Frizzen life

[gcebulka]

[
Yes, you can believe it...TCs previous lock problems are all old news...the operative word you used is "WERE".

TC made significant design improvements to their Flint lock asembly 5-6 years ago, most significant of which were the hammer and frizzen.

The hammer is much taller with a better angle of attack into the frizzen and flint life is outstanding...plus they hardened the frizzen so they give a lot of sparks with no grooving.

So how do you tell if you have the old style lock or not? I have a TC Renegade and I'm not sure how old it is.

 

[roundball]

[
Yes, you can believe it...TCs previous lock problems are all old news...the operative word you used is "WERE".

TC made significant design improvements to their Flint lock asembly 5-6 years ago, most significant of which were the hammer and frizzen.

The hammer is much taller with a better angle of attack into the frizzen and flint life is outstanding...plus they hardened the frizzen so they give a lot of sparks with no grooving.

So how do you tell if you have the old style lock or not? I have a TC Renegade and I'm not sure how old it is.

I can post a couple of close up photos for you tonight when I get home so you can see the different shape & height of the hammer...also, the new style frizzens are jet black, not case colored.

 

[gcebulka]

Thanks! That would be really helpful. From the sound of things, I have the older style lock. Actually, I'll take a pic of mine and post it.

 

[roundball]

Thanks! That would be really helpful. From the sound of things, I have the older style lock. Actually, I'll take a pic of mine and post it.

George, here's a set of old and new style locks:

OLD STYLE TC FLINT LOCK ASSEMBLY...note severe "S" shape to hammer, and the "notch" in the back edge of the hammer right above the hammer mounting screw...also, the hammer is quite short with the bottom jaw just barely clearing the "fence"..and the frizzen is case colored

NEW STYLE TC FLINT LOCK ASSEMBLY”¦note much more gentle “S” curve shape (and no notch), it’s much taller with the lower jaw clearing much higher above the fence, the frizzen is solid jet black color, and you can see the huge new style vent liner in the photo.

 

[gcebulka]

Thanks! That would be really helpful. From the sound of things, I have the older style lock. Actually, I'll take a pic of mine and post it.

George, here's a set of old and new style locks:

OLD STYLE TC FLINT LOCK ASSEMBLY...note severe "S" shape to hammer, and the "notch" in the back edge of the hammer right above the hammer mounting screw...also, the hammer is quite short with the bottom jaw just barely clearing the "fence"..and the frizzen is case colored


NEW STYLE TC FLINT LOCK ASSEMBLY”¦note much more gentle “S” curve shape (and no notch), it’s much taller with the lower jaw clearing much higher above the fence, the frizzen is solid jet black color, and you can see the huge new style vent liner in the photo.

RB,
Thanks for the pics. I definitely have the old style lock. THe hammer has the notch and my frizzen is starting to get a grove in it...
Question for you, can I buy just the updated hammer and frizzen? Or do I need to buy the entire lock assembly in order to have things work propely?

Thanks again,
George

 

[Rebel]

Chances are you can return it to T/C and they will replace it for free. Maybe the whole lock.

 

[roundball]

"...can I buy just the updated hammer and frizzen? Or do I need to buy the entire lock assembly in order to have things work propely?..."

You can buy the new style hammer assembly and new frizzen...but you can TC to fix it free under the lifetime warranty...they know they had a serious reliability problem and they redesigned the parts to make the locks work correctly.

They don't have a "recall program" as such so don't approach it from the point of view that they have some sort of free upgrade program from old style to new style...that would cost them a fortune if they announced and operated such a program...but they do seem willing to handle it as a customer satisfaction / lifetime warranty situation.

The way it always worked for me was:
1) DO NOT call and discuss it ahead of time with the "repair dept".
2) Only deal directly with the Service Manager.
3) DO NOT call the service manager ahead of time.
4) Did I mention: DO NOT contact them ahead of time?

Just priority mail the lock to his attention with a memo inside approaching it from the point of view that..."the lock is not reliabe, eats flints, can't trust it for hunting or competition, not satisfied with it, etc...would he personally see what he can do to make it 100% reliable under the lifetime warranty you paid for so you can use the rifle..."

In a half dozen cases I got locks back with all the new style parts installed at N/C...in another half dozen cases I got entire, complete new lock assemblies sent to me at N/C...others have had the same results following this approach.

 

[flintlockmdj]

I returned a flintlock plate and hammer to T.C. and they replaced everything that was missing free and sent it back to me in about a week. :thumbsup:

 

[gcebulka]

"...can I buy just the updated hammer and frizzen? Or do I need to buy the entire lock assembly in order to have things work propely?..."

You can buy the new style hammer assembly and new frizzen...but you can TC to fix it free under the lifetime warranty...they know they had a serious reliability problem and they redesigned the parts to make the locks work correctly.

They don't have a "recall program" as such so don't approach it from the point of view that they have some sort of free upgrade program from old style to new style...that would cost them a fortune if they announced and operated such a program...but they do seem willing to handle it as a customer satisfaction / lifetime warranty situation.

The way it always worked for me was:
1) DO NOT call and discuss it ahead of time with the "repair dept".
2) Only deal directly with the Service Manager.
3) DO NOT call the service manager ahead of time.
4) Did I mention: DO NOT contact them ahead of time?

Just priority mail the lock to his attention with a memo inside approaching it from the point of view that..."the lock is not reliabe, eats flints, can't trust it for hunting or competition, not satisfied with it, etc...would he personally see what he can do to make it 100% reliable under the lifetime warranty you paid for so you can use the rifle..."

In a half dozen cases I got locks back with all the new style parts installed at N/C...in another half dozen cases I got entire, complete new lock assemblies sent to me at N/C...others have had the same results following this approach.

Free? I like free.... :winking: Seriously, I'll pop the lock off and send it to them, worst thing happens is I end up paying for what I would have to pay for anyway..., but, I do like the free part... :rotf:

Thanks again,
George

 

[LSU TIGER]

As far as the T/C lock goes, the external shape of the cock and frizzen has nothing to do with the performance of a lock. Geometry is determined by the tumbler and the position of the notches in the tumbler.

My experience with Chambers' locks is mixed, I've always had to reharden the frizzen right out of the box.

 

[roundball]

As far as the T/C lock goes, the external shape of the cock and frizzen has nothing to do with the performance of a lock.

Just to clarify that statement, the taller hammer on TC's redesigned lock assemblies does indeed make all the difference in the world to the redesigned lock's performance.

Their old style hammer was too short and flints would impact the frizzen too low, where there was less leverage to tip it open...resulted in smashed flints, very short flint life, low amount of sparks, etc.

The taller hammer deliveres the flint higher on the frizzen face and the change in angle of attack results in improved downward shaving of the flint against the frizzen, extremely long flint life and a lot of sparks.

50 shot range sessions and never touch the flint about half the of the trips...then shoot another 50 shoot session on the same flint the following wekend with 1, maybe 2 knapps during the session.

Could only dream of such things with the early style short hammer.