What is a vent screw on a percussion rifle?

The following photo (courtesy of Michael Hite) shows a drum on a percussion rifle that incorporates a vent screw. In an advertisement for their No. 5 rifle, the 1879 catalog of the Great Western Gun Works provides the following succinct description of the purpose of a vent screw: "The cylinder or drum has a vent screw, so that powder may be inserted from the breech in case a ball is put down without powder, or in case of dirt in the breech, it fails to prime."

Photo of vent screw on drum of percussion rifle.

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