low vent hole?

[steelerzzz]

I am going to install a white lightnin touch hole liner on a A&H rifle that I never shot yet...but the existing hole seems to be a bit low to begin with. The hole is a hair below the top of the pan(with a straight edge placed across the top of the pan..the hole is just below the straight edge)Is it worth filling in the hole and re-drilling, or should I deepen the pan a bit, or just leave everything the way it is and install the new liner?I'm a little concerned than primer powder may block the hole,thus slowing ignition. (defeating the whole purpose of the white lightnin liner) If I was to re-drill a new hole, what would be the best method to fill in the old one? Thanks

 

[54mountain]

Dont mess with trying to redrill the touchhole,
I would replace the liner and take it to the range and see how well it works first.
then if needed file the pan a little deeper

I have a flint pistol that the hole just touches the bottem of the pan and it's the fastest lock I've got, Bank the prime away from the hole and use a minamal amount, I think you'll be supirsed
JMO

 

[pcrum]

is the current hole just a simple drilled touch hole, or a liner? if it's just a regular hole, I'd think that the larger hole needed for the white lightning liner would cover it up. Just use a drill press and jig rather than a hand drill to prevent drifting.
Hope this helps!
Pat

 

[tg]

"I am going to install a white lightnin touch hole liner on a A&H rifle that I never shot yet"

Any chance it may work fine as it is? I have found that a plain hole 5/64 gives very fast ignition with larger bore guns with big locks.

 

[roundball]

And, if after trying it you still think you need to reposition the touch hole, I'm certain I've read where a vent liner is commercially available that intentionally has it's hole actually off center so it can be screwed in and the hole positioned where it's needed...I assume with loctite or something to hold it in place...some of the experienced folks in the builder's section should know what I'm talking about and know more about it than I do.

 

[Larry Pletcher]

I am going to install a white lightnin touch hole liner on a A&H rifle that I never shot yet...but the existing hole seems to be a bit low to begin with. The hole is a hair below the top of the pan(with a straight edge placed across the top of the pan..the hole is just below the straight edge)Is it worth filling in the hole and re-drilling, or should I deepen the pan a bit, or just leave everything the way it is and install the new liner?I'm a little concerned than primer powder may block the hole,thus slowing ignition. (defeating the whole purpose of the white lightnin liner) If I was to re-drill a new hole, what would be the best method to fill in the old one? Thanks

I'd certainly try it before making any changes. I'm in the middle of a bunch of timing experiments that make me think we're worried way too much about the height of the vent and where the priming is located in the pan. The next phase of my test deal with high and low vent location. I did only one preliminary trial where the priming powder covered the vent but did not fill it. The time was compariable to the other scores. I shared parts of this with Roundball earlier, but want to complete the high vs low vent testing instead of sharing incomplete results. But I'd shoot the gun before worrying too much.

Regards,
Pletch

 

[steelerzzz]

Great advice from all...Thanks again. The touchhole liner is metric and fits kind of sloppy plus the hex head style(for removing and installing is rounded off.I'll install the new liner in the same location and see how it works.(I already have the drill and tap)

 

[nchawkeye]

If it doesn't go off quick enough with the new liner, I'd just make another, cone from the inside and then drill the hole where you want it...Liners aren't that hard to make...

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Try moving the hole with an END mill

If it were me in that dilemma, I'd bring the barrel to a machinst friend or machine shop and have then cut a new hole higher by using an end mill that will plunge cut a new hole without following the previously drilled hole.

As a diehard backyard mechanic, I would do this on my own drill press equipped with a cross-slide machinst vice, if even the cheapies from Haba Freight.

 

[Zonie]

I would stay with the existing liner.
If it isn't reliable I would drill it out to 5/64 diameter and try it again. That usually creates very fast ignition and it doesn't affect the velocity much on the larger bored guns.

If you decide to change the liner to the White Lightening liner hopefully you got one that is larger than the existing one or is a close match to it.

Using TOTW's liner sizes as a guide, the metric liners they offered in my old catalog were M8-1.25, M5-.8 and M6-.75.
These equate to a .312-20.32, .197-31.75 and .236-33.44 thread.

Because the White lightening comes with a .250-32, .312-32 or a .375-32 thread the only one that will work by running a tap thru the existing threaded hole is the one that comes close to matching the M6-.75 which is the .250-32. Even this combination will produce some partial threads because some of the existing threads will be damaged by the process of retapping.

The other WL sizes need to be large enough that the tap drill for them will completely remove all traces of the existing threaded holes. Otherwise the drilling and tapping will produce partial threads which will be dangerously weak.

 

[steelerzzz]

I'd kind of like to get rid of the metric threads(easier to replace liner if needed in the future)I had planned on drilling it out with a .2720 tap drill and using a 5/16-32 plug tap and a 5/16-32 vent liner.(all from TOW)It's a 1 inch barrel. What do you think?

 

[OTHERN]

If the hole is as you say, just below the top of the pan, it is in the proper place I would say. If it is down at the bottom of the pan, I still would not relocate it before shooting it. I have a 45 cal flinter that the hole is at the bottom of the pan. It goes off as fast as my other ones which are placed more correctly. It has burned a channel across the bottom of the pan over the years. the bottom of the hole is just above the bottom of the pan.

Othern

 

[flintlockmdj]

When I built my first rifle in 1976 the flash hole ended up at the bottom of the pan. As you stated this is the fastest firing rifle that I have ever owned. It's as fast or faster than a percussion.

I would shoot it for a while before I did anything to it.

 

[renovato]

My Austin & Halleck flinter was pretty quick to fire with the stock vent. I drilled it out and it made it a bit quicker. I only use about 1/3 pan of prime and the vent is high enough to not fuse burn. As the others have suggested, try out the new liner before doing anything drastic.

 

[steelerzzz]

My Austin & Halleck flinter was pretty quick to fire with the stock vent. I drilled it out and it made it a bit quicker. I only use about 1/3 pan of prime and the vent is high enough to not fuse burn. As the others have suggested, try out the new liner before doing anything drastic.

Thanks...thats what I'll do.