issues w my 1803

[hobowonkanobe]

just went to the range, and my shifting from .015s helped ALLOT! didnt have to fight to seat the ball this time. My only other option was to locate .525 rbs... not sure if those even exist. But, going to a .010 patch did it with out me having to mount up a shopping posse.
However, still having issues with getting it to fire. 2 hrs and all of 6 rounds fired. The issue was the flints. I was able to essentially get 2 shots per new flint. I know this is silly having heard blokes talkin bout 20+ shots per, so... I am guessing it's user error. where did I find that dog and how did I... mess it up?

 

[rafterob]

Is the flint breaking? Try mounting it both Hump up and hump down in the jaw. Some locks work better with the hump down, thus placing the edge of the flint higher on the frizzen. Or is the problem that it is not sparking well?

 

[Dphar]

just went to the range, and my shifting from .015s helped ALLOT! didnt have to fight to seat the ball this time. My only other option was to locate .525 rbs... not sure if those even exist. But, going to a .010 patch did it with out me having to mount up a shopping posse.
However, still having issues with getting it to fire. 2 hrs and all of 6 rounds fired. The issue was the flints. I was able to essentially get 2 shots per new flint. I know this is silly having heard blokes talkin bout 20+ shots per, so... I am guessing it's user error. where did I find that dog and how did I... mess it up?

You need a gunsmith who knows how to tune a flintlock.


Dan

 

[Rifleman1776]

Agree with Dan. It could be a number of things with the lock. Too strong a frizzen spring, too soft a frizzen face, bad geometry, yer flints, and about a lebbenty-dozen other things. Needs looked at by someone who knows flintlocks.

 

[Ike Godsey]

what is the make of your rifle?
perdersoli? a. zolli? ASM? or?

 

[hanshi]

And don't forget that the flint has to SCRAPE down the frizzen and shouldn't hit it head on. A strike of about 60 degrees on the frizzen is about right. Yep, that lock may need tuning.

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

I bought a flintlock rifle from TVM and it ate flints like they were going out of style. The problem with that lock was that the frizzen spring was way too heavy. When I put a trigger gauge on the frizzen I found that it was taking well over 12 pounds of pressure to flip the frizzen open. Consequently it was breaking flints after 2 to 5 shots.

In my case a little judicious filing and polishing brought the amount of pressure it took to flip the frizzen over down to 4 pounds. Now after doing that and correcting a bunch of other things on that rifle it is one of my fastest shooting flintlocks.

If you don’t feel adept a tinkering with the lock I would take the advice of the others send it to a smith that has flintlock experience and have it tuned. And by the way I use .520 ball in my 54.

 

[Many Klatch]

If it is a Pedersoli 1803 Harpers Ferry, then the lock is probably going to be a problem. I was helping out Mike Lea the Gun Doctor at the Mississinewa 1812 event. There was a squad of riflemen with those guns. Mike had to harden the frizzen on three of them that weekend.

Many Klatch

 

[hobowonkanobe]

what is the make of your rifle?
perdersoli? a. zolli? ASM? or?

its a perdersoli

 

[hobowonkanobe]

anyone know of a said smith in or around Portland Oregon?

 

[Dphar]

anyone know of a said smith in or around Portland Oregon?

You will find Guild of one of these Guilds not to far from you I am sure. These are the people to ask. There are some very talented makers in both. http://www.thecreswellchronicle.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=9519
Phone numbers at the bottom of the article.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Washington-Historical-Gunmakers-Guild/185598634862455

Dan

 

[hobowonkanobe]

thanks, mate.

 

[Dphar]

thanks, mate.

You will find help in your area.

Now if I could remember to proof read after I rewrite a post it would be even better.

Dan

 

[hobowonkanobe]

I have the same prob, thinking faster than I can type

 

[AwwNaww]

The Gun Works in Springfield may be able to help.

 

[JJasper]

Hobowonkanobe,

You probably already solved your problem by now, but I have an Italian-made 1803 Harper's Ferry (Navy Arms/EuroArms) that I beleive has the same lock geometry that can cause a lot of problems.

The hammer is too close to the frizzen on these rifles so the flint hits it at a 90 degree angle and that ruins a flint very quickly. I effectively reduce the length of my flints by cutting a notch in the back of them with a dremmel tool holding a diamond cutting wheel. The small notch is about 1/4 deep and fits around the jaw tightening screw. It only takes me one or two minutes per flint, and I make up 5 or 6 at a time.

This makes a big difference and I get about 20 shots before I have to knap the flint, and then get another 15 or so. I know this is not great flint life, but I just never have a misfire now.

I also gain a little more angle for the flint by putting a 1/32 thick piece of hard plastic or nylon underneath the very back edge of the flint (under the leather that is), but I doubt that this is really necessary. I think you can still get these "flint-propping wedges" online from a big-name muzzleloader gunsmith, whose name I forget. I have no problems with my flint coming loose, or anything like that.

All of this sounds like a pain, but it doesn't take much time, and everybody needs to own a dremmel tool!

And yes, you will have to harden the frizzen if you haven't already done so

 

[hobowonkanobe]

being once again rather poor, no I hadn't. I HAVE however been in contact with the peole in Springfield and will probably just bring the whole thing down there to have them look at and hopfully work on it.
Sad irony... I just got rid of my dremel 2 months ago "I wasn't using it" talk about famous last words.
That under flint wedge... seems to me it wldnt be too hard to replicate at the bench, yeah?

 

[ol vern]

Message sent

Ol vern

 

[Bob E]

On my Italian 1803 I had a very stiff frizzen motion. I tried removing metal from the spring to lighten the tension. Didnt seem to help so I removed the frizzen and started removing metal from the nub that bears against the spring.That helped. Go slow! The lock had a rough, gravelly feel so I took it apart several times and stoned the surfaces that work against each other and this helped some after several attempts. I like to go slow when removing metal. The biggest suprise I had was when I found the lock plate screw was rubbing the hammer. I corrected that and now the gravel is gone from the lock. Trying the easy cheap fixes first has always been my mantra with mechanical devices. It also seems to apply to shadetree gunsmithing. Cheers! Bob E

 

[JJasper]

These two pictures show how I notch the backs of my flints to work in my ill-designed, Euroarms 1803 Harpers Ferry lock. The white piece of plastic in the one picture is what I described in my above post as a means of making the back of the flint higher so it approaches the frizzen with slightly more angle so it scrapes, instead of bashing the frizzen. Again, I don't think this is as important as notching the back of the flint, and the barrel maker who makes and sells these flint-propping wedges, puts a notch into the back of the wedge as a means of getting it further away from the frizzen. Maybe someone will see this picture and remind us who makes these wedges. Like I said, I never have a missfire now, but most guys would go buy an American-made flintlock and say the heck with all this work. I got this rifle for free in a raffle, so the price was right and it is very accurate.