Accuracy and the touch hole

[Old Salt]

I've been shooting the same .45 rifle for about five years now.  When it was new I seemed to be able to hit any target with ease.  Over the last two years I've noticed more difficulty keeping my shots on the higher scoring rings.

So about three weeks ago I put the rifle on the bench and was really disappointed in the groups.  The vent measured between a #50 drill bit and 5/64".  

I decided to change the vent to a white lightning liner with a 1/16" hole.  Back at the range the rifle was grouping tightly again with various patches and balls.  

Have you ever noticed a change in accuracy with your flintlock as the vent gradually enlarges from use?

One additional benefit I noticed is the rifle ignites with a smaller prime now.  I'll attribute that to the White lightning liner and a slightly better vent location.  So I'm looking forward to many more years of good shooting with this rifle.

Leo

[Captchee]

yep , i have .
 IMO the reason is , as the hole gets larger ,  it leaks more pressure . so  while you shooting the same load . you not getting the pressure of that load

[Old Salt]

yep , i have .
 IMO the reason is , as the hole gets larger ,  it leaks more pressure . so  while you shooting the same load . you not getting the pressure of that load

I agree with that.  Being that I am a relative newcomer (@ 7 years) shooting flintlocks I had heard about this decrease in accuracy but it was something else to actually experience it.

The thing that really caught my attention during this process was the amount of gas escaping from the old vent.  The first day I put the rifle on the bench I was using a document  folder as a flash screen to protect some young shooters on my right.  From the shredded looks of that folder it was clear that a good amount of solid material was coming out the vent.  I can't say with certainty what that solid material was.  My guess is some flint shards, some powder residue and maybe some partially burned powder.  

I use 2f powder in that rifle.  I sort of think a load of 3f would escape even faster through the old vent.    

Leo

[forest]

Old Salt:
   posable but with the faster burning 3f your ball would be at a higher speed thus getting your accuracy back without changing ventliner, but you would have to change it sometime anyway.

           Forrest

[Old Salt]

Old Salt:
   posable but with the faster burning 3f your ball would be at a higher speed thus getting your accuracy back without changing ventliner, but you would have to change it sometime anyway.

Forrest

I sort of thought it would just toss more powder out the vent.  Like you say I'd need to change it anyway.  And I like the idea of keeping my powder charges small, especially if I can still have the better accuracy.

Leo

[Uncle Russ]

Leo, For what it's worth....my old .69 doesn't have a liner, and I have been shooting this thing since the early 1970's.
Literally thousands of rounds have been fired through the old gun, and she does look a bit worse for wear...but she keeps right on ticking and seldom misses a beat.

After reading your first post, I got out the drill bits and started checking...it is still 1/16" or ~.0625, as far as I can tell.
It has never been smaller than that because it was drilled as soon as I got it, and before I even started shooting it.

 I suspect I have replaced no fewer than a dozen flash-hole liners over the years on my own or someone else's guns, and the majority of them were coned from the back....something I just did for grins and giggles, or because someone told me that was the best way to do things.
I do believe the ones I have coned will show wear much faster than one not coned. At the same time, I guess that stands to reason.

Also, after reading your post, and reflecting back over the years, I have come to believe that not all vent liners are created equally, and many simply just give up the ghost for no apparent reason.

Uncle Russ...

[Old Salt]

Hey Russ,

The vent liner that I replaced was an Ampco bronze liner that I installed when I first built the rifle.  It was also coned on the inside.  I think when I did the initial installation I might not have seated it as deeply as it should have been installed.  

As you know during the installation a person has to file off the excess material to make it flush with the barrel.  So I think I probably filed it down to where the internal cone just about began.  I'm guessing that might be the reason for the rapid deterioration.  

I agree with your evaluation of which style liner will wear out faster.

In the end I am coming to think that the smaller the vent the better as long as the ignition is good.  And more so when a shooter is using finer gain powder.  

You know it's all part of the learning experience and what I think I know today might be relegated to the trash heap in a year or so.      

Leo