Installing a White Lightning T.H. liner?

[Dennis Glazener]

is it absolutely nessasary to remove the breechplug in order to install a white lightning touch hole liner?
i wanted to do this on my newly finished 50 cal.(my first build). it does seem to hang back just a bit. my concern is that the barrel i used is from a traditions deerhunter which has a hook tang and also i have read on other forums that taking factory installed breach plugs out should be avoided at all costs. with my limited experiance and tools it already is sounding like i should take and have a gunsmith do it for me, what say you'll?

Since you ask about installing a White Lightning liner think you are fine with this topic. To answer your question. You first have to make sure you have enough clearance between the breech plug wall and the threads on the size liner you will be using. Measure the diameter of the liner threads, divide by 2 and this is the Minimum space you need to have from the breech plug wall to the CENTER of the current flash hole. I use a ram rod to measure exactly where the breech plug wall is. Insert the rr and hold it tight against the wall then mark the rod at the muzzle. Remove the rod and lay it on the barrel, aligning the mark with the muzzle and see how far past the flash hole the end of the rr is. It MUST be more than half the diameter of the liner threads in order for the tap to clear the breech plug wall. If its not enough clearance I suspect you would be better off to have an experienced gunsmith do the installation. Don't forget that Jim sells them in three sizes if I remember correctly so if the one you have is too large you may be able to use a smaller one. Assuming you have clearance I don't see a need to pull the barrel. Just insert a tight fitting ram rod to make sure the linner does not protrude into the bore, do this BEFORE you cut off the part you use the vise grips on. Pull it out and trim the end until it does not protrude.
Dennis
 

[shanerburg rd]

thank you sir, i may try it on my own if the ramrod test is positive.

dave

[shanerburg rd]

just did the ramrod measurment and, no, i won't be attempting this on my own. the liner appears to be screwed directly into the breech plug, according to where the ramrod lays. well now i've learned something new about my gun and about how to figure out where the breech plug wall is located, will be useful for the future, glad i asked.

thanx again,dave

[Dennis Glazener]

the liner appears to be screwed directly into the breech plug, according to where the ramrod lays.

That may well be the reason for the slow ignition. If the flash hole/liner hits in the breechplug thread area, there has to be some type of channel from the hole to the main charge. If this hole is not kept clean and free it will cause miss-fires Even when clean depending on size/distance there can be delay in firing the main charge.
Dennis

[shanerburg rd]

hi again, i hope there is a way to fix that as this being my first build i am real attached to this gun and i can hit stuff with it pretty consistant and at good ranges. the ignition is not real bad but i have a pedersoli that goes off faster. i got a new liner for it at dixons in pa. last year and whatever he put in it, it goes off pretty instantanious. i remember him (mr. dixon) fishing around in a box of liners till he found one that fit my gun, it does not have an external cone. anyway would a white lightning liner even improve my gun being that it has the channel thru the breech as you described?

thanx,dave

[mtech]

I think you are right. Do some experimenting. See if something helps.
When the time comes you could take it up to Friendship and get the boys to video it with the high speed camera. That would tell you tons about its speed.

Did you ever come to any conclusion on browning the barrel?
It is easy to do.
Ben

I ordered a bottle of Laurel  Mountain Browning solution.I might see if a fellow Flintlock shooting buddy of can help me pull the pinned  barrel and talk me thru the process.

[Flint62Smoothie]

PEEN or peening = displacement of metal by mechanical means, not ping. Think 'ball peen' hammer.

TAPPING, one will find a spring-loaded tap follower to be ideal for allowing 2-handed tapping, without worrying about following the quill position.

... my GE machinist apprentice instructors would scold me if I let that go by, haha!

[Dennis Glazener]

anyway would a white lightning liner even improve my gun being that it has the channel thru the breech as you described?

Without knowing exactly what you have I would be afraid to say it would. It may well have something like one of these: https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRFg1ShumpQQnM-lFofx26r-rtWzBGJsq94wEdpyPwMYw3pnanW and if so a white lightning might help but until you know exactly how your flash hole was done I would be reluctant to tell you what might work. Probably good idea to take it to a gunsmith.
Dennis

[shanerburg rd]

hi again, thanx for taking time to share those diagrams. after looking them over i would say what have is the chambered breech. so i think taking it to a gunsmith is definately my best option, i'd be foolish to tamper with it.
so thanx again for the info it sure helped me resolve the issue.

take care, dave

[Birddog6]

hi again, i hope there is a way to fix that as this being my first build i am real attached to this gun and i can hit stuff with it pretty consistant and at good ranges. the ignition is not real bad but i have a pedersoli that goes off faster. i got a new liner for it at dixons in pa. last year and whatever he put in it, it goes off pretty instantanious. i remember him (mr. dixon) fishing around in a box of liners till he found one that fit my gun, it does not have an external cone. anyway would a white lightning liner even improve my gun being that it has the channel thru the breech as you described?

thanx,dave

I would modify the vent liner ya have before I would go to a dif. thread. You might try coning it slightly on the outside & inside & also drill the vent hole thru it to about .070. I know that makes a world of dif. in ignition on a Lyman GPR.  If it doesn't help, all you are out is a vent liner.

Keith Lisle