Plugging a vent

[Pete G.]

I have an old brass barrel with the vent drilled way too low.
What would be the best way of plugging it ? I'm thinking tap the hole and run in a brass screw, cut off and peen the end before filing flush. Any potential problems with this ?

[Long John]

Pete,

If it was my barrel I would make a threaded brass plug for a threaded hole, just like you said.  My preference would be to use NPT threads as they will seal.  I would also flux the threads real good before I installed the plug and then flow a little tin/silver solder into the joint once screwed in real tight.  I know a lot of folks will accuse me of "over-kill" but I would want the joint liquid tight to prevent fouling from getting into the threads when cleaning the barrel.  If soldering is not your bag then some Lock-tite (420?) thread sealer would be a good idea in my book.

Best Regards,

John Cholin

[Keb]

Isn't a vent liner nothing more than a plugged vent hole?
Just drill it for a NF x whatever size you want (1/4", 5/16", etc.). Make a plug with the right thread & drill the back for clearance, mount & flush off. Drill your new vent hole somewhere in the plug.

[Acer Saccharum]

If it's old brass, be worried about age hardening or crystalized metal if you plan on firing this piece.

[Bob Roller]

What are the outside dimensions and bore diameter of the barrel? If it fairly thick,there is no reason it can't be plugged as you described.
Going into farce,you can turn the vent to the barrel channel and rig it so it will fire the ram rod. There were some pistols that were tricked up like this.

Bob Roller

[omark]

bob, isnt reloading a bit hard aftewr firing your ramrod???               actually, i would like some more info on the pistols. like, why were they done like that???     mark

[Bob Roller]

Mark,
Many years ago there was an outfit called Fawcett Publications and they had very knowledgeable writers with a wide area of interests such as Lucian Cary who died in 1972 and was a friend of Harry Pope. I think the idea of shooting the ram rod was a farce and the guns were French,a cased set and the powder charge would barely shoot the rod across a good size room. They were percussion and looke like authentic target pistols, I THINK they were used in mock duels where both people wore a heavy coat and a face mask with narrow eye slots and "settled" arguments with them.
These older magazines and books had a lot more in them of general interest than the tripe that we see now that is geared to making an advertiser happy.
I just happened to think of these silly pistols when I read the inquiry about a repair on the brass barrel.
Lucian Cary was a man who liked guns and wrote about a wide varitey of them and one title I recall was "What Price an English Gun?" and he also wrote for the Gun Digest about "H.M,Pine" who was in reality a thinly disguised Harry Pope. I have three of these Fawcett books on loan to Brett Boyd who publishes the <Single Shot Exchange> in SC.

Bob Roller

[omark]

thanks bob, knew it had to be something goofy but couldnt imagine what.    mark

[James Wilson Everett]

Pete,

Check with the gunshop at Old Salem, Winston-Salem, NC.  They recently built a pair of pistols using the TOW original brass pistol barrels (I believe you are using the same).  If my memory serves, they threaded the low flash hole and silver soldered in a threaded plug.  The results looked very nice, but when I saw them they were only partially finished.

If I were to do the job, I would tap the flash hole with a small diameter thread, like a #4 or a #6.  Then make a brass threaded rod and silver solder it in place and trim off the excess.

Jim

[JCKelly]

If you choose to use a threaded brass piece, do use COARSE threads.
Fine threads are too weak for use with brass, at least in every day life, certainly not with a gun.

You said it is old. Old like me? Or 19th century? Just curious. Old brass castings had lead in them to make a more solid casting, filled up the voids. Also weakens it. New brass bar always has about 2% lead in it for machinability.

I'd use it for a lovely antique decoration.