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How to make your precussion touch off every shot with out fail

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I certainly would not say that venting a barrel is a safety issue, in fact bleeding off pressure would produce just the opposite. But, if I was to vent a barrel, seems more logical to me to locate the vent opposite of the drum, on the left side. Wouldn't the drum be at the end/bottom of the chamber?

Now I've got to say, that venting, to my understanding, is applied to the drum, or the bolster or snail, and the vent should be as tiny as possible. I believe one wants to vent the drum, snail or bolster, and not actually the barrel. ?? I could be wrong! On my vented bolsters, I used the smallest drill I had, which would still drill without bending/breaking. Almost wire gauge.
 
All I can say is, I find it just a little extreme. If that barrel was in my pile of parts, I would consider it ruined.
I'll take your word that it works well. With that said , there's no way I would do it nor recommend it.

Note, there is a measure of basic respect here. I said if that was My barrel I would consider it ruined. I go on to say, I'll take your word that it works well.

so just stew in your own juice and i wont bother you and no need to bother me. we will never meet and would not talk if we did. im about info, your about absumtions. as far as im concerned your a very very very boring what ever.

You have zero idea what I'm about. If you are truly about info, sharing info and learning info, why do you resort to name calling when someone disagrees, albeit respectfully disagrees, with your methodology?

sorry moderator but this shooter has been after me ever since i want to learn and share on your fine site. 20 percent here want to learn , 70 percent like to read every thing and whats left bring their hangups here to vent and annoy every one. sorry again but just leave me alone and we can just egnore each other. you do know how to post a picture though, good job at that.

If you indeed you do want to ignore me, why have you continued to mention me?

wont do that because the nay sayer wants to mash every thing he can see so let him figure it out and tell us, he is the smart one here.

I'm not going to play "Where's Waldo" with your pistol. I've seen enough.

thats just a brain fart frm those who never contribute but just nay say because they have a nay saying personality.

When you post stuff like extra holes in a barrel, newbies shooting 4f, a better way to finish a stock, a better way to finish a barrel, you may and should expect some feedback that challenges your conclusions, methods, and results. It's all part in engaging in a conversation. You should expect some feedback, even negative feedback especially when safety may be an issue.

on the internet their is no danger to you getting into a physical thing, so mice try to roar like a lion on the internet. us who pass info and recieve info just have to get used to it.

Here we go.:rolleyes: You go from name calling to a back door physical threat. I'm not the first on this forum and it seems your previous, most dramatic comments to others have been removed.

its in the back of the chamber. when some one says the barrel is ruined then they have to say all flintlock barrels are ruined. you dont put a finger over the flints ignition hole, you wouldnt on this either. sorry about not answering what also is different about this gun,

From the matchlock days, vents were covered. Flintlocks vents are covered by the frizzen. So there is not a truly open air vent on a flintlock it has a cover, the frizzen.

Are you curious to why I do not like your open vent?

The main reason is safety. Another hole that exposes the powder charge is another ignition source. Uncapped powder horns have ignited, Charges, containers, cartridges, and quick loads have exploded, In each case a series of unlikely things have to happen. In other words, a "Perfect Storm" of unlikely events on top of each other.
Imagine that pistol going off when belted while shooting a similarly vented rifle or flintlock. Unlikely, sure, but the fact remains that that pistol has an alternate route for ignition.

Well I never belt it...I never do this, I never do that with it, you might say. Unfortunately I have had to pick up the pieces when never turns to...."just one time" or "I forgot".

You, yourself have stated that the vent has injured your fingers when you "forgot about it".

When I see a potential danger.I make sure I point it out. In the end, I do not want to see anyone hurt. Am I condemning your pistol? For me? Yes. For You? No... I'm just pointing out some possibilities and maybe by posting this, greater care may be taken by you and by others.
^^^
This above is what I'm about.

