Flintlock From Scratch

[Greebe]

Hey everyone. I am a machinist and have really been considering building a flintlock from scratch. I would like to forge and machine all the parts, except maybe the springs.

However I do not have a flintlock in hand, so aside from buying one to use as a pattern, do you guys have any suggestions? I thought about seeing if I could find one to borrow, I could make a mould of it and cast the parts in resin to have a template for making the parts.

Anyone ever make their own?

Thanks,
Greebe

 

[Dave K]

Track of the Wolf, has full size pictures of the locks they sell. That should get a machinist going. I never had a reason to look, but I am sure there are plans somewhere on how to build one.

 

[illuveatar]

A few books come to mind. You should look for The Gunsmith of Grenville County, or Recreating the American Longrifle. These books detail not only size and shape but also the techniques involved in most steps of building a muzzleloader. I know that you can find them at Track of the Wolf. They also sell full detailed plans there.

 

[wmaser]

Years ago, when I built my first lock, I used a Siler lock from one of my guns as a model. Since then, I've used three or four other styles as models. Now I just build my own style, using details from various store bought locks. The cocks and frizzens are always just a little different because they are hand forged. The main spring designs also differ, depending on what type of mounting I choose to use at the bolster end as well as the tumbler end. I've also experimented with tumbler geometry, as far as the full and half cock notches are concerned, in order to eliminate the need for a fly when using set triggers, with some success. Everything else is, functionally, pretty much the same from lock to lock, differing only in appearance.
I don't mean to oversimplify this work. This is just how I do it in as few words as possible. If you don't have a lock to "reverse engineer" I would suggest buying or borrowing one to get started.

 

[Birddog6]

Buy a lock Kit from Chambers & use that for patterns & then build them Both. Then you also have a backup lock or if you want, make several castings & build several & then you have several to play with in case something doesn't pan out as planned.

Keith Lisle

 

[Greebe]

Good idea. Thanks

 

[Greebe]

Thanks I Will check out that book. At one point I found a book online that showed building a flintlock action from scratch. However I cannot find it now or remember the name.

 

[Greebe]

Cool. What steel do you use? I was thinking mild for the majority of the parts except the frizzen and internal parts.

Do you have any photos of the lock you made? I would be curious to know more on how you made them.

Thanks,
Greebe

 

[Greebe]

Thanks. I am working on getting a Fowler / trade rifle here in the near future. I want to build an entire rifle at some point, but I think I need to build a kit first so that I have the parts to duplicate. Without them it would be a little bit harder.

 

[Stophel]

I think one should be thoroughly familiarized with flintlocks, how they are supposed to function, what works and what doesn't, what types of metals are useful, hardening and tempering, and have properly built SEVERAL flintlock kits before ever considering up and building one from scratch.

:hmm:

 

[Greebe]

Precisely the reason I plan on buying a kit soon. I wish I had the money for more then one kit, but I barely can afford one as it is. Well I guess I really can't even afford one kit right at the moment with a new baby on the way, but I will find a way. Hehe However I would build a few kits for you if you wanted to donate one of them to me. :grin:

There shouldn't be any processes that I am not familiar with in making a smoothbore flintlick. I own and run a machine shop, and have been making knives and hawks since I was a teenager. Even build a few steam engines and one pulse jet. Heck I love building things from nothing, that is the reason I want to start making my own locks.

Greebe

 

[gunmaker43]

The book: recreating the double barrel shotgun by W.R. Brockway goes into good detail on hand making locks. A great book for all around gun maker's not just SXS lover's. A steal at about 40 bucks USD. track wolf & others have it on hand. Tom

 

[wmaser]

This is a percussion lock that I happen to have pictures of. They are from a tutorial that I posted a year or two ago. For some reason, the tutorial photos were deleted from the forum. If anyone is interested, I can try to put the tutorial back together again when I get some time.










As far as materials used, I am pretty much a scavenger. I build my guns entirely from scraps found in junkyards or given to me by friends. Some examples include : old wrought iron, sawblades, high strength bolts, old angle iron, leaf and coil springs from cars.
Here are some other locks I built and a couple of scratch built guns they were installed on.




Only the top two and the bottom one of these pistols have homemade locks


I have several more scratch built guns, I just don't have photos of them.

 

[gunmaker43]

You sir are a true artist, beautiful work.....Tom

 

[kaintuck]

we all buy 'made by hand' locks right now! contact davis locks or any other makers....they should have 'plans' or dimensions........

not everything comes from China these days!

:stir:

 

[Greebe]

Very cool. Thanks for posting the photo's. I knew there must be someone out there doing this sort of stuff.

I for one would love if you were to repost the tutorial. That would be very helpful. Thanks

 

[Greebe]

If it is made in a factory such as Davis, they would not qualify to me as handmade from scratch. They are all made from casting with very little work needing done on them. Mostly all that is done to make a lock is fitting and tuning. Not quite the same as making every piece one at a time by hand.

Of course everything is made in China. I even hear that they are making babies there now. :blah:

 

[Dave K]

I am not sure how many of the actual old guns were made totally from scratch. Many, many had factory locks and the same with barrels. The old saying,"lock, stock and barrel", surely came from the guy or gunsmith who went to the hardware store to buy is gun parts for his build. Time is money, so you could get more guns sold if you weren't spending hours making locks or barrels.

 

[wmaser]

I found these other photos that may be of interest to you. This lock is a flintlock which I prefer to build rather than the percussion.

 

Ah. I am a machinist by trade too. But blackpowder is what I do for a livin. I have made my own barrels on a very limited basis and the initial equipment investment is pretty big. A lock and most of its parts can be made on a manual mill and ramrod tips, bolts, ect can be made easily on a lathe with a jacobs chuck. If I were you, I would buy the parts and reverse engineer them yourself. Right now I will be getting a single stage trigger, taking it down and copy it so I can make less expensive version for my rifles and pistols. Machining the stock with your mill will be easy and alot cleaner than going the way with inlaying black and chisels. And faster too. I say go for it but I would recommend atleast using factory barrels from people who specifically make barrels. For your safety, and for the love of accuracy.