TC Muzzle loader bolt and firing pin

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
OK, I have a TC System 1 50cal inline muzzle loader. Kind of neat as it is a switch barrel. I am going to convert it over to use 209 primers. TC used to sell the kit to do this. But TC does not support any of the older guns now.

What I know is you replace the nipple with the one that uses the 209's. Then you change out the bolt for one that has a fixed firing pin. Basically a slam fire bolt. I have 2 bolts for this right now. I have the origin al that I took out as it would let the primers to fragment and fly out the sides. I actually had to o to the ER to have part of a musket cap removed from my arm. So I made a whole new bolt at the place I used to work at. The new one did not have the cut outs on each side. Now it was just a cup.

I was thinking of using the original with the cut outs. Then face it off and add a pressed in pin.

What would the protrusion and diameter would I need? Also would prehard be too hard for the pin? I have a bunch of pins I use for punches. I could cut one down and round it off really easy. Or should I just use a grade 5 bolt to make one. Since it would not be as hard.

I ordered the new nipple and it should be here on Friday. But I am not touching the bolt till it gets here to see how they mate up. I tried looking for pics of the bolt but i can not find anything on it.
 

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
OK, the nipple came in and I fit a pin to the bolt. I used the original bolt but I have a problem. The gas escaping from the nipple and bolt is blowing back at me. If you look in the first pic, that is how the bolt is on the front portion. Then the second pic is what the bolt should look like Diameter wise anyway on the front portion where the cutout is at.

thompson-center-209-conversion-kit-thunderhawk----------6__92932.jpg


opplanet-thompson-center-209-conversion-kit-thunderhawk-main-1.jpg


What I think I may need to do is make a bushing to press onto the bolt over the front reduced area. I need to make it the same diameter as the body of the bolt. Then ream it so that it will fit over the nipple a little bit to redirect the gasses. Right now the bolt is faced off. The 2 protrusions on the face are not there. I am thinking that I want to make it without the cut out. Just a recessed face to seal the gasses in.

I have not shot it. Just popped about 5 primers to test the pin. I have to put it back in the lathe to polish the pin. The depth is right but the primers are sticking to the pin when I pull the bolt back. They pop right off with just touching them so hopefully polishing will do it.

I will get a pic shortly. My dog turned into a puppy when I went shooting for a couple hours. She must not like being left alone. I have been picking up stuff for an hour. She knew too, she was hiding and would not come out when I got home. At least all the stuff she tore apart was the old ladies. Nothing of mine was touched
 

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
100% my thought. Make a bushing and press it on.
My buddy had this gun. I txted him earlier and waited for his reply before replying. He kid has the rifle now. I have a similar rifle but mine is not the switch barrel and uses #11 caps.
 

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
Got her done. Works perfect. I used a 3/4" SS bolt to make it out of. Put it in the gun and it works perfect. Completely surrounds the whole nipple. And I did not have to change the length of it one bit so everything lines up perfect.

I forgot about how nice the trigger is in this thing. It looks just like a Remington 700 trigger. Even the side safety. It is better than a few Timney's I have put in several guns. I just have to dig out my little sand blaster to make the finish match a little better.

20220714_221426.jpg20220714_221453.jpg
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
are you piercing the primers?
Cheddites are kind of famous for that [Rio's will too] because of their steel cup, but it's usually traced back to them being hit at an angle or the pin is too long/sharp.
i also recall the B/P 209 primers being of a lower brisance level, i'm fairly certain they were introduced because of this.
 

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
I have not actually loaded it yet. Just popping the primers themselves. I got a mix of different types. But win 209's the most. Then Cheddites. I was just concerned about the amount of gas that was blowing out the port. Now it is not getting any gas back at me. Hopefully it does not blank a primer when i actually load it up and shoot it. Going to be a little hard to knock the pin down if it does.

I already thought about this if it does. I already made a pin with a hole I drilled into the end and then used a ball bit on my dremil to round out the bottom of the hole. What I was going to do was load up the pin with valve lapping compound and spin the bolt in the lath to get some rpm to basically polish it down to a shorter length. Right now it is 0.061" A little long but it would be easier to take away than to add it back.
 

Ian

Notorious member
Good idea on the lap. I have the damnedest time trying to file and stone an accurate hemisphere on the end of a firing pin even with it spinning in the lathe.