L & R Locks

[Ft. Jefferson]

A couple of years back, i won a $20 bet that no flintlock will go off 100 times in a row! My 45cal SMR wears a L&R Manton lock and the gun went off 126 times in a row before he finally paid up. I have no idea how many shots before or after the challenge went uncounted. I do know that it was toward the end of the 3rd english flint that he called it off, and the lock was made in 1991. Both the load and the prime were 3fg GOEX.

 

[Pete G]

My vote goes in the OK column.

I've had a couple of L&Rs and they both required some work to function well. Having said that, any commercially produced lock needs a little work. L&R does produce some lock styles that others don't so I wouldn't hesitate to use one if the style fits what you need.

 

[Mickc01]

Like Pete, my vote also goes into the OK column. But I do have a question....

As I recently wrote in another thread, about a rifle by Sitting Fox that has a lefthand L&R round-face lock. The thing will absolutely NOT spark. Does this sound like something L&R would fix for me (hopefully without charging) or should I just go to someone who hardens frizzens? And does anyone have any suggestions of who could handle this for me?

I should have gotten this fixed as soon as i received the rifle but out of disappointment I just hung it on the wall and left it.

 

[F.G. Ford]

SEND it to L & R and they will fix it. And you will never look back.
Best $15 you will ever spend, out side of a marriage license.
Fred

 

[nkbj]

Went and looked at their website as will soon be needing to select a petite lefty lock for a small bore build. They got nice bunch of lefties!

 

[54ball]

Lefties are their thing, I think that L&R is main reason Chambers and others offer very few lefthand locks. The muzzleloading manufacturing community is pretty close knit, a large amount of left handed Chambers/Davis/ect./ect. locks would really hurt L&R.

 

[George91946]

I've installed 7 L&R locks on various guns that I've built, and have had variable results.

First locks were the Queen Anne's that I installed in trade guns. Two locks never sparked reliably, due to weak mainspring (as has been noted in previous posts). Sent them back, but got only marginal improvement. Finally, last year, I noted that the mainsprings that are now being sold by L&R were more robust than the earlier models. I installed them and the sparking improved considerably, but I still have real problems-even with new musket locks with the cock loosening on the tumbler and stripping out the cock screw. Have had an unexplained breakage of frizzen screws too. This is happening on the newest locks that I've purchased. So their problems with musket locks aren't all the way solved.


Now I've also installed 2 pistol locks and those are perfect. Work every time -Plenty of spark, and robust screws. Great products.

Lisle George

 

[MSW]

well, for whatever it may be worth, I have a sample set of one, and it's my Durs Egg, which is a very nice lock and as fast as I can tell.

never had any problems with reliability.

your mileage may vary. professional driver on a closed course. do not try this in your own home. keep away from small children and pets. do not use this device in your bathtub. contains small parts- may present a choking hazard...

 

[Rifleman1776]

That is a valuable piece of experience. Compared to guys like me having had only one or two of their locks.
But, even one bad experience can sour a person. Like me with Davis and my Jaeger lock. :cursing:

 

[George91946]

One of the things that I've been doing with the musket locks is to take the lock apart, and harden the lock plate and then put it back together. If you don't do that, the tumbler hole will wear really fast and you will have to rebore and insert a bushing around the tumbler base.

Lisle George

 

[Spikebuck]

Like me with Davis and my Jaeger lock. :cursing:

And my Davis Jaeger lock sparks like a firestorm! I guess they can all have good and bad ones get out!

 

[Rifleman1776]

Like me with Davis and my Jaeger lock. :cursing:

And my Davis Jaeger lock sparks like a firestorm! I guess they can all have good and bad ones get out!

I think my incessant complaining and five exchanges prompted changes. They redesigned the cock/hammer. But charged me for a replacement. :cursing: :cursing: They now need an attitude redesign.

 

[Birddog6]

I can tell you that I have used 7 L&R locks, 9 Davis locks & over 75 Chambers locks.

My first choice is always a Chambers lock without any question.

Keith Lisle

 

[Dphar]

If Chambers makes a lock that is correct for the project they are the best in my experience.

I really like L&R 1700 (Bailes or Manton whatever) for pistols of 1785-1840.
However, over the years they have changed things and I figure on at least SOME rework. But its such a wonderful design I keep using them.

Dan

 

[Birddog6]

I Chambers don't make a lock for the rifle, I just change rifles ! :idunno: :rotf: :rotf:

Keith Lisle

 

[Mickc01]

Thanks for the advice Fred. :hatsoff:

 

[Mickc01]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[phoenix511]

Yep, best switch I've made. (RPL for Lyman percussion lock.)

The Lyman uses coil springs, the RPL uses flat springs that are much faster. The RPL lock plate fit OK in the orignal Lyman lock recess, but the RPL lock internals needed some wood removal from the lock recess, mostly to fit the flat mainspring. Lamp black on the assembled lock will tell you where to remove wood.

FWIW, the RPL lock has about 1/2 the hammer throw distance as the Lyman. My intuition tells me this reduces lock time and may help accuracy.

 

[hankfannin]

I now have two L&R locks and both are nothing but trouble. Very, very weak spark on both and out of the box neither would even throw the frizzen open. I've had to completely disassemble,file casting spru off, polish every single piece and IMHO the geometry is wrong on these locks. Even after all that I have never, and I mean never gotten more than 4 shots without having to knap the flint. I've tried English Blacks, French Ambers, even some I knapped myself, bevel up, bevel down - doesn't matter. The Frizzen face on both has gouges indicating it's too soft. Yes, I could probably send it back and have it fixed for 15 bucks - but why? They advertise these as finely tuned, top of the line locks and that's what I thought I was paying for. Not even close!!!

Greyhawk.

 

[hanshi]

Just me, but I wouldn't suffer with a faulty lock and wouldn't hesitate to spend $15 to fix it.