Some more info.
This is a spin-off from another thread, "Breech Plug Question". I don't mean this to be a tutorial, just an account of tips and trials. Please step up and correct me if I'm wrong- another DON'T.
I have often thought that "How To" instructions should also come with "How Not to Do" instructions. When considering a vent liner, the first consideration should be whether or not it will fit in the barrel without hitting the breech plug. So this means positioning the lock forward enough so this won't happen. Giving credit where credit is due, it was Dennis Glazener who told me to wait on installing the liner untill the barrel was inlet and the lock installed. In other words- DON'T install it until you can line it up with the pan, not the other way around.
And DON'T position your lock so far back that the liner ends up in the breech plug.
I had ordered my liner from Jim Chambers and he offered to send the appropriate drill and tap with it. I accepted his offer- That's a DO.
I read the instructions included and followed them as best I could, another DO.
I tried to stop the tap from going all the way through, but it wouldn't seat properly and I ended up tapping it a little deeper. It went all the way through and I thought it was wrong, but it did seat it the countersink. I thought all was well, cut and filed the liner and put the gun back together- DON'T. After running my cleaning scraper down the bore, I realized it was hitting the liner inside the bore. So I had to take the barrel back out, remove the breech plug and grind the liner off INSIDE the barrel. DON'T. Fortunately this was a .54 smoothbore and it was not a problem.
The light bulb went off this morning when I read KYflinter's post in the other thread. DO leave the extra material and screw slot on the liner until you know all is well on the inside of the bore. DO NOT cut it off until you know and correct it.
So now I'm getting ready to put a liner in another barrel. It's a 13/16 .40 rifled barrel from Getz. I had measured the wall of the barrel and saw that the liner was longer than the wall of the barrel, so this same thing is going to happen. I don't know how to gauge the length I should leave. I mean, What if it breaks through where the rifling crosses? Or is the wall thickness too thin to start with? Maybe it's not even thick enough to worry about a liner.
So for now I'm at DON't do anything just yet. What would you do?
Title: Re: White Lightning vent liner- Do's and Don'ts
Post by: E.vonAschwege on March 05, 2015, 12:33:53 PM
Nord - great listing of DOs and DON'Ts for installing a White Lightnin liner. I agree with all of the tips, and I do always try to make it so the liner doesn't interfere with the breech plug. Sometimes despite our best efforts that isn't possible, and it is considered by most to be an acceptable practice to dish the breech plug SLIGHTLY (the amount depends on the depth of the plug, I've dished by 1/16" before) if needed to accommodate a liner. This of course means the liner must be measured for depth, filed so it doesn't protrude into the bore, breech plug installed, then liner installed, locking it all together.
