Vent holes

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

I got to shoot my new Beck rifle pretty extensively Friday. It fired reat well except for one problem. When I installed the WL Vent liner I didn't open the vent hole at all, I left it in its stock condition. After about 6 shots when I fired just flash. Reprimed and again just flash. Thought I dryballed the load. Fortunitly for my my buddy had a very fine vent pick and was able to pick it out and reprime and it finally fired. A little while later same problem, clogged, Very anoying. My other rifle with a WL liner I had drilled the vent hole to 1/16" and never had a problem, after six years still fires flawlessly. When I got home that was the first thing I did. Since it is a replaceable unit, if I ever see any erosion I'll simply remove it and install a new one.

[hanshi]

That's what I do to every new rifle I get; drill the VL out to 1/16".  I've never needed to go bigger.  While out I also enlarge the inside cone on the VL. 

[Curt Larsen]

I used to go with the WL liner just as it was when I filed it down flush.  The last one I did, the hole was so tiny that there was no way I could think of that it would work.  So, I've decided to open up each one I install to 1/16" now.  So far no problem.
Curt

[Daryl]

I leave them with what seems to be a factory .052" vent, except for the pistol with the little John Bailes lock- that one gets opened to 1/16".  They burn all the way out  to .070" quickly enough if left alone, let along hastening the process.

By all means, if your ignition is sketchy, opening them to 1/16" to start is the way to go.

At first, I opened them to .070" but that's too big in my opinion and doesn't take long before, if set at 1/2 cock, frizzen closed then loaded, will just about self-prime completely if using 3F.  Powder is srayed out that large a vent as the ball is seated and the air from inside the barrel tries to blow all the powder out the only opening, the vent.

I believe a lot of it does vacate and that causes 'bouncing' ballistics which do not help accuracy.

[wattlebuster]

I always drill my WL liners to 1/16 an they work great. In fact I just finished a 54 pistol today an it has the WL with a 1/16 hole an fired every time today. I will be posting pics in the next day or two

[LH]

I make my own liners using a ball end bit to cone the inside, and I only leave about .020" of metal between the inside and the outer cone.  This makes as much of a difference as the size of the hole. The WL liners I've seen look like they've got .1 or thereabouts depth to the inner cone.   .020 will burn out in about 3 or 4 thousand shots,  but I take mine out to clean anyway.  Teflon tape on the threads and a screw slot make it very easy to do. When they get up close to .070, I replace them.   I've experimented with hole sizes some too,  and now I use a metric bit that mic's .059.  I've had problems with stopping up when I tried much smaller than that.  I used to use 1/16" bits .0625 but somebody gave me a bunch of these .059 bits and they work just as good. 

[Daryl]

I've never had to remove a vent to clean a rifle or smoothbore as I flush all barrels in a container of water.

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

Thanks guys. I'm really thinking that WL vent liners seem to have a smaller hole than they used to. I don't know what size they come drilled maybe 1/32" or less IT WAS SMALL. I don't remember enlarging the vent in my other rifle. But I must have it is a 1/16" hole.

[54Bucks]

This subject has me wondering if the different size White Lightning liners (1/4, 5/16, 3/8) also have different size vent holes?  Seems like one 5/16" WL liner I had that I never touched would let an occasional grain of 3F Swiss thru. Another gun with a WL liner (size ?) seems to have a smaller vent. Possibly a 1/4" ?

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

This subject has me wondering if the different size White Lightning liners (1/4, 5/16, 3/8) also have different size vent holes?  Seems like one 5/16" WL liner I had that I never touched would let an occasional grain of 3F Swiss thru. Another gun with a WL liner (size ?) seems to have a smaller vent. Possibly a 1/4" ?

I just checked my stock, I've got all three sizes on hand right now. My 1/16" drill bit measures 52 on my old twist drill guage. The W/L 3/8" liner I have, is several years old and the vent hole is about a 55 on my guage a little smaller than my 1/16" twist drill. The other sizes 5/16" and 1/4" are new stock less than a month old and the drill size for both is about a 60 (Smallest) on my guage or smaller. I have no way to actually measure the hole just visual comparison.

The size 55 drill is what I remember from the previous WL liners I've used just a little smaller than 1/16". Based on that, I think the size of the drill hole in the liner is now much smaller, at least the ones I have.

[roundball]

All mine have always been .070" (#50 drill)...never cause ignition problems, don't own a vent pick.

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

I really got wondering about this so I sent an email to Jim Chambers. This is the reply.

"Our liners are still made on the original machine and to the same dimensions.  The hole size is .052.  I usually drill them out to .062 (1/16") for 100% ignition.  If the hole in the liner you got from TOW is smaller than .052 it is probably one not made by us.  I know of at least one other dealer that has copied (badly) our liners, and I know TOW has not ordered any liners from us in months.  So, I suspect they too have copied our design."

So, it seems the mystery is solved, (in my mind at least) I personally prefer the quality of the originals made by Chambers. If you have some of the WL liners on hand and they have a very small touch hole in them they are copies of Jim's.

[northmn]

I started using a .070 vent as per recommendations on this site, but for larger bores like my 54 in which I use 2f.  You do get a bit of self priming with 3f.  I had some results from the difference between 1/16 and .070 on the chronograph but lost it as my computer needed to be be cleaned from a nasty virus.  Velocity was a little less with the .070 but not greatly so, seems like 50-75 fps with a hunting load.  Couple of pointers also is that the use of a soft pick is recommended like brass or a feather as some use.  Some of the "burn out" can be due to use of hard picks.  I have seem some use gas welding clean out units for the purpose, for instance.  In my smaller bores I sue a smaller vent.  In my 25 squirrel rifle I went one wire size below 1/16.  I make my own vents.  Similar to what is described.

DP

[bonron]

This issue has been on this thread a lot.  I use a White Lightning just as it came from Chambers. If and when ignition should become a problem I will then enlarge it. Right now the small Siler is super fast and I  see no reason to change anything. The equipment is usually not at fault most of the time. If we are honest with ourselves, we will find there is, frequently, a nut loose on the trigger.

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Micah, do you shoot in Taylorsville??  Creekside Firing Range??

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

Micah, do you shoot in Taylorsville??  Creekside Firing Range??

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