touch holes are .059 and I never have ignition problems. If the priming powder ignites, the gun says "BOOM". Google whitelightening liners, made by Jim Chambers, and modify a replacement liner to look like his on the inside. The channel from the apex of the interior cone to the outer surface of the barrel should be no more than ~ 1/32".

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I agree. TC's replacement liners seem to have .07" in them already, and I've had fffg trickle out. My quickest ignition flinter has the smallest vent and its less than 1/16".

My touch holes are .059 and I never have ignition problems.

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Not meaning to....uh....dampen on yer flash pan, but someone who has never had ignition problems has never shot a flintlock. :shake:
However, if that works for you, good. But few generalities can be named in this game that will work for everyone. But, that said, that size is an almost, sorta, standard that many use. I believe the OP could use some hands on mentoring regarding his loading/priming techniques before going after his rifle with drills. Another approach might be to order several of Chambers white lightening liners and work up to a size that gives him successful ignition.

I also, am one who does not believe in enlarging a touch hole to "improve ignition". I'm an original owner of a of a 1976 T/C Hawken 50 Cal. and have never had an ignition problem. But within hours of shooting everytime, I've pumped hot soapy water in the barrel until it comes out clear through touch hole then oiled the barrel. By changing the size you are change the dynamics of pressure with in the chamber. If that's you intention I would fully want to understand the changes... For every action there is an action or consequence... The advantage of buying a factory gun or a Chamber's white lightening touch hole (I have in my 54 cal Lancaster kit) you are benefiting from their expertise which is was vastly more than mine. If something is wrong in Dixie I would concentrate on what that something is and there have been some pretty steps good already suggested by others on here... There is nothing wrong with modifications as long you understand all of the effects... A bigger hole may mean more in but also means more pressure released back out...

You are correct I have had ignition problems due to external factors... ie flint, damp powder... etc.
:bow:

apachesx2 said:

You are correct I have had ignition problems due to external factors... ie flint, damp powder... etc.
:bow:

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:v

Interesting to note this from Chambers web site:

Available in two sizes:

3/8" x 32 for 1 1/16" or larger barrels #THL-01
5/16" x 32 for 7/8" & 1" barrels #THL-02
1/4" x 32 for 7/8" and smaller barrels #THL-03

First he says "Available in two sizes".....then he list 3 sizes?

The 3/8"x32 is for 11/16" or larger.....then #2 for 7/8" & 1". .....But 7/8" is larger than 11/16". :shocked2: :hmm: :idunno:

At this time I would not order Jim Chamber's White Lightning Touch Hole liners. They use a non-standard thread which requires a special drill and tap. Work with the T/C liner that came with your rifle. Suggested replacement lines should have the same thread and length of the T/C liner.

Thompson Center touch hole liners are listed as 1/4"-28.

I've been using the T/C "allen wrench" type since they introduced it. It works very well.

MHO

It's not your liner, in agreement with others there.

Highly likely it's the TC breech giving you fits. Or, damp pan or moisture on the frizzen, or in the powder. Also, could be your flint... English flints are all I use, personally wouldn't use the cut flints sold by TC or anyone for that matter.

Grenadier1758 said:

At this time I would not order Jim Chamber's White Lightning Touch Hole liners. They use a non-standard thread which requires a special drill and tap. Work with the T/C liner that came with your rifle. Suggested replacement lines should have the same thread and length of the T/C liner.

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I totally agree.

I do wish people would stop saying, get a Chambers White Lightning vent liner. IT will fix your problems (as if one just buys one and sticks it in their gun).

The Chambers vent liners ALL have a very UNCOMMON thread and it will not just screw into your guns.

Not only that but if you was so foolish as to try to run the 32 thread per inch taps used with White Lightning liners into the hole your existing vent liner is screwed into you would totally RUIN the hole for both the White Lighting liner AND your old liner.
The resulting mess of thread fragments would be totally unsafe to use.

The ONLY way you can replace a vent liner with regular threads on it with a White Lighting liner is to enlarge the hole for the liner to the next larger size. That is, if your existing liner is a 1/4-28 or a M6-.75 or M6-1 thread size you MUST use a 5/16-32 White Lightning liner.
If your existing liner is a 5/16-24 thread size you MUST use a 3/8-32 White Lightning liner.

Going to the next larger thread size can cause problems.
Some of the barrel flats on the octagon barrels are less than 5/16" wide so going to the larger liner will cause the threaded hole to break out into the next barrel flat.

While this is not dangerous, it can end up looking line old 3 finger Sam the local backyard mechanic installed it.

Thank you everyone for your help. I didn’t touch the liner,I changed my flint and went shooting well it worked like a charm i shot around 20 shots not one hiccup went off every time.I have done everything I’ve been told to I wipe pan,clean flash hole and clean Barrel after every shot which i do with my percusion and inline. It’s all about the flint it seems that’s the thing i need to get correct I’m going to get some English flints and i should be good.

looking line old 3 finger Sam the local backyard mechanic installed it.

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Hey! I resemble that remark. :shocked2: :rotf:

I’m not understanding the association between your changing the flint, and possible ignition problems associated with the touchhole.

If the pan powder does not ignite, the touchhole is innocent. The lock or flint are the problem.

If the pan consistently flashes but ignition of the main charge is unreliable, then you have a problem that could involve the touchhole. But it may have nothing to do with its size. You could have gunk in the flash channel, or other issues preventing powder from being close to the pan.