broken springs

[RogerWYO]

This is my first flintlock, it is a new southern mountain flintlock that has a deluxe Chambers lock and I have only fired it around 300 times . I replaced the flint with a piece of wood to dry fire. After about a hundred shots the frizzen spring broke. I put a flint back in to see if it would fire without the frizzen spring. I got good spark but 2 shots later the mainspring broke. Did I do something wrong or is this normal with a flintlock?

 

[Vaino]

Are you sure that it's a Chambers lock? Can't imagine this could happen. If it is a Chambers lock, call Jim and relate your experience and he'll no doubt want you to send him the lock and broken springs....there's a lifetime warranty on his locks. No, this isn't normal w/ a flintlock and only you would know if you did something wrong...if anything.....Fred

 

[Tom Compton]

No not normal. Only broke 1 main spring in 40+ years of ML and 30+ shooting flinters. That said, I have a spare frizzen as well as main, frizzen and sear springs for both of my flinters. Musket and others no longer shot shot much.

As said above contact Chambers and while u r at it get a spare set. Too inexpensive not to.
TC

 

[Rifleman1776]

I have never had a mainspring break, even with my early El Cheapo imports. But, I am well aware that flat springs can fail, even good ones. I keep several on hand.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Just a guess, but I would guess that pretty much all Chambers locks use the same internal parts with the only variation being between large and small, or, maybe some specialty locks like back action. It would certainly simplify the manufacturing and inventory process for them, and manufacturers always like to do that if they can. Happy to be proven wrong though.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Chambers has more than one lock-maker working for him. I wonder if there was a problem with the temperature setting when the maker tempered the springs, and so they were just a tad brittle? I wonder if somebody had a defective temp gauge?

I've had main springs break, and I've had main springs from the factory with a crack in them (Pedersoli). It's very very rare for a Chambers lock to behave that way, though I've been told that you never use lead to wrap the flint in a Chambers lock, as one often sees in military musket locks.

LD

 

[stubshaft]

In over 40 years I have only had one mainspring break and it was for an El Cheapo knock off. Sounds like whom ever made the springs did not anneal them properly.

 

[rich pierce]

There is some sharing of internals on Chambers locks but not complete across the board. They all use the same fly lol.

 

[rich pierce]

Take it up with Jim Chambers. Firing without a frizzen spring causes cock and tumbler to stop while at full speed. The frizzen slows deceleration. However the percussion locks have immediate deceleration.

 

[RogerWYO]

I use leather to wrap the flint and the wood when I use it. I have 2 new springs coming from Track. I'll see what happens with the new springs. If they fail again anytime soon I'll ship it off to Jim and see what he says.
My thought was when the flint gets too short (still get good spark no mater how short) it hammers the frizzen hard enough to break the springs.

 

[hanshi]

I had a Chambers lock that came on a smoothbore break. I opened the wood frame and padded box to find the cock had broken off the lock plate; obviously a casting flaw in the lock screw. I sent the lock back and it was fixed pronto. It was my Colonial Va lock and that thing will singe yer hair.

 

[curator]

Nothing is perfect. Springs break and so do action parts. I once maintained an arsenal of replica flint lock muskets at the museum for which I worked. I always has extra frizzen and main springs on hand. They only break when you use them. Chambers locks are some of the best but none are immune from spring failure.

 

[john p. madaus]

Get your springs directly from Chambers. I just went through a similar experience. Track spring was to weak to flip frizzen. Chambers will only warrant locks assembled by his outfit.

 

[mike54]

Agreed. Contact Chambers directly.