Misfire

[Cattywompuss]

If the previous owner was the last person to clean the rifle you're can't swear to what kind of job he did. IMO this will remain a puzzling mystery that's not important enough to ponder over.

Fair enough... yet an unsolved mystery will always be anathema to the proper running of the universe.

I would never swear to much, but I probably would on this fella. Every gun in his estate of 30+ was clean as a whistle on viewing.

 

[Crowtalks]

This doesn't really address the main subject...

Does your rifle have a replaceable touch hole plug? You may want to replace it with a new one that has a standard size hole since it appeared obvious to you that it was conceivably too large.

10 or 15 seconds should get the spit patch wet enough...

 

[Cattywompuss]

Weirdly enough, while headed down to the "range" I grabbed a feather off the ground and was gonna plug the touchhole with it. My in-laws live on a riverbank and the moisture down there always gives me the heebeejeebees, but, like a fool I cast it aside and decided to wing it.

 

[Cattywompuss]

This doesn't really address the main subject...

Does your rifle have a replaceable touch hole plug? You may want to replace it with a new one that has a standard size hole since it appeared obvious to you that it was conceivably too large.

10 or 15 seconds should get the spit patch wet enough...

Indeed it does. Conceivably too large yes, but when I hear people talking about drilling out touchholes to 1/16th of an inch around here I incline to the possibility that they could end up bigger than I would have thought. I'll let ya know tonight what my bit set indicates the size to be.

 

[Crowtalks]

Indeed it does. Conceivably too large yes, but when I hear people talking about drilling out touchholes to 1/16th of an inch around here I incline to the possibility that they could end up bigger than I would have thought. I'll let ya know tonight what my bit set indicates the size to be.

If they tried to drill it out freehand instead of using a drill press, then it is most certainly larger that 1/16th

 

[smo]

A 1/16” touch hole will fire … but you may spray a little fffg out of it while loading it..
That’s why I use ffg in mine….

Seating the ball too a mark on the ram rod made by the previous owner will only work if the exact same load / projectile is being used..

Did the previous owner leave any load data?
Or was 40 grn just a starting point?

Was the pan flashing as you were attempting to fire the gun 7 times?

What did you twig the touch hole with ?

Was it clear?
Did you feel the powder in the breech?

Is it possible 40 grn comes up level with or just above the touch hole?
So when rammed/compressed the ball would be blocking the touch hole …. Maybe?

 

[Cattywompuss]

This is a 1/16 bit wiggling freely. And here are a 5/64 going in easily, and a 3/32 not quite going in all the way

 

[Cattywompuss]

I'm gonna go out in a limb and say I need a new vent liner. More like out on a very solid Live Oak whose limbs reached back down to the ground and started growing back up.

 

[Cattywompuss]

I'm extremely "handy". So, easy-out to remove the liner? When trying a scraper on the breech in the bore I also felt the liner protruding into the bore so I want to get these burned out/shot out piece of stainless swapped out before any further attempts to shoot it.

 

[smo]

That one has a screw driver slot..

 

[Cattywompuss]

That one has a screw driver slot..

Yep. A very, very shallow slot that will not do the job. I even considered deepening the slots with a file, but I intend to replace it so I reckon I'm not worried about damaging the liner itself.

 

[smo]

Don’t damage the threads in the bore is what I would be worried about…

Those liners are designed too be removed..

 

[Caniborrowsomeammo]

I'm not saying anything, ok yes I will. You put the blunt end of the drill bit in the hole to check size, not the cutting end.
A good hollow ground driver bit should get the liner out.
Notice post above^^^^ Left hand thread?????

 

[smo]

Can I,

That post above was too show the liners are removable with a screwdriver..
I’m not sure if they’re all left hand threads or not…

Once removed thread pitch can be checked too buy the proper replacement.

 

[Caniborrowsomeammo]

Ya, Smo.hican, Just pointing that out! Crank down on the LH thread and have a predicament on his hands perhaps.
Probably best to check and make sure before continuing.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Since I don't think @Cattywompuss has a Bondini, he most likely has a righthand threaded vent liner.

 

[William Lincoln]

Squibby results usually involve old substitutes, moisture or load errors. Was that
new horn clean and dry before filling and debris free? never heard of a touch hole
from hell that would pour out the charge like sand through the hourglass.
However in old times they plugged it.

 

[Cattywompuss]

I'm not saying anything, ok yes I will. You put the blunt end of the drill bit in the hole to check size, not the cutting end.
A good hollow ground driver bit should get the liner out.
Notice post above^^^^ Left hand thread?????

When a 3/32 fits in your vent, which end is irrelevant.

 

[Cattywompuss]

Squibby results usually involve old substitutes, moisture or load errors. Was that
new horn clean and dry before filling and debris free? never heard of a touch hole
from hell that would pour out the charge like sand through the hourglass.
However in old times they plugged it.

It wasn't a new horn. It was a new measure. And indeed it was clean and dry on account of sitting on top of my shooting cabinet in my centrally heated house.

 

[Cattywompuss]

Ya, Smo.hican, Just pointing that out! Crank down on the LH thread and have a predicament on his hands perhaps.
Probably best to check and make sure before continuing.

Smo just got lucky and found the only LH thread picture on TOW. And back to the drill bits, they were not being used, thus which end is in the hole is irrelevant. Outside diameter the cutting end is the same as the shift on small bits. Think a third time next time you first think "I'm not going to say anything".