All this rifle needed....

[Muley Hunter]

That's a matter of opinion. I have no love for flintlocks.

 

[BigAl52]

Pete
Im being sarcastic. Right now I dont favor one or the other. I know guys that are flintlock crazy and caplocks are just not cool. Im in the middle I think there is some on both sides that are neat. Im gonna shoot both. Al

 

[Muley Hunter]

One of the traditional forums I used to be on my name was Capper. 

 

[Sharpsman]

I'm gonna give this flint a really good trial.....and after trying many things if it doesn't work out....I'll change it over to a caplock if I can!! Don't know if that's possible or not! I'll really try to make this dude work!!

 

[exMember]

Send it to me, I'll test it out!

You could try filling that huge pan with an epoxy and move the powder closer to the touch hole. If nothing improves, you can always knock that epoxy out.

 

[Sharpsman]

Computer timing of ignition is supposedly better with the prime close to the vent however the difference is so minute....it's almost insignificant!

http://www.blackpowdermag.com/flintlock-timing-muzzleblast-january-1990/

I've looked at other flintlock vent holes and none seem to be any higher than this one and supposedly ignition is good on all! I don't believe the vent hole on this one is the problem! Eventually through trial and error....I'll get this worked out! The rifle is accurate...the ten ring on a 100 yard smallbore target isn't safe from 60 yards and from 100 yards all shots stay within an 8" bull with several shots in the ten ring and due to wind....only a couple in the 8 ring!

 

[MattRaymond]

I'm new to flintlocks, but have a bit of advice from my short time that I've sorted mine out.  Find a good flint and use that type.  Mine sparked poorly when I first tried it out and it ate the flint after about 10 hammer falls.  I switched to english flints and it seems to like them.  If you swab between shots, especially in the hot/humid conditions you are describing, you have a large potential to push crud and fouling into the breach and block the touch hole with it.  Learning from this the 2nd time out with mine, I would wipe clean with alcohol, the frizzen and the flint after each shot so that they were both clean and dry.  If I swabbed the bore between shots, I also used a stepped scraper on my rod to clean that breach area, into the location of the touch hole.  A smaller bore brush would work just as well. Also when I load, I do not place my vent pick in the touch hole while I'm loading.  I wait until after the powder is in, patched ball is driven home.  I then, before I prime the pan, push my vent pick into the touch hole and can feel the powder right up against the hole. Once I've inserted the vent pick like that, it pushes the powder away from the opening enough, and I know that the channel is clear, and there is powder behind the touch hole. Since doing it with that method, no issues.  I shoot a .45 cal Pedersoli, 3f main charge, 3f in the pan.  The only mod I did to it was open the touch hole to 1/16".

My 1st time out with this gun, when I would swab between shots, I'm pretty sure I pushed fouling into the chambered breach, which blocked the main charge from getting to the touch hole.  I had multiple flashes in the pan that 1st time out and when that happened, I removed the lock, removed the touch hole liner, only to find that there was no powder behind it.

I think your touch hole location is fine. 

Stick with it.  Your rifle is pretty sweet and it sounds accurate as heck.  When I first got my Lyman cap lock, I really worked on an accurate load/ball/patch combo....ignition was not the issue with that gun.  With my Pedersoli, it pretty much shoots most loads accurately, but the labor with that gun was figuring out a reliable/fast ignition.  

Good luck

 

[Sharpsman]

Yes...I have been wiping between shots. I use a .45 caliber black plastic brush with a 3" patch wrapped around it; not a stepped scraper jag. Once down and out....reverse the patch and down again and out. I have also put in an order with my wife to pick up a gallon of denatured alcohol on her next trip to buy groceries! I won't use regular alcohol as it has 20% water content! I think you may be right that I have been pushing some fouling into the breech which would impede ignition!

Thanks!

 

[patocazador]

You can avoid that by only wiping with one stroke and stopping ~ 1 1/2" short of the end.  Don't do it a second time. Also, keep your vent pick in the touch hole while doing it. I use a piece of copper wire as my pick and I don't remove it until I charge my pan. I use 3F as my main charge and about 4-5 gr. of 4F as my pan powder.

Mine was "iffy" firing until I started using this method. I read about it on another forum and it works for me.

 

[Muley Hunter]

Toothpicks are good to plug the touch hole.