Distance from TH to Pan?

[Roundball777]

What is the best distance from the touch hole to the pan?
Also good TH size 1/16 or 5/64?
Thank you

[smylee grouch]

Alot of people like the th to be right at the top of the pan as in a sunrise-sunset position. Try the smaller hole first and test by shooting. If you think it slow you might want to open it up a tad.

[Roundball777]

Thanks for the reply

I drilled the vent out to 1/16.
The gap in between the pan and the cover when the frizzen is closed is only 1/16.
Its hard to tell where the TH lines up with the pan and that gap. Maybe I should grind out some of the pan and or the pan cover to help with ignition?                              

[moleeyes36]

Thanks for the reply
I have added some links to photos below.
This is a built rifle (Ped) perc converted to flint so I cannot move the lock.
I drilled the vent out to 1/16.
The gap in between the pan and the cover (see photo) when the frizzen is closed is only 1/16.
Its hard to tell where the TH lines up with the pan and that gap. Maybe I should grind out some of the pan and or the pan cover to help with ignition?                              

https://www.flickr.com/photos/128097439@N05/18428166819/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/128097439@N05/18428167999/in/photostream/

What Smylee Grouch said.  Shoot it and see what you get or you may be trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist.  Don't forget that as soon as the flint makes contact with the frizzen face and starts to scrape down it, the frizzen starts to move and lift up off the pan exposing the powder.  That certainly isn't much distance you have there between the bottom of the frizzen and the bottom of the pan, but I've seen a lot of guns with shallow pans that fired reliably and fast.  Give it a try and see what you get before you do anything to it.

Mole Eyes

[smallpatch]

Nothing to worry about.  It will work just fine there.  As long as you don't pile up 10g of primer, and cover up the touch hole, it will go bang.

[bgf]

The one on my chunk gun was drilled low on purpose based on some testing by Pletch (at least as I understood it) and I bank primer against the hole before each shot, also based on his testing.  It seems to go off as fast or faster than others.  You should be fine based on position only!  

[Roundball777]

Thanks for the info guys.
My experience is only with Perc so this is a learning experience. I had some decent success with it before I drilled it out to 1/16 but it was hit and miss. Ill also try a TH at 5/64. Ill leave the pan alone and Ill get out in the next day or two and do some more testing.

I have gotten so much mixed information on the process for flinters.
One guys says bank the powder over the hole the next thread I read says only place a small bit at the outside of the pan??
How about picking the TH? Do I want to run a pick in it after I put in my main charge and create a tunnel inside or do I want that powder to be as close to the outside of the TH as possible?

[Larry Pletcher]

The link below is to a 6 part experiment dealing with high/low vents and location of priming powder in the pan.

http://www.blackpowdermag.com/category/articles/vent-liners/

Parts 3, 5, and 6 deal specifically with your questions.  I'm sorry that the links within the sections don't work.  You need to "page back" and choose the parts there.

Part 3   http://www.blackpowdermag.com/part-3-photography-through-the-muzzle/  is particularly interesting to me as  you can see difference in the strength of the fire based on priming location in the pan.

Regards,
Pletch

[hanshi]

Rb777, your th location looks just fine to me.  I always drill out my th on every gun to 1/16"; ignition is excellent.

[retired fella]

Another thought which I did while fine tuning my FL was to gently and slowly use a dremel with grinder stone and deepen the pan a tad.  Before you do that I suggest testing what you got to see if you do have a problem.

[Roundball777]

Thanks everyone. Lots of good information here.
1. I read somewhere not to pack the main charge down hard like a perc. Is that true?
2. Do you generally run a pick into the main charge to create a tunnel or is it better to let the powder inside alone once packed?

[smallpatch]

You definitely want the ball firmly seated on the powder.
I don't even know where my pick is.  A white lightning touch hole is self cleaning.  Unless you've got a muddy mess, you should seldom need a pick.

[frogwalking]

If you have some small number size drill bits, there are several steps in between 1/16 and 5/64.  One can always make the hole bigger, but it is difficult to make it smaller.