Kibler lock In Chambers fowler?

[redbeard381]

Hi,

A few questions for the group. How easily can a Kibler round face lock be substituted for a Chambers Round Face or Colonial Virginia lock in the Chambers English Officers Fusil? Are the dimensions similar, or has too much material been removed in the Inlet from the get go for a Kibler lock to work. Also, would Kiblers lock be historically correct for this build?

Here is a bit of background.

I want to build the officers Fusil for field use and upland hunting. I have a Kibler Colonial that I have put probably 1500 rounds through and never had a misfire (when it wasn't due to dull flint). The lock is superb. I know Chambers locks are high quality and the ones I have shot are very quick.

If there aren't substantial dimensions differences, the inlet isn't too big (small is ok, as I can just inlet the larger lock), and it's historically correct; is it worth using a Kibler lock, or will the Chambers locks perform just as well for an actual hunting gun?

Thanks,
Redbeard

 

[wattlebuster]

The Chambers lock has been getting it done several decades before the Kibler came into being. I have round faced english and virginia locks an trust them 100%. I personaly think you would be wasting time changing them

 

[Mgbruch]

You could also end up with issues regarding the location and placement of the lock bolts, trigger, sear arm, and well as other internal parts. Chambers makes an excellent lock. I've used both their early and late Ketland locks. They're well made, and fast. From where I sit, there's no reason to consider it.

 

[French Colonial]

The Chambers lock has been getting it done several decades before the Kibler came into being. I have round faced english and virginia locks an trust them 100%. I personaly think you would be wasting time changing them

I have to agree with wattlebuster, while the Kibler locks are great, so are the Chambers locks.

I do not think you will gain anything replacing the Chambers lock.

 

[EC121]

There's a background story about the two locks, but it is history now.

 

[James Kibler]

Our lock won’t fit easily as it is smaller in some areas, particularly in front of the pan.

With some work, a Chambers lock should serve you well. When using them for the custom guns I made, I would typically spend the better part of a day working them over. After this, they generally worked well.

 

[BJHabermehl]

Hi,

A few questions for the group. How easily can a Kibler round face lock be substituted for a Chambers Round Face or Colonial Virginia lock in the Chambers English Officers Fusil? Are the dimensions similar, or has too much material been removed in the Inlet from the get go for a Kibler lock to work. Also, would Kiblers lock be historically correct for this build?

Here is a bit of background.

I want to build the officers Fusil for field use and upland hunting. I have a Kibler Colonial that I have put probably 1500 rounds through and never had a misfire (when it wasn't due to dull flint). The lock is superb. I know Chambers locks are high quality and the ones I have shot are very quick.

If there aren't substantial dimensions differences, the inlet isn't too big (small is ok, as I can just inlet the larger lock), and it's historically correct; is it worth using a Kibler lock, or will the Chambers locks perform just as well for an actual hunting gun?

Thanks,
Redbeard

I doubt you would have any problems with the Chambers lock. I have one on my primary deer hunting rifle. I’ve had zero problems, that weren’t operator error related. Having handled and used both locks all I can say is they are excellent as far as my relatively small number of samples show. I wouldn’t hesitate to use either one. BJH

 

[Banjoman]

They’re both top of the line. Why create unnecessary work?

 

[dave_person]

Here is a Chamber's round faced English lock that fired 671 times without a misfire using just 10 flints and requiring only that the vent was picked every 15 shots or so and the flints and battery wiped clean of fouling. Can you show me a lock with better performance?

dave

 

[redbeard381]

Here is a Chamber's round faced English lock that fired 671 times without a misfire using just 10 flints and requiring only that the vent was picked every 15 shots or so and the flints and battery wiped clean of fouling. Can you show me a lock with better performance?

dave

I have had similar performance from my Round Faced Kibler. Having no serious experience with Chambers, I was just going to stick to what I know.

Seems both are top of the line and it will be more work to incorporate a non-Chambers lock.

Does anyone have a preference for round faced vs Virginia?

This is great advice from everyone. Thanks.

 

[dave_person]

Hi Redbeard,
I prefer the English lock over the Virginia. It has a nice decorative border like the Kibler and it has a raised lip on the pan that seats inside a mortise cut into the pan cover.

dave

 

[Flint1]

I am no lock expert and am not sure, but I think the decoration on the English is the only difference from the Virginia. I ordered from Narrangansett Armes their Early Virginia rifle in the very early 2000's. It has the Chambers round faced Virginia lock and has never given any problems.

 

[deerstalkert]

Here is a Chamber's round faced English lock that fired 671 times without a misfire using just 10 flints and requiring only that the vent was picked every 15 shots or so and the flints and battery wiped clean of fouling. Can you show me a lock with better performance?

dave

I have a Kibler round face Colonial Dave that i will start tomorrow attempting to match or exceed your achievement.
will check back in a few years. May be via Heaven Express but will try!
OH wait! i am starting a new build! maybe i will talk the bride into the task. she is younger.

 

[hanshi]

A Colonial Virginia lock sits on my 20 ga smoothbore and I'm always worried it will catch my shirt on fire. It's a Chambers lock and about as good as one can get. But, I don't think it offers anything over the Kibler lock and changing them would just be a hassel.

 

[LongWalker]

Here is a Chamber's round faced English lock that fired 671 times without a misfire using just 10 flints and requiring only that the vent was picked every 15 shots or so and the flints and battery wiped clean of fouling. Can you show me a lock with better performance?

I'm not sure it is reasonable to seek "better" performance than that, but something close to that should probably be the standard for a "good" lock.

Not directly comparable because I load and track data differently (most of the time I only kept notes for the first 500 shots). With those qualifiers, a Ketland from Bob Roller went 500 shots with no misfires, and a Hollenbaugh-made Ditchburn lock went 500 shots with 3 misfires (including one flash in the pan). Those locks have always "set the standard" for me.

The lock on the Kibler Colonial I got last year went 500 shots with one misfire; first flash in the pan came at shot #3433. (I was shooting in high winds, and a 70 mph gust took the priming out of the pan--it still ignited, just didn't fire the main charge).

I haven't used Chambers' round faced English lock, but got 4 misfires in 500 shots with his Delux Siler, and 6 misfires (including 2 flashes in the pan) with his late Ketland.

I keep hoping Feltwad will chime in on one of these lock performance threads; he has far more experience than most of us shooting guns with better-grade English locks. Shooting an original Ketland-marked SxS shotgun I got 6 misfires in 500 shots with the right lock, and 8 misfires in 500 shots with the right.

 

[pilot]

In my limited experience with flintlocks, I have found the cause of all my misfires have been solely mine and not the lock.

 

[sportster73hp]

I have an older Kibler Colonial. It came with a chambers lock or so I have been told. Never a problem and Jim picked it.