Broken side plate bolt

[Alange]

Hello, I broke one of the side plate bolts on a flintlock. It was thinned down to make room for the ramrod. Is there away to fix this problem?

 

[Many Klatch]

There's not a lot of room for ramrod, bolt and lock in the stock. Something usually has to give. I have seen rifles with side plate bolts that were thinned down. I have also seen ones that had the bolt filed with a flat spot, a mark on the bolt head lets you know which way to turn it. I have one flintlock where that particular bolt in the sideplate is a wood screw that does not extend through to the lock.

 

[LawrenceA]

As Many Klatch stated there are a number of ways used to thin the bolt to clear the ramrod.
This is probably the easiest and of course just filing a notch (minimise material removal) will leave the bolt as strong as possible. Also using a better steel for the bolt will help.

I am a little surprised you put enough oomph in to break it.

The other options that may be considered are to either taper the ramrod so it is thinner toward the lock or to enlarge the ramrod hole.
You will need to know the geometry of the ramrod hole versus the lock bolt and the barrel.
If there is enough meat in the ramrod itself and not that much need to be removed, then the ramrod can be scraped by using a hole or notch in a metal plate to taper it.
If you choose to enlarge the ramrod hole at the butt end then you need to get a piece of rod long enough to reach the end of the ramrod hole. You then burr the end and use it to scrape the side of the hole in the direction you wish to enlarge the hole.

Also worth noting that later flintlocks did not always have the 2 screws.

Hope this helps

 

[ohio ramrod]

I like to taper the ramrod rather than thinning the bolt.

 

[tenngun]

New bolt. Most ml houses like Track of the Wolf, Log Cabin Sport Shop or Jedidiah Star have them.
A round file can cut a new grove after you cut your bolt to length.
Make a mark on your screw head forr the bottom of your bolt. Don’t over tighten
Early guns used thee lock bolts then it was two then one. The front bolt does little.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

. Is there away to fix this problem?

First, determine how much overlap the bolt and RR are interrupting each other. It is not always easy to do this, but usually possible. Measure with calipers from bottom of the barrel. Once you know the clearance needed then decide if you can take it all out on the bolt. I prefer keeping the RR full strength if possible. If it is substantial then notch the bolt on the side that is interfering with the RR so as not to weaken the bolt by removing 360 deg of material. If that is not going to be enough, then you need to start tapering the RR also. Third choice would be to plug the bolt hole with wood and then use a wood screw.
Flintlocklar

 

[Kansas Jake]

I have a lock bolt with a filed slot that goes almost 1/2 way through the bolt. I think that is better than a grove all the way around unless you only have to take off a little bit. I think it is still more than strong enough to hold the lock. If I cranked it down more to cause it to break I would probably cause other issues. I did the slot so the screw head slot is clocked parallel with the barrel. If the ramrod won't go in, then I am only 1/2 a turn off. That really isn't different than some of the cap and ball revolvers that hold the loading rod in with a clocked screw.

 

[Sidney Smith]

I had problems with ramrod clearance due to the front lock bolt, the main spring entering the channel as a result of it being drilled off center, and an off center ramrod hole. I had to remove wood in tje channel to get the ramrod to miss the main spring of the lock plus I had to taper the ramrod and round off the tip to get it to fully seat in the ramrod channel.

 

[hanshi]

Long ago I found myself tapering the ramrods to fit simply because I didn't want to mess with the lock bolts. But that was only for the few inches at the end, so it has always worked out fine. Curiously, though, the ramrods do not always fit a different rifle other than the one it's tapered for.

 

[Notchy Bob]

I think the second thing to do (after replacing the broken bolt) is to taper the end of the ramrod, or make a new ramrod with a tapered end, if tapering the original one is not feasible. This was discussed pretty extensively here on the forum only a few weeks ago. This is a traditional and generally effective solution to the problem. If this doesn't solve the problem, the next thing I would try would be to file a little "half moon" out of the lock bolt where it impinges on the ramrod channel, taking off as little as possible.

There was also a brief discussion recently, here on the forum, of the geometry and physics of flintlock versus percussion lock function, and reasons for that front lock bolt on the flinters. I'm not sure I could find that conversation again, but I remember reading it. With that said, I have a flint fowling piece with a fairly large L&R Queen Anne lock. This gun has only one lock bolt, and it functions just fine.

Notchy Bob

 

[hanshi]

One thing about flint vs percussion is that a percussion hammer strikes the rifle breech (nipple) while a flint lock strikes itself. In other words one can fire a flint lock that has been removed from the gun but this can't be done with a percussion lock. So there is a bit of force applied to the percussion lock as it strikes the nipple. The flint lock does not do this. Yes, the difference is merely academic but is nevertheless quite real. For this reason two bolts are not always required on a flintlock but often preferred on a percussion. But two bolts are still common on both locks. In fact a wood screw could "arguably" be substituted for the front lock bolt on a flintlock with no problems.

 

[M. De Land]

Why not file a flat in the end and side of the ramrod big enough to clear the bolt. It would only show at all while loading.

 

[Rudyard]

Locks dont have' bolts' they are' side nails'. (Unless you want bolts is its your gun) Lawrence A' s suggestion has the most merit make the scraper to make room for the rod , tedious but doable . Just bend the rod so it bears and hammer or file a sharp burr to srcape better. Late flintlocks frequently have a hook like inward protusion that mates with a modified screw. needing but a small cup like washer on the reverse to the lock apron .It wont suit long rifles though, dummy front nail cures that . If stocking from a plank I inlet the barrel then cut the rod grouve aim along it a hair toward the lh side so any wandering is less likely to go into the lock area then with a long bit bore away & with luck you should reach the place the rod should be if it goes ' haywire ', though it shouldn't but at least you havn't put the lock in . luckily I have never had to abandon one started but have had some hellasious tricks to put it right! What the eye don't see the heart dont grieve .
Rudyard

 

[Bighorserider]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one to make this mistake. My ramrod is tapered, but I still had to file about halfway through the lock bolt or side nail if you prefer. It broke after 20 years or so, and I just made another one. No big deal..