Percussion locks

[PIKELAKE]

 Not being a cap gun person, I would like opinions on whether a percussion drum should be vented. It seems I read years ago that it was a good idea to do that. The plague has me playin around with stuff from years past. Thanks    I think flintlocks are much less involved.    JZ

[Longknife]

I have shot many percussion  guns and none of them had "vented drums and they shot just fine. There was someone making vented nipples back in the 80's, it was a fad and quickly died out. I have also owned and viewed many original percussion rifles  but have never seen or owned  an original with a vented drum,,,,I think its just one of those modern ideas that sounds good but really doesn't accomplish anything...IMHO,,,,Ed

PS , What is venting supposed to do???

[PIKELAKE]

Thanks for your input Ed. I have never had the chance to view many cap locks or wanted to. I just remember venting was mentioned someplace and I was just wondering. I can't even remember why it was suggested.  Thanks again. John

[Scota4570]

The old Dixie catalogs suggested it. 

It seems to me that any flame from the cap should be applied to the powder and not vented.  Any benefit of flame going out the nipple, through powder and out a drum vent would require powder under the nipple.  IF you got that happening then ignition is not  a problem. The vent would erode over time and be impossible to clean.   I could also plug up with fouling.   

Maybe it was to lower pressure in the drum and prevent hammer blow back?  Seem like a new nipple is a better solution. 

[rich pierce]

It was possibly done to prevent blowback or possibly done because folks figured since flintlocks are vented, it must be a good thing. The best shooters I know don’t use anything like that.

The old DGW catalogue had a lot of helpful hints and also some old time notions bordering on superstition.

[mountainman70]

One thing our members shoots one of these and it is annoying because of the flash is bad as standing next to flinter being shot.
Me no like

[Bob Roller]

One thing our members shoots one of these and it is annoying because of the flash is bad as standing next to flinter being shot.
Me no like

Another gimmick supposedly an improvement on something that worked very well,the percussion cap.
The percussion cap made possible the long range muzzle loader and the fine American target rifles that
Major Ned Roberts wrote about.According to the writings of Robert Held the extremely fast flint locks
were brought about by gunmakers that didn't want to change and while they failed to forestall the caplock
they gave us magnificent little mechanisms for our study and maybe to try and copy.One argument against
the percussion or fulminated ignition systems was that war would be even bloodier if fought with guns that
were certain to fire even in wet weather,
Today the flintlock IS the ultimate gun for those who accept the challenges offered by such systems and we do
have some fine ones today and at prices that don't take six months salary to pay for the lock(s) and are not
the toys of the rich and nobody else.
Bob Roller

[moleeyes36]

For those that shoot percussion guns, the vented nipple is still made.  It is the Hot Shot nipple made by Uncle Mike's I believe.  Track of the Wolf, and I'm sure other vendors, sell them.  I don't see what good they would do, but some like them.

Don Richards

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I have an original percussion rifle that has a patent breech and a platinum plug that has a vent.  During shooting, I notice fouling forming around the vent.  It never gets plugged and I don't know what advantage it gives to this ignition system.  Nor does it spray the shooter to my right.  Here's a photo...

[moleeyes36]

I have an original percussion rifle that has a patent breech and a platinum plug that has a vent.  During shooting, I notice fouling forming around the vent.  It never gets plugged and I don't know what advantage it gives to this ignition system.  Nor does it spray the shooter to my right.  Here's a photo...

The original (circa about 1855) shotgun I recently purchased also has a vent on each barrel.

Don Richards

[Hungry Horse]

 I suspect it had to do with providing a pressure relief at the breech. Very few of the antique muzzleloaders I have debreeched have fine threads on the plug. This mean by todays standards they were questionable, making some form of pressure relief important.

  Hungry Horse

[Bob Roller]

My enfeebled memory recalls these being called "blowout plugs".
I don't remember if my Whitworth semi military target rifle had
the tiny hole or not but it did have the plug that was said to be
platinum.
Bob Roller

[Daryl]

On the Joseph Lang rifle Taylor posted, after a few shots, a smudge of fouling can be wiped off the side of the drum. There is zero visible smoke emerging from this "vent".

[PIKELAKE]

Thanks to everyone for the information. I found some "Hy Score" caps from Finland in my collection and I think I'll just shoot this rifle as is. Thanks again. John Z