Question regarding 18th century use of bushings in touch holes

[DaveM]

In looking at original flint guns, can anyone educate me on whether bushings were ever added in barrel touch holes in the 18th century?   I believe I read somewhere that when a lock was replaced (period replacement), often a bushing was added to properly align the touch hole to the replacement flintlock.  I have also read that bushings were added if the touch hold was expanded / eroded.  Does anyone know how common it was in the 18th century to see erosion or damage to the touch hole and whether it was common to add bushings as a repair in those days?   Thanks for any input.
Dave

[Dave B]

Dave,
I have never seen a bushed touch hole on an american made longrifle. That being said I know that some of the European rifles, fowlers were bushed with gold from the get go. I would be interested in others opinions about this subject.

[Stophel]

You can read about bushing a touch hole in the Kindig book...but they're just iron, NOT gold, platinum, or stainless steel!  When a hole wore out, it would be "bushed" and redrilled. 

I've never seen one of these, but then, most everything I have seen has been unfortunately converted to per-cussed.

[flintriflesmith]

I have also seen a few original American longrifles with iron bushing in the touch holes but I have always believied that by the time the touch hole was that worn the rest of the chamber area was in bad shape so it was better to cut off a couple of inches and set the barrel back. We see that a LOT!

Gary

[Mike Brooks]

I found a pair of 18th century english Dragoon pistol barrels by Hadley that I made into a pair of pistols. They were both bushed with iron. They work fine by the way.

[Eric Kettenburg]

RCA #43 uses a tiny gold vent liner which appears to be original to the rifle.  Impossible to be certain, but the barrel has not been cut and the lock has not been modified.

[Stophel]

I've seen that in the book, but just figured it was a modern addition.

[DaveM]

Thanks for the info guys.  I did check out Kindig's book and it was interesting to see that the bushing of a touch hole was one of Leonard Reedy's least expensive repairs, same price as replacing a trigger.  Must have been common and fairly easy to do.   

[JV Puleo]

I have a Henry Pratt, New England Rifle (ca.1810-1820) in original flint, the Birmingham-made lock is not replaced with a very small bushing in the touch hole. I believe bushings were fairly common although I have never seen an American one anywhere near as large as the English gold or platinum ones. I suspect that the reason don't see them more often is that most well-used rifles were converted.

[T*O*F]

the Birmingham-made lock is not replaced with a very small bushing in the touch hole. I believe bushings were fairly common although I have never seen an American one anywhere near as large as the English gold or platinum ones

I believe the gold or platinum ones were installed when the guns were built.  I don't recall the source, but I read an American description of how touch holes were rebouched.  The hole was drilled slightly oversized and threaded.  A silver wire was then threaded, screwed into the hole, and soldered in.  The new touch hole was then drilled thru the silver wire.  This restored the original touch hole to its original specs.

Today, liners are from 1/4" to 3/8" and I think they mostly replicate Nock's original set-up; whereas original rebouching just restored the hole to its original configuration of a drilled hole in the barrel.

[Dphariss]

In looking at original flint guns, can anyone educate me on whether bushings were ever added in barrel touch holes in the 18th century?   I believe I read somewhere that when a lock was replaced (period replacement), often a bushing was added to properly align the touch hole to the replacement flintlock.  I have also read that bushings were added if the touch hold was expanded / eroded.  Does anyone know how common it was in the 18th century to see erosion or damage to the touch hole and whether it was common to add bushings as a repair in those days?   Thanks for any input.
Dave

Yes.

Dan

[jerrywh]

 There were few if any ordinary American citizens who could aford a rifle with a gold lined touchhole. They were fortunate just to have a gun.  The more elite class who could afford such things simply bought a English gun.  It might interest some to know that Patrick Gass, the longest living member of the Lewis and Clark expidition , had a pair of Durrs egg pistols.
 

[keweenaw]

There is, of course, a big difference between touch holes as would have been found, or rebushed, on American longrifles and those gold or platinum lined ones on English guns.  The English ones aren't screwed in, they are swagged in place, frequently through a hole in the far side of the barrel that was subsequently plugged.  The inside of the swagged bushing was cone shaped like the inside of a White Lightnin' liner.  Some were swagged in with a tool that could enter the barrel from the breech but most that I've seen were done from the far side of the barrel.  Doing this requires very malleable metal essentially 24K gold or the platinum.  Alloyed gold, like 14 K, will work harden and crack when swagged out.  When you consider the nice flange on the bushing to protect the side of the barrel one needs to start with a substantial sized gold or platinum rod to make the bushings.  In Neal and Back's Manton book, theyu report a record of Joe Manton selling back to his platinum supplier scrap platinum left over from making bushings.  I forget the amount but remember that it was very large.

Tom

[AndyThomas]

In the  ledger of James Anderson of Williamsburg, from 1790 - 1798 (found in The Gunsmith in Colonial Williamsburg, by Gill), he performed "drilling a gun" ten times, with one of them "drilling a gun with Gold". Perhaps he was rebushing touch holes.

Andy

[Stophel]

I can't imagine that they were anything more than an extreme rarity in America.  They weren't actually even that common in Europe!

[mr. no gold]

There is a superb Henry Spitzer (VA) rifle, original flintlock, which has what apears to be a helicoil placed into the touch hole. Can't describe it any other way. The hole had hollowed out considerably but the coil(?) insert closed it up somewhat. Only one I have ever seen like that but if Spitzer did it he was ahead of his time. I used to put them into the sparkplug holes in  the Offy aluminum heads on my '40' Ford hotrod coupe when the plug threads wore the aluminum somewhat. Guess that my age shows here somewhat.
Dick