Goulcher hammer-tumbler wear

[Dusty_Traveler]

Good afternoon gents...I am in need of advice.

I have an original American longrifle with a Goulcher commercial percussion lock. There have been some frontier repairs on this gun, and the lock parts are not completely disassemble-able. I am not able to remove the bridle because the tumbler has been drilled straight though, a long screw inserted all the way though the the hammer and tumbler, out the bridle and then cut off and peened over. This captures bridle, fly, and of course the hammer and tumbler aren't coming apart.

The bridle and sear screws are handmade. Probably under the circumstances, they did a fantastic job because they're still holding. This lock also has one hell of a mainspring, not in size, but strength.

The internals of the lock are in good shape. The tumbler catches are sharp. The fly works like it should. No cracks in the bridle. The sear spring is very stout, but triggering isn't affected by it. If you were to pull the trigger on it, it would go bang.

Here's my concern: The hammer has about 3/16 of an inch of back and forth rotation on the tumbler shoulders.

This rifle has a fairly heavy barrel with a bore dia of .375". I'm not wanting to shoot this rifle a whole lot. Maybe a few times a year about a dozen shots each time. Should I pursue further disassembly and repair? The previous-previous owner was still shooting it, and said it is a good shooter.

I have seen that RE Davis has Goulcher repro locks for sale, but the dimensions of my original lock are considerably smaller than theirs. Theirs also uses a stirrup setup where mine does not, so I dont think the guts will interchange.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

B Boyce

 

[hawkeye2]

Why not grind off the peened end of the screw and then disassemble the lock. Make the repairs and reassemble using a new screw if needed.

 

[Dusty_Traveler]

Why not grind off the peened end of the screw and then disassemble the lock. Make the repairs and reassemble using a new screw if needed.

Well, that was originally my plan when I first took it apart. But upon further investigation, the hammer is allllmost touching the lock plate. Very close. As in close enough that if I were to tighten the hammer any on the tumbler, it would be binding against the lock plate. I could machine material off the inside of the hammer to get that clearance, but I am afraid of affecting the integrity of the hammer. The nipple to hammer geometry would then also be off, requiring further heating and tweaking.

Do you know of anywhere I can look to find a replacement tumbler?

I'm afraid that without a replacement, as it is now is as good as it will be, and still operate correctly.

In my thinking, (possibly wrong), when the sear disengages the slack is immediately taken out of the hammer to tumbler fit before it lands on the nipple, so everything is stopping against something solid. I know any wear in that square hole fit isn't optimal, but I was hoping it wouldn't be detrimental.

 

[hawkeye2]

If the square on the tumbler isn't battered beyond repair why not solder some shims in the hammer hole and refit? Continued shooting as is will only make the situation worse.

 

[Uncle Miltie]

Might want to send the lock to the Log Cabin Shop in Lodi OH for repair: their gunsmith can do it at reasonable cost. If Davis parts are needed the Log Cabin owns RE Davis, so they would have those as well.