Lock identification

[PADart45]

This is on a old Italian made Dart 45 cal it was a kit gun I believe. Just wondering if there would be a lock I could replace it with eventually?

 

[TreeMan]

What is wrong with the lock? With a good frizzen and a sharp flint on your lock there isn’t a whole lot to gain with a replacement lock if the one you currently have can be tweaked or improved. Is the touch hole/pan alignment good with your current lock? Does the frizzen throw good sparks with a sharp flint? Does it beat the crap out of your flints?

 

[PADart45]

What is wrong with the lock? With a good frizzen and a sharp flint on your lock there isn’t a whole lot to gain with a replacement lock if the one you currently have can be tweaked or improved. Is the touch hole/pan alignment good with your current lock? Does the frizzen throw good sparks with a sharp flint? Does it beat the crap out of your flints?

I’d like to see if I can get a little larger pan the current one has a really small cut out for the powder. And I’m thinking that’s what might be causing misfires.

 

[TreeMan]

I’d like to see if I can get a little larger pan the current one has a really small cut out for the powder. And I’m thinking that’s what might be causing misfires.

Drill your touch hole out with a 1/16 drill bit. I’ve also used a dremel to widen the pan on certain locks. It doesn’t take much powder so the pan probably isn’t the issue. I’ve had really good luck replacing touch hole liners with RMC OXyoke liners. Has made a world of difference in a few of my flintlocks.

 

[TreeMan]

You can look at the L&R replacement locks if that doesn’t work. It’s not an easy job replacing the lock with one of these if it will even come close to fitting your rifle. It requires a lot of wood removal, inletting, and getting the pan lined up right.

 

[hawkeye2]

There's plenty of meat there to increase the size of your pan and that's one of the few places a Dremel is recommended. TreeMan has given you excellent advise in his 3 posts above.

Are you getting good sparks? Try the flint in different positions and possibly the frizzen is soft or worn through the surface hardening. If there are other problems with the lock they should be repairable with a good tune-up.

 

[TreeMan]

One thing I forgot to ask. Are you using real black powder? That is a must in a flintlock.

 

[simonbeans]

Maybe an issue, already mentioned above, is the pan on this lock. The purpose of the pan is to hold the priming powder that is ignited by the sparks generated by flint striking the hardened frizzen. The larger the surface area of the powder, the greater is the probability it will catch a spark and be ignited. An observation of original pans has shown some interesting shapes:

(From Dixie Catalog, 1970s)

It appears a good relationship is a wide, shallow pan with a touch hole at the top of the pan. Kibler realized this when he made his lock for his Colonial Rifle:

So the first thing I would do is open up that pan to the largest area possible to provide the greatest surface area for the priming (and I am a 4fg fan, too.)

 

[PADart45]

One thing I forgot to ask. Are you using real black powder? That is a must in a flintlock.

Yes I am using 4f black powder. The frisen is getting spark but it’s just not throwing it into that little pan

 

[PADart45]

Drill your touch hole out with a 1/16 drill bit. I’ve also used a dremel to widen the pan on certain locks. It doesn’t take much powder so the pan probably isn’t the issue. I’ve had really good luck replacing touch hole liners with RMC OXyoke liners. Has made a world of difference in a few of my flintlocks.

We did drill out the touch hole some. My barrel doesn’t have a removable touch hole though

 

[PADart45]

Thanks guys I’ll try dremeling that pan out some

 

[Dibbuk]

Turn the flint upside down, and see if the sparks hit the pan better.

 

[toot]

I would remove that BURR off of the tang screw before it BITES YOU.

 

[Grenadier1758]

That burr should go, but this one of the very few cases I can see to justify the use of a Dremel Tool to enlarge that pan.

 

[PADart45]

What burr?

I would remove that BURR off of the tang screw before it BITES YOU.

 

[cositrike]

What burr?

The one on the tang screw

 

[simonbeans]

If that lock was mine, this is how I would grind out the pan:

Just be sure the frizzen covers the entire pan when done. Polishing the pan after opening it would also be a good idea.

 

[PADart45]

The one on the tang screw

Oh alright I see it now i was confused. thought we were still talking about the lock

 

[PADart45]

If that lock was mine, this is how I would grind out the pan:

Just be sure the frizzen covers the entire pan when done. Polishing the pan after opening it would also be a good idea.

Frizzen fits the pan tight so what you outlined there would work great

 

[PADart45]

Should I take the frizzen off before doing the pan?