Need help - Flintlock won't fire

[rcasto]

I am not new to Flintlocks but far from being experienced. My true passion is in Black Powder Cartridge Shiloh Rifles.
Hey - It's still black powder! I have a Lyman GPR and have never had any problem with it. However, I just purchased a Pedersoli Mortimer in .54 and just could not get it to fire today.

I use only Goex as that is what I have on hand for my cartridge rifles. I used FFg for my main charge and primed with FFFFg. The flint was igniting the pan but that is all I would get. I ensured that the bore was dry before loading and used my flash hole pin to make sure it was clear. I pulled loads, checked for blockages reloaded and still nothing. The FFg was from a brand new can.

What could I be missing?

Thanks,
RC

 

[Rebel]

How big is the hole in your vent liner? It should be at least 1/16", any smaller than that and it will be hard to get ignition.

 

[rcasto]

Thanks for the tip. I would have to say no since my 1/16 drill won't fit. Should I drill to this diameter or would you recommend 5/64?

 

[Rebel]

I would try it at 1/16" first. If it is still slow you can always drill it out some more.

 

[rcasto]

Thanks,

 

[Rebel]

That's what we're here for. :: Hope it solves your problem. Take care.

 

[rcasto]

Got it drilled. Will try it out in the morning.

 

[Rebel]

Well, good luck with it. Hope it works good for you. I usually pull the liner and drill the inside out as big as i can get it too. This makes it easier for the main charge to get into the vent liner opening.

 

[Halftail]

rcasto,
Coneing the inside and outside of the vent liner will help much.A fellow online offered to cone some vent liners for me so I sent him 4 and it worked perfect.I think he used a #2 countersink bit.Not positive about that though,but I could probably give you his email addy if you have any questions.

 

[TwoShadows]

Rcasto, you've piqued my interest by mentioning a Pedersoli Mortimer.I have an original Mortimer.....and am wondering.......

 

[No Deer]

I have the Pedersoli Mortimer Shotgun. Not sure if it is the same breach or not, but the shotgun has the patent breach, this is a second small chamber below the main charge, next to the vent. If yours is the same, the powder may not be getting into this chamber, make sure it is.
NoDeer

 

[Rebel]

Another thing to try is to wipe the bore with an alchol soaked patch before you head out to shoot. This will get all the oil out of the barrel and the powder chamber in the breech. Also wipe the pan, frizzen, pan cover, and the edge of the flint with it. Between this and enlarging the vent hole, you should be good to go.

 

[Rat]

That's really extreme that it would not fire AT ALL...makes me think that the powder is not going into the patent breech.

Thank God I have no rifles with patent breeches. !!!

:sorry:

Hope you got it working by now.

Rat

 

[Zonie]

If your gun has a Patent breech, it is possible that there may be some oil down in it.
As I recall, for a Flintlock to fire with this setup, the powder has to be "blown" thru a tortures path during loading to end up aginst the inside of the touch hole. If oil is in the path, it can turn the powder into a dam which won't allow any of the uncontaminated powder to get that far.
It is also possible that some other form of blockage is in the path. (grease? cardboard? metal chips? Superspider Webs?).

Using the water immursion method of cleaning, where the breech of the barrel is in a bucket of water, and and using a patched jag on the ramrod as a pump, is there a generous flow of water squirting into and out of the vent? If not, then that is where the problem is.

It's just a thought.

 

[rcasto]

Well, I enlarged the hole to 1/16 and it fired first time.
I then reloaded and got 10 flashes. I then enlarged to 5/64 and got 5 flashes and then a boom.
Thanks for the tips I'll keep checking.

 

[Zonie]

Well, if it fired, you can pretty much rule out my plugged breech theory. Firing it would blow out almost any obstruction I can think of.

You are using just enough priming powder to cover the bottom of the pan? If the prime is full enough to cover the touch hole, it will slow or sometimes even prevent firing.

 

After dump'n yore powder charge down the bore, can you "see" the powder by look'n at the hole in yore vent liner?? If not, try thump'n the side of yore rifle (jest ahead of the lock) with the heel of yore hand, this will help to "settle" the powder down into the vent liner and make it more acesssable to the "flash" in yore pan.

YMHS
rollingb

 

[rcasto]

Ok - I removed the barrel, removed the flash hole and also the screw from the opposite side so that I could see clean thru. I dropped some loose powder down the barrel and shook it up and down. I didn't get any powder in the flash hole area. What's up with that?

 

If yore rifle has a "patent" breech, I'd say thet the "powder chamber" isn't quite deep enuff to make "full contact" with the hole fer the vent liner.

Try shine'n a light into the vent liner hole and then look down the bore to see how much "light" you can see, the "area of light" should be 'bout 3/8 of an inch.

If you can only see a "speck" of light, when look'n down the bore, then the patent breech is either partly plugged, or, not drilled completely thru to meet the other hole.

YMHS
rollingb

 

P.S.,.... I have seen the above on a Lyman rifle, only the situation was reversed,.... the vent "hole" was not completely drilled thru to the powder chamber.

YMHS
rollingb