Lock malfunctioning.

[Gooddaytoya!]

Lock.

Rifle.

I would look back at the mortice as I suspect something is binding. Coat the backside of the lock (internal to the mortice) with lipstick and place the lock back in. Work the **** a few times then pull the lock and look for the lipstick transfer marks. Do not remove any wood that is securing the outside of the lock in the mortice regarding seating depth. Also check if the sear arm is making contact with the trigger. This should not happen until trigger is pulled.
Regarding oil. Use simple gun oil but wipe excess back off.
Walk

You know what gun you have, but we don't, as you don't mention it.

OK, more recently you let us know it is a percussion lock. That's a good start, but what gun is it?

To even identify what the cause of the problem is, one has to do things in an orderly fashion. I do it in this order:

1. Take the lock out of the gun and see if it is in working order. If not, then you are going to have to disassemble it to identify what is wrong and what you must fix. Here are a couple of links that will help on disassembly.

The Siler Lock assembly, at Muzzleloader Builder's Supply (muzzleloaderbuilderssupply.com)

This link shows a brass drift that has been filed to fit the square of the tumbler, so you can use it to remove the tumbler from the hammer.
Tips & Tools with Fred Stutzenberger – Part 12 : Black Powder 411

BTW, one of many things that could cause the problem with your gun is that the fly, that is supposed to go in the tumbler, was lost by someone and they put the lock back together without it. Here is a picture of a tumbler WITH a fly in it and the blue arrow is pointing to the fly. (This is a left hand lock, so the tumbler will probably look backwards compared to the one in your gun.)
View attachment 95387




2. Now, if the lock works correctly outside the gun, then you know either the lock parts and particularly the sear tail/lever could be binding on the stock or other problems. Coat the tail of the sear with lipstick, reinstall it and cycle it a few times. Look inside the lock mortise of the stock and see if it rubs lipstick onto the wood. If so, you have to clear/cut away a little wood where it rubs until it no longer rubs.

3. Since the gun has set triggers, the set triggers could have been inletted too close to the lock and thereby not giving the Sear enough room to operated correctly.

Gus

This is the best I can do so far with my cell phones camera set on macro. When I attach this file, it appears as a thumbnail, but when I tap on the thumbnail it pops up to a full size picture and I can read the inscriptions on the breech plug. What I wonder is whether these inscriptions help identify this rifle.

Let's try it:

 

[necchi]

Your photo's really help, ! I've never seen that mark, But,,
You have a custom and/or modified gun there.
The lock was a bit of a mystery until I saw that modern nipple adapter. It looks like a Pedersoli 209 conversion nipple;
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/davide-pedersoli-209-primer-nipple-conversion-kit..
And the lock is an L&R John Bailes London that has had the hammer cut to better suit the nipple conversion;
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/775/1/LOCK-LR-1600It's difficult to see in the lock photo, but it appears the trigger sear is damaged, a horizontal photo of the lock in macro would help us see better.
Parts are available for that lock, Rusty's should be able to help you.

 

[Gooddaytoya!]

You know what gun you have, but we don't, as you don't mention it.

OK, more recently you let us know it is a percussion lock. That's a good start, but what gun is it?

To even identify what the cause of the problem is, one has to do things in an orderly fashion. I do it in this order:

1. Take the lock out of the gun and see if it is in working order. If not, then you are going to have to disassemble it to identify what is wrong and what you must fix. Here are a couple of links that will help on disassembly.

The Siler Lock assembly, at Muzzleloader Builder's Supply (muzzleloaderbuilderssupply.com)

This link shows a brass drift that has been filed to fit the square of the tumbler, so you can use it to remove the tumbler from the hammer.
Tips & Tools with Fred Stutzenberger – Part 12 : Black Powder 411

BTW, one of many things that could cause the problem with your gun is that the fly, that is supposed to go in the tumbler, was lost by someone and they put the lock back together without it. Here is a picture of a tumbler WITH a fly in it and the blue arrow is pointing to the fly. (This is a left hand lock, so the tumbler will probably look backwards compared to the one in your gun.)
View attachment 95387




Gus

Your photo's really help, ! I've never seen that mark, But,,
You have a custom and/or modified gun there.
The lock was a bit of a mystery until I saw that modern nipple adapter. It looks like a Pedersoli 209 conversion nipple;
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/davide-pedersoli-209-primer-nipple-conversion-kit..
And the lock is an L&R John Bailes London that has had the hammer cut to better suit the nipple conversion;
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/775/1/LOCK-LR-1600It's difficult to see in the lock photo, but it appears the trigger sear is damaged, a horizontal photo of the lock in macro would help us see better.
Parts are available for that lock, Rusty's should be able to help you.

Yes, I I put that nipple conversion on there to get a hotter spark. I have some tools, and it made sense to me to grind off the cup to make the hammer more fitting for the primer adapter. 209 Primers fire really hot. Had to do that because the rifle occasionally misfired. Whenever that happened I was definitely afraid of the rifle in that state, and would set it down safely and leave it for 10 minutes. Then I would take the nipple off, and using two f powder that I had ground very finely, would pour some into the cavity under the nipple threads. The next cap l always fired the rifle. But, though not an authentic part of anhistoric rifle, I didn't care because I'm all for function and not much for form.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I too do not recognize nice the maker. I agree with @necchi's comments. It's a built from parts if not a custom rifle, probably made in 2007.

The occurrence of failure to fire should be solvable by reviewing the loading procedure. Are you wiping between shots? You could be pushing fouling down into the flash channel of the drum. You are following the best practice to clear a misfire after a failure to fire. Is there a slight hangfire when you clear the FTF (failure to fire)? That's a like symptom when the flash channel is blocked by fouling.

@Gooddaytoya!; Keep posting pictures.

 

[necchi]

Yes, I I put that nipple conversion on there,,

I have some tools, and it made sense to me to grind off the cup to make the hammer more fitting for the primer adapter.

Ok, that makes sense and is all well and good.
Previous mention of your modifications to the rifle could have helped us understand your current situation a little better, but that's hind sight.
Without re-reading all of the past posts to your topic, have you told us where/when/how you got the rifle?
Can you tell us how you did the "hammer" modification? (tools used?) Did you disassemble the lock or remove the hammer for that fix?

 

[Gooddaytoya!]

LOL I used a 4-in grinder. But I'm pretty good with that my tools and I knew what I wanted as a final shape. I took the hammer off and used a vice to hold it. It looks like it was factory made for its new purpose.

 

[Gooddaytoya!]

*Well good news!* The problem with the lock is solved. I took the trigger assembly out and reinserted it several times as I was learning how the triggers operated the lock, and then accidentally discovered to my great surprise that I could **** the set trigger and lo and behold the main trigger fired normally with a light touch just how I like it. Repeatedly. It seems like the lock problem is fixed. What I'm going to do now is use a very sharp half inch chisel and shave a tiny bit off of the sides of the mortise that accepts the trigger assembly. My assumption is that the trigger assembly is slightly canted in it's mortise, making what I assume are the Sears on the triggers unable to engage the lock properly. It looks like this was the problem all along!! Raise a pint to my success with this, and another to yourselves for patiently tracking this topic with all your suggestions. I do appreciate