Playing around with and cleaning my new rifle I noticed my powder drum was loose. Not flopping around loose but it doesn't fully seat until the nipple is a few degrees past square with the hammer. So when it is square with the hammer it can turn by hand. Is this normal? If not, what's the fix? thanks.
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Powder drum question
- Thread starter Paul_R
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More info needed like model of gun and such. It is not normal though. Was the gun used before you? They are usually pretty tight unless someone was monkeying with it.
You might try some very thin shims shaped like washers to get it to line up or they do make replacement drums. You can get them without the nipple hole drilled so you can see where it lines up and drill and tap it where it needs to be.
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If the drum is loose, it may eventually erode from gases leaking past the threads and sometime the drum may blow out. It needs to be fixed, but I'm not the one to tell you how. I suppose the drum needs to be replaced or turned down and threaded for one more turn to get it tight. I don't know if a thin washer of some type would tighten it.
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Track of the wolf sells drums without the nipple mortise drilled and tapped. They also sell a jig that will help you drill and tap the nipple threads exactly where needed.The drum & nipple arrangement suffers from needing support against the hammer blow. Usually the lock plate provided this but not always. Replacing the drum also gives you the chance to increase the thread diameter if the original is 5/16X24 you can upgrade to 3/8X24 and gain additional strength.
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I've used a strand from faucet stem packing string around the top of the threads of a loose drum with good results.
http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1272767
http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1272767
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Now that' what I call real "gun plumbing". 
I would go with blue Loc-Tite on the threads.
Because of the way Loc-Tite works, the threads on both pieces must be absolutely clean and free of oils or grease.
The blue Loc-Tite is more than strong enough to keep the drum from turning and it has the advantage of allowing the part (drum) to be removed if that is ever needed.
The red Loc-Tite is more for permanent assemblies (although it will break loose if enough heat is applied).
Because of the way Loc-Tite works, the threads on both pieces must be absolutely clean and free of oils or grease.
The blue Loc-Tite is more than strong enough to keep the drum from turning and it has the advantage of allowing the part (drum) to be removed if that is ever needed.
The red Loc-Tite is more for permanent assemblies (although it will break loose if enough heat is applied).
I went with red gel because it has the best chemical resistance of any thread locker. I use it for fasteners inside motorcycle fuel tanks. And I've used enough of all the colors to know I'm not going to have any problem removing this drum if I ever need to, with it having wrench flats and all.
Gooddaytoya!
40 Cal
Never red
Locktite! To remove the drum, it would need to be heated to 600°! I've been through that bummer myself. If the drum has wide enough shoulders, a shim could work. In the past I've used blue loctite for this sort of problem, and it works until you bump the nipple hard enough to rotate the drum despite the blue loctite. Blue loctite isn't meant to be permanent. It did work okay on my breech plug, which rotated too far, but after a while the breech plug shifted anyway.
Blue locktite if ya got no shim stock. Auto parts store might have both products. Probable cause of the problem.........Folks taking the drum out to clean the gun. Barrels are made of soft steel. Never remove a drum repeatedly for a foolish reason , like cleaning. Not necessary.
Gooddaytoya!
40 Cal
If a shim can actually fit under your drum, this might help you: Lee valley.com shim stock sampler item no. 27K0750. It has semi-hard brass strips in .001, .015, .002, .003, .005, and .010. six inches long and 2 inches wide each (I think). Worth a look. I'm ordering this kit to shim out my breech plug just a tiny bit.
Get a cheap feeler gauge to find out what size shim you might need. Once you determine the thickness required to give you a snug fit, make a washer shim out of that thickness feeler gauge and use some blue locktite when you install the drum with the shim in place.
How do you drill the proper size hole SAFELY , in shim stock????????? Clamp the shim stock between two pcs. wood and just drill the same size hole as the threaded end of the drum. Trim the shim stock and done.
A hole punch set my friend.
Thanks Brit. I have to get creative as I have no hole punch set for sheet metal. When my fathers mechanic shop was dissolved , my moron / dunce uncle threw all his stuff away.........oldwood, Thanks again
