AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Gun Building => Topic started by: chuck-ia on September 27, 2025, 06:56:35 PM
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Building a trade gun with a 1" across the flats octagon to round 20ga barrel. Looks like about .200" wall thickness, wondering what your thoughts are on touch hole liner size? 1/4" or 5/16"? Tempting to just drill a hole in the barrel, don't know. I would think the wall thickness will be ok to install a liner? Kinda leaning toward the 1/4". Opinions? thanks, (not ready to install it yet, just thinking ahead)
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I would just rather drill a hole, then cone it from the inside, just like a liner would be coned. It would appear more like the originals that way.
If however you decide to use a liner stay with the smaller size, so it dose not look too obnoxious.
Jim Chambers has touch hole liners that is the same as white lightning, they have stainless, and also a carbon steel. If you use carbon steel it will still brown along with the barrel.
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I like the white lightning style with 32 threads per inch. JMHO
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I have a 12 gauge turkey flint lock with a drilled hole slightly over 1/16”. Goes off fast every time. You can always put a liner in later. 1/4” would be fine.
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I drill mine with no liner. I usually start with a 1/16 but end up going the next size larger (5/64) to get consistent ignition.
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I drill mine with no liner. I usually start with a 1/16 but end up going the next size larger (5/64) to get consistent ignition.
Mine are all 5/64 th's and ignition is exceptionally reliable
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I was just reading some thoughts from Kit Ravenshire, he suggested a touch hole of 3/32" on hunting guns larger than 24ga. He also said liners were never used on original guns except as repairs.
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Most of my BP's are a repair from the get-go. 8)
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I like the 1/4 28 ampco liners. After a bit of shooting they tarnish and blend nicely. I use the style that are a permanent installation. Stainless liners are ... well stainless. They stick out visually. BJH
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BJ, I have used those already as well, and I really like them, as also the color, the ampco ones.
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thanks for the info. think I will probably just drill a hole. (kiss) chuck
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I like the posts by several of you guys, along with the quote from Kit Ravenshire that Tumbledown mentioned, talking about more traditional approaches. I suspect that lot of us have assumed at some point that a liner was an essential part of a gun, but that's not really the case.
I've used liners myself, and I don't mean to suggest that people can't or shouldn't use one. But I think it is important for new builders to understand that NOT using one is actually a good and viable option. A properly installed liner will work well, and it will give good ignition. But I've also seen several instances of them being poorly installed, and even unsafely installed. (I know of one where the guy left the liner protruding on the inside of the barrel, so much so that he couldn't get a cleaning jag all the way to the breech without it getting hung up on the protruding steel. His solution was just to skip cleaning the breech area of the gun. I know of another where the guy messed up the threads, and his solution was to just use Locktite to glue it in. I could go on with several other examples of similar issues, but I'll stop there.)
Liners are fine if the barrel wall thickness is reasonable and the threads are carefully made. But if the wall thickness is quite thin or the threads messed up or are wallowed out, then the liner isn't holding onto much. They can shoot out of the side of the barrel. It happens.
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(https://i.ibb.co/Pv07cygh/20250907-173937.jpg) (https://ibb.co/FLCS51zw)
The benefit of the internal coning tool, as made and sold by a member here, and I forget the full name, a Snyder, IIRC, seems obvious to me. You use a traditional 1/16" touch hole and get the effectiveness of the internally coned insert. I have used this tool and am highly impressed with its ease of use, cutting efficiency, and speed of cut.
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Tom Snyder makes these cutters.
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Tom Snyder makes these cutters.
I bought one several years ago & it worked Really Good. ;)
The comment about the 3/6" vent. I can imagine walking down a
logging road for a mile to get to a deer stand, forgot to close the
frizzen & left a trail of powder for a mile. :o
Keith
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I bought one several years ago & it worked Really Good. ;)
The comment about the 3/6" vent. I can imagine walking down a
logging road for a mile to get to a deer stand, forgot to close the
frizzen & left a trail of powder for a mile. :o
Keith
Well....at night just toss a lit match and light your way back home!! (Albeit these days with little rain you may attract a whole bunch of firetrucks)
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thanks, may have to get one of these. chuck