lock pan depth

[teakmtn]

Can a flintlock pan be too deep? White lightning vent is a good size, in proper "sunset" position and even coned on the outside very slightly. Rifle seems to have inordinate amount of "flash in the pan" misfires. A bit of a puzzle. Thanks for your input.

[Darkhorse]

Given the constraints of lock size and placement, no, I don't think the pan will be too deep. The flash from the pan goes up and out as shown in this photo, click to enlarge. I would look at my TH size it might not be big enough for that gun. When drilling out the TH I carry a set of number drills and start at 1/16 and shoot the gun, then drill out the TH one number drill at a time until I'm satisfied with the results. After drilling a size I will shoot several shots before drilling again. I stop when I feel good about it. If after using the rifle awhile I find it could go up one size then I can always drill it again.

[Hungry Horse]

 I’ll tell you, a friends has a French musket I’m quite sure was built from parts sent from France to build guns for the American Revolution. It has a lock built long before the revolution, and almost no parts from matching models. But the interesting thing about this musket is the touch hole is below the bottom of the pan, and there is a channel filed to intersect with a hole bored down through part of the pan. All of these modifications are powder burned, and worn, indicating this gun was fired a bunch some time. If any of that firing happened during the Revolution that would be enough for me to consider it a workable solution enough for somebody to bet their life on it. But the touch hole was large enough to be self priming.

Hungry Horse

[Steeltrap]

I concur with drilling the flash hole with a 1/16" drill bit. I've not needed to go any bigger to have good ignition on my builds.

However, on my T\C (Got me started in BP back in the late 70's) I replaced the factory barrel with a GM "drop in". Look at the pic below and you can see the alignment of the FH to the pan is not....."the best".  That flash hole liner is (IIRC) a factory T\C replacement that is installed with an Allan wrench. So, the actual flash hole size can't be seen from here....but I get consistent ignition and rarely a flash in the pan.

[rich pierce]

I’ll tell you, a friends has a French musket I’m quite sure was built from parts sent from France to build guns for the American Revolution. It has a lock built long before the revolution, and almost no parts from matching models. But the interesting thing about this musket is the touch hole is below the bottom of the pan, and there is a channel filed to intersect with a hole bored down through part of the pan. All of these modifications are powder burned, and worn, indicating this gun was fired a bunch some time. If any of that firing happened during the Revolution that would be enough for me to consider it a workable solution enough for somebody to bet their life on it. But the touch hole was large enough to be self priming.

Hungry Horse

I’ve got a New England militia musket from about 1810-20 with a similar touch hole location. It confounded me.

[Daryl]

If you enlarge the pic. of the TC, you will see the vent's centre is at the sunset location.