Touch hole liner woes

[No Powder]

I know liners become tight because of all the crud that builds up around the threads. But I have one TC that is causing me to lose my religion. It is an Uncle Mike's touch hole liner. I have other TC's that get tight, but not like this one. I remove the liner every time I clean the rifle. I use a brush on the threads in the barrel and the liner. Before reinstalling, I always put anti seize on the liner threads. The last time I had the rifle out I fired 12 shots. I had to insert the Allen wrench in the liner, and while applying pressure, tap on the wrench with a small hammer. It barely came out. If I had fired 20 shots it probably would not have come out. Is there such a thing as not putting enough anti seize on the liner,or is there something else wrong? I did have a friend run a tap in the threads to make sure they were clean. I bought the rifle used and the threads look pretty good.

[BEAVERMAN]

NP is the liner stainless or brass or plain steel ?, not familiar with Uncle Mikes liners I use white lightning liners and have never had a problem with them, I use enough anti seize the have a small ooze around the liner and barrel when installed.

[No Powder]

I'm almost certain it's stainless. I'm presently using TC Super Lube. Will plumbers tape withstand heat? Perhaps if I could wrap the liner, and that would take care of any gaps that may be in the threads. I would like to find some Nikal  and see if that would help.

[Ohio Joe]

I use Anti Seize right now (have been for probably the last 4 / 5 years,,, but I'm seriously thinking of switching back to the Teflon Plumbers Tape, which I used to use before switching to the Anti Seize.

Teflon Tape can be a PITA to put on those small threads at times, but it actually works great!

I should come out of retirement and be a Muzzle Loading Plummer...     

[RobD]

I used to use Permatex anti-seize (auto stores) but more than a few years ago I switched to Jet Lube Nikal, IMHO it's the best for anything screwed into a black powder gun bbl.

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[waksupi]

Quit taking the vent out! They should only be removed for replacement.

[RobD]

Quit taking the vent out! They should only be removed for replacement.

Exactly!  And why they need to be anti-seize lubed!

[Ohio Joe]

Exactly, only take out the vent for replacing.

[Bigsmoke]

No Powder, in answer to your question, IIRC, the U/M vent liner is a stainless steel item.  Their nipples are also.

And I agree that the liner should only be removed for replacement.  At which point, it would probably have to be drilled and tapped out.  For example, the Treso liner is designed so that it has to be drilled out.

John

[No Powder]

Thanks for the advice fellows. I respect all the years of experience you guys have under your belts. But I just can't bring myself to letting that liner in a gun when I clean it. I hope you can respect my 38 years of taking the liner out when I clean my flintlocks. I guess I'll have to suffer any repercussions caused by doing that. Thanks again,  and wish me luck.

[waksupi]

Well, when your vent blows out on the line and injures someone, be sure to have a nice heartfelt apology ready. After 38 years, you should know better.

[rollingb]

Thanks for the advice fellows. I respect all the years of experience you guys have under your belts. But I just can't bring myself to letting that liner in a gun when I clean it. I hope you can respect my 38 years of taking the liner out when I clean my flintlocks. I guess I'll have to suffer any repercussions caused by doing that. Thanks again,  and wish me luck.

So you remove your vent liners every time you clean your flintlocks?

Have you ever cleaned your flintlocks THEN removed the liners to see IF there is an advantage to the way you're doing it now (I'll bet you won't see any ).

Constantly removing your vent liner each time you clean, causes needless and unnecessary wear on the treads of a vent liner as well as your barrel.

Do you have any percussion muzzleloaders?
If so, do you remove their "drum" each time you clean them?

[Ohio Joe]

I think there has been a lot of misunderstanding about vent liners in this modern era.

A vent liner should never be installed until the time comes when the touch-hole (drilled right on the side of the barrel where it needs to be) becomes too large from excessive usage... When this happens - then (and only then) it's time to install a vent liner...

It's one thing to remove a vent liner to replace the existing one when its vent hole becomes enlarged - but quite another to constantly remove a vent liner for cleaning... Pipe cleaners will clean that vent hole area just fine after the cleaning solution (what ever one uses) has been flushed out of the vent hole. [Same goes for a percussion nipple]. 

Note: a vent hole drilled in the side of the barrel should be coned a bit on the inside (through the breech hole) with a small angel file as to be able to tap some of your main charge a bit closer to the outer barrel wall (but not to close) so the priming charge doesn't have to travel so far...

NOTE: Sometimes you'll see a barrel with a plug on the opposite side of the barrel across from the vent hole... I believe this was to cone the inside of the rifles vent hole and afterwards was plugged... IMHO there can be no other reason - though I've seen some that think the barrel was made that way to accept either a left or right handed lock... Possibly, but I don't think so... I think it was put there and plugged after coning the vent (possibly even a Nipple drum / but the latter makes very little sense) I still wouldn't rule it out...
 

[The Miner '49er]

On another ml forum someone raised the same question, and a follow up question was asked, if you have a caplock rifle or a bp revolver you remove the nipples to clean, so why not that liner? Seems to me that if it were not meant to be removed, as frequently as the owner desired, there wouldn't have been a liner, the maker would have merely drilled a hole in the barrel. That would have been faster and cheaper for the manufacturer. Just my 2 cents worth, I prefer a caplock.

[RobD]

There's never a need to remove a touch hole liner as long as it's performing well and/or the hole hasn't gotten critically too large.  Put one in with some good anti-seize lube and yer good to go as that goop will prevent the BP residue from buggering the liner's threads and making removing a chore.  Constant on/off of a liner will not be good for steel bbl liner threads, and worse yet if the liner is a harder metal than the bbl.

Caplocks, like that white devil dust powder, are just a passing fancy.