Another reason I do not like it is reliability in adverse conditions, namely rain.
One of the attributes of percussion guns is their nearly waterproof ignition system. Without a doubt, a percussion gun will be nearly as reliable as a modern cartridge gun in wet conditions.
A open vent takes that away.

I'm glad you have fun with it. It's just not for me.
 
Are you curious to why I do not like your open vent?

The main reason is safety. Another hole that exposes the powder charge is another ignition source. Uncapped powder horns have ignited, Charges, containers, cartridges, and quick loads have exploded, In each case a series of unlikely things have to happen. In other words, a "Perfect Storm" of unlikely events on top of each other.
Imagine that pistol going off when belted while shooting a similarly vented rifle or flintlock. Unlikely, sure, but the fact remains that that pistol has an alternate route for ignition.

Well I never belt it...I never do this, I never do that with it, you might say. Unfortunately I have had to pick up the pieces when never turns to...."just one time" or "I forgot".

.

I'll admit, I've been so busy trying to validate this concept of a secondary vent and it's potential benefits, that I completely overlooked that basic safety concern. The propensity for an accidental discharge never occurred to me.

I too have had to "pick up the pieces" I lost two friends that way.
Shame on me and thank you 54ball for mentioning it.
 
On my vented bolsters, I always place a small ball of bees wax over the vent. That keeps the bolster water-proof, and safe. Just smoosh it on. Those vents are very tiny also. And I rarely shoot on a public range. In fact, with my muzzle loaders, never. I do see the concern as to a gaping 1/16" hole. That would be bigger than a touch-hole, (most) and indeed flintlocks have gone off from stray sparks, or from "dry firing" with a load in the barrel.

Might be wise to thread that hole, install a blind screw, and vent it with a much much much smaller hole. ?? Might shoot through both sides of the 50 gallon drum. :)
 
I don't see the value in making a hole only to plug it with beeswax. It is much simpler not to make the hole in the first place.
 
I don't either. I just can't seem to get my time machine to work right, so I can go back and un-drill the hole. Besides, why keep it simple, when it's so easy to make it complicated? Sheeeeesh.
 
We got the plan.

Actually, I was thinking that on Bob's pistol, a good plan would be to tap and plug that big hole he's got, and then vent his drum with a very small vent-hole, which is how I believe a drum and nipple gun should be vented, if one is going to vent. (!!!) I think that would be better than venting the barrel, with that large of a hole, but I don't think we are going to talk him into no vent at all.

I'm also puzzled that where that hole is, would be the base of the powder chamber. The end of the chamber should be even with the drum. ????
 
its at the base of the combustion chamber, never ever had any problems with one their in over 20 muzzleloading side locks including a 36 inch doughas barred on in 1/18 twist 45 that shot very well at 1000 yards. sold that one to a police officer in northern kentucky and he is very happy with it. every one can say what they have to say even say i miss interputed the original one i saw from the 1840/s that was platium lined. thats ok, do what you have to do and so will i. just passing info that was not accepted. that is your right in this wonderful USA.
 
Oh no, information accepted. No, this has peaked my interest and curiosity. But, I actually don't see how the base/end of the chamber or breech, can be ahead of the drum. ?? It would have to have a long long flash channel that made another 90 degree turn. ??
See my confusion? However, and I say this honestly, if it did/does, then your large vent, in the barrel, actually starts to make sense, in order for the flash to travel that far, and make two 90 degree turns, to reach the main charge. Just trying to understand it. ???
 
