Flintlock to Percussion

[The Revenant]

I'm not sure if I am posting this under the correct section... so apologies in advance.

So, when I purchased my DP Frontier (flintlock) the firearm dealer sold me on the idea of purchasing a percussion lock and associated parts so that I could "switch" between flint or cap.

The other day I decided to "switch" to caplock, and found that the drum will not screw in so that the nipple is inline with the hammer. Am I missing something? Or has the dealer sold me on an idea that in theory sounds excellent, but in practice does not work?

 

[TDM]

Depends on how far off the alignment is. If it’s only slight, a thin brass washer might do the trick.

 

[The Revenant]

Depends on how far off the alignment is. If it’s only slight, a thin brass washer might do the trick.

Thanks TDM!

Is it a problem you have ran into yourself?

I also have a DP Kentucky in .45cal caplock, and the drum is screwed straight into the barrel, no washer or nothing, and the nipple aligns with the hammer perfectly.

 

[TDM]

Thanks TDM!

Is it a problem you have ran into yourself?

I also have a DP Kentucky in .45cal caplock, and the drum is screwed straight into the barrel, no washer or nothing, and the nipple aligns with the hammer perfectly.

Haven’t experienced it myself, but a thin washer won’t affect the strength or seal.

 

[necchi]

Or has the dealer sold me on an idea that in theory sounds excellent, but in practice does not work?

It's that. Your talking about a Davide Pedersoli rifle(DP) right?
The trouble you describe is called "Indexing", the alignment of the nipple too hammer fall.
When aftermarket changes are made like your trying to do, non-alignment is a very common problem, I'm surprised the "dealer" told you is was a simple change over.
What @TDM shared is a good fix, but not as simple as a drop-in change. Where did you get the DP drum that's supposed to fit your rifle? Where did you get the lock for the change-over?
Typical change overs require a blank drum that is screwed snug to the barrel, then the hole for the nipple is drilled and tapped for proper alignment.
Each rifle does require individual fitting, it's how they do it at the factory.
With used or salvage parts there is no guarantee of fit, it can be done easy enough, but typically not a simple drop-in.
So if your "dealer" sold you the rifle saying it's a simple change,, go and get your money back,,,,

 

[Grenadier1758]

The dealer should have told @The Revenant that it is easier to convert from percussion to flintlock. As @necchi explained, the issue is the indexing of the nipple on the drum to the hammer. Dixie Gun Works recommended conversion from percussion to flint when they offered the dual loc option for their Mountain Rifle.

 

[Pete G]

I'm not sure if I am posting this under the correct section... so apologies in advance.

So, when I purchased my DP Frontier (flintlock) the firearm dealer sold me on the idea of purchasing a percussion lock and associated parts so that I could "switch" between flint or cap.

The other day I decided to "switch" to caplock, and found that the drum will not screw in so that the nipple is inline with the hammer. Am I missing something? Or has the dealer sold me on an idea that in theory sounds excellent, but in practice does not work?

Changing from one to another sounds like a better idea than it really is.

 

[VAN]

I have replaced a couple of percussion drums with new ones that needed to be indexed slightly to line up the nipple to hammer. It was an easy job to chuck the drum in a drill press and use a small file held against the drum shoulder at slow speed to remove a little metal at a time till it allowed the drum to screw in enough to properly index.

 

[hanshi]

I used to had a DP flintlock rifle and found the lock was, well, lousy. I bought a percussion lock from them and had the same "problem". It was a quick, cheap job to get it fixed up with both locks. I killed a lot of deer with the percussion lock installed. But I also killed a few with the flint lock. In fact one of my longest shots on a deer, just over 100 yds, was taken with the flint lock installed. It failed to fire first thing and the deer spooked and ran off a ways. But the second time I cocked and pulled the trigger I got ignition and a deer.

 

[Tasbay]

I have the DP Kentucky and the Flintlock & Percussion set ups are just a straight switch over. Swapped from Percussion back to flint yesterday. I`m determined to get that Flintlock working properly, though I know I won`t (flash.... wait for long fuse to burn...BANG!!).
Otherwise as mentioned a copper shim or file back the base of the drum housing to inlet the drum some more (keeping the threads unmarred). Have done that with a CVA percussion, just a light file at a time.

 

[SDSmlf]

I have a Pedersoli Scout in 32 caliber, and I have both a flint and percussion lock for it. Changeover takes but a few minutes, and I have had no issues shooting either configuration.

As previously mentioned, going from a factory installed percussion to flint is the easiest way to go. Going from factory flint to percussion, unless you are real lucky, you will be filing the drum face or adding a shim (I suggest you make any shim out of stainless, not brass). I do not care for the shim idea, as shims tend to get lost when not in place and you look away. If you plan on switching between flint and percussion, you may want consider a new drum without the nipple hole drilled, then get a nipple hole installation kit from a place like TOW to line up the nipple hole. And once you have the drum and nipple installed and indexing correctly, do not over torque the drum when installing, or you will be back to needing shims.

Changing from one to another sounds like a better idea than it really is.

As long as one approaches the changeover correctly, it’s no big deal. Approach it like a pipe fitter using a 3’ cheater bar, not a good idea.

Truth be told, while the percussion setup works well with my gun, the percussion lock has not been installed in years.