Percussion drum fit to barrel

[Mark Elliott]

I am building my first percussion rifle, and I was wondering what to do, if anything, about the drum over hanging the barrel flat.   In my case, the drum will overlap the barrel flat by 1/16".    I never paid all that close attention to original percussion rifles before and all the pictures I have show drums and barrels that are so corroded around the drum,  I don't know what they did originally. 

[Chuck Burrows]

Mark the few guns I've done with a drum and when it overhangs the flat a bit is to break the edge top and bottom so it matches to the barrel flat - this prevents crud buildup that would occur if that overhang were left.....the first BP gun I owned as user way back in the mid-1960's was an original late 1850's Leman and that's how it was done so that's how I did it from then on....

BTW - Track of the Wolf sells a neat little tool for helping line up the hammer and cone when using a drum - IMO well worth the expense.

[Mark Elliott]

Thanks Chuck.   I had thought about doing that, but wanted to make sure what I did was period correct.

[JCKelly]

Cap locks are a pita.

Will shoot mine tomorrow, but look forward to a good flint rifle Bob Elka is building. Saw it Saturday at MAAC, complete enough to hold & pull the trigger. Small Siler with brass plate Frederick Sell style, 38" .45 cal swamped Green Mountain barrel. Light enough for even my decrepit old body to hold.

No more fumbling for & dropping those @!*% little caps!

Remove that d--- overhung drum & replace with a stainless, or Ampco 45, vent. Get a real fire lock.

And no, I am NOT opinionated.

Yeah, I used to build rifles but let my skills fade. Built one Sell w a 14" barrel.

[Don Getz]

Jim........are you saying that this is the FIRST flintlock?   If so, you'll love it.  Not sue of your age, but you have waited too
long, you'll find that you have missed a lot of fun.  On another note, if any animosity ever existed between us, let it be gone, life is just too short...........Don

[DFHicks]

For whatever it is worth I did this same thing on a rifle.  After some years it has started to blow out of the overlap area when fired.  Blackened the lock inlet as evidence of the leak as well as the smoke there when fired.  I made this for a friend and he has shot it quite a bit.  The rifle is 7 or 8 years old.  My guess is the overhang lacked contact with the drum face and was a weak spot and burned out through the threads..
DF

[JCKelly]

Thanks, Don. All is over.

This is not my first flint. First rifle I shot was an old caplock by Mr. John Shuler, family piece. First flint was one I built about 1960 with a round .44 magnum barrel, a Dixie lock & chunk of walnut courtesy the State of Delaware. Ugly, ugly but it kilt squirrels. Sold it a decade ago as I'd not been shooting muzzle loaders for many years & the Uglies were too much for me then. Had I kept it I'd be shooting it anyway. Parted with another flint, old, one of my greater mistakes in life. Just in between rifles now & got a rather light southern style caplock from TOW. Wear a 4" wide tie & straw hat when I shoot it. Do not like fumbling with caps. Flints put the Fire back in Fire-arm IMHO (and you know how humble I am)
I built this Sell in 1974 but just haven't shot it very much. I leave it to you all to decide how big is that arrowhead.