BHB
Please don't stop the info. When it comes to BP revolvers I am confident. Side lock fire arms not so much. So let the info flow so guys like me can absorb. I know what the Remington's like and the Colts. The sidelocks I am building are a challenge and I learn as I go and as I read from you guys. So let's not get ****** off or ****** on and go with the flow with the info.
I am a poet and didn't know it.
DL
 
desperate lee, thanks, dont worry if things dont fit tight.like in the lock or tang area. make them fit the best you can. then as i said before take paper towel and stain it in a non oil stain and soak in gorilla glue and pack it in tight in those areas, poss can use epoxy also. then put a piece of plastic kitchen wrap around you metal part and clamp in to the cut out tight. let dry real good. the part will come out easy when the glue is dry. never ever glue a piece onto or cracks in your stock with out staining it first and letting the stain dry. if you glue without staining it wont take stain at that spot and you will cuss your self. i ws given a barn gun in 3 pieces about 3 or 4 years ago. it was covered in bird **** also. 22 cal. the bore was perfect, they used waxed bullets, the rest wasnt rusted as we have low moisture in the air here. the stock was a mess. i washed it good stained it with leather dye and took a couple of week to glue it all back together again. it was made out of birch or beech. it came out very very nice. my son shots it all the time. it is getting a little beat us again as he isnt care full with it in his pickup. some day i will refinish it again. go slow and quit working on the gun when your tired. the other day i was carving on a stock and was tired and didnt quit. the wood chisel slipped and i gashed my left hand to the bone. it was blizzarding that day so no stiches. im a fast healer so it is fine and healing well.
 
This is a good discussion but I'm not sure I've been swayed either way, to vent or not to. Anyway, has anyone researched this issue or if it was addressed from around 1830- 1870 ??
 
If we assume that all parts are properly sized and fitted, the next thing is cleanliness. One of the main causes for misfires is not properly cleaning your rifle and allowing gunk to build up in the breach. Properly clean your rifle barrel with soap and water after every outing. Then thoroughly dry the bore and properly lubricate it to prevent rust. Then thoroughly wipe out the bore to remove all traces of oil or grease before loading. Snap a cap on it to make sure the fire channel is open before you load and you will have no misfires.
 
This is a good discussion but I'm not sure I've been swayed either way, to vent or not to. Anyway, has anyone researched this issue or if it was addressed from around 1830- 1870 ??
I don't think the subject has ever been well researched, as far as I know. I do recall seeing some pics of original percussion guns having platinum lined vents. But, there has been argument as to the purpose of those.

I agree with B&P, if the gun is cleaned properly, and prepped properly before firing, there's little or no chance of a miss fire. In the two guns I have with vented bolsters, (1861 Springfield and 1863 Remington Contract rifle, replicas) it SEEMS as though the vents keep gunk or debris from blowing back up into the nipple after firing, but I have never conducted any type of test to confirm or deny that.

To the best of my knowledge, venting is primarily, or mainly for drum and nipple guns, in which case the drum is vented, with a very small hole between the nipple and barrel. Venting the barrel, or combustion chamber, is a new one on me. As far as I know, and I may be wrong, but I think drum and nipple gun(s) is/are somewhat prone to miss fires, which could be totally untrue if it is cleaned and loaded right. I have never owned a drum and nipple breached gun. So..........!!!???
 
I don't think the subject has ever been well researched, as far as I know. I do recall seeing some pics of original percussion guns having platinum lined vents. But, there has been argument as to the purpose of those.

I agree with B&P, if the gun is cleaned properly, and prepped properly before firing, there's little or no chance of a miss fire. In the two guns I have with vented bolsters, (1861 Springfield and 1863 Remington Contract rifle, replicas) it SEEMS as though the vents keep gunk or debris from blowing back up into the nipple after firing, but I have never conducted any type of test to confirm or deny that.

To the best of my knowledge, venting is primarily, or mainly for drum and nipple guns, in which case the drum is vented, with a very small hole between the nipple and barrel. Venting the barrel, or combustion chamber, is a new one on me. As far as I know, and I may be wrong, but I think drum and nipple gun(s) is/are somewhat prone to miss fires, which could be totally untrue if it is cleaned and loaded right. I have never owned a drum and nipple breached gun. So..........!!!???

Rat, I would have to agree. When my gun is clean, it shoots great. When I have issues, it's dirty. I have some platinum nipples for a slug gun and as far as I know, that's because they last longer and resist erosion better than most anything, hence consistent hole size and groups.
 
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