Loose percussion drum

[Ray Settanta]

What is the procedure involved in fixing a loose percussion drum?

[Mark Elliott]

That would depend on why it is loose.    A restorer would have to look at the rifle.   That said,  if this is an antique and the drum isn't gong to fall off,  it would probably be best to leave it alone.

[Daryl]

I assume Ray wants to shoot it.

[Ray Settanta]

Yes, I do. I haven't found much information and some of it is conflicting.

[rich pierce]

As said, a lot depends on why it is loose. If the threads are shot or stripped or if it simply has been rotated to where the nipple is too far forward, etc. 

If the barrel threads or drum threads are shot, the drum must be replaced and if the barrel threads are the problem, it will need to be replaced with one with a larger threaded portion. 

If it is rotated too far forward, a thin washer could be used.

If the drum is not well supported by the lock, the drum could be in danger of shearing due to the hammer impact. This would need to be solved.

[T*O*F]

Is the gun an antique or a contemporary?

[Ray Settanta]

It's an antique. In order for the drum to be tight, it has to be rotated just past the original position. Of course that puts the nipple out of the correct position. Some advice was to put a shim in. Others said never put a shim in.

[rich pierce]

The "never put a shim in" advice usually points to concerns that something untoward led to the looseness: worn or bad threads, lack of lockplate support, etc. If you can rule out or mitigate any of those, I would not oppose using a shim.

The better solution is replacement in case there is fatigue. But in an antique you'd have to have restoration skills to do that and not have it stick out like a sore thumb. Or drum.

[Ray Settanta]

Thanks for the advice, everybody. Looks like I'll have to let an expert look at it to find out exactly why the drum is loose. Maybe I should not shoot this one.