vent hole

[Shawnee Mike]

On another note...
Does anyone know anyone that can cone the inside of a direct drilled vent hole ?

[pathfinder]

I use a ball grinder on a dremel tool with a variable speed adapter.

[Buzzard]

There are a couple of methods of doing that but they are far more trouble than what it's worth. Unless you have a very good reason not to, you'll be better off installing a liner.

[tg]

The no liner faction is growing as many have found that a plain vent coned a bit from the inside works well and is more PC than a liner, many flatten a finish nail and make a cutting triangle shaped tool that is putt out thru the hole from the insied and attatched to a drill to cone the inside, there were tools in the past made for this, a propely positioned/sized venthole worked well 250 years ago and can do so today, the liner is an oddity as even those with real high standard for going the PC/HC route ignore reality for the sake of what might be a bit faster ignition, I have tried both ways and would never use a liner again except as a repair which was the main usage of them in the past. A very good reason not to use a liner would be to experience  shooting the guns as they were in the past, if one is afraid they cannot hold on and follow thru without the liner then a plain hole may not be for them.

[Double Barrel]

There is an illustration of an 18th century coning tool in the fine book "The Gunsmith of Grenville County" by Peter A. Alexander.  You could probably make this tool for yourself.  Start a little cottage business doing PC/HC touch-holes...

As Mr. Alexander says in his description of the operation and effectiveness of this tool, "This should last for a lot of shooting, but eventually the touch-hole will open up, so you do exactly what gunsmiths did in the 18th century -- install a touch-hole insert.  Touch-hole inserts, historically speaking, say that the gun has been used for a god long time before being repaired.  To see one on a brand new rifle would be strange."

So, I guess it would be how your firearm is being presented.  Are you building a brand new gun to look like a brand new gun, or is it supposed to look like it's spent many moons on the trail harvesting game and warding off adversaries?

PC/HC-wise there's no shame in having a liner in your barrel, unless it's a brand new looking gun that shouldn't show repairs

[tg]

The most common repair was to insert an iron bushing where the original vent hole was and drill a plain hole thru this, if memory serves me.others may have additiona info on the bushing repair method, I have aloso heard of cuttimh the barrel back at the breech and drilling into the good part of the barrel now in position at the pan, this seems to be more labor intensive considering the tenons barrel inlet issues and other things that I probably have not mentioned

[John Archer]

Tom Snyder makes custom touch hole counterbores that will do exactly what you want. They are very easy to use. Highly recommended!

His contact info:
Tom Snyder
54256 Salo Rd
Hancock, MI 49930
906 482-8422

They are very reasonably priced and come with full instructions.

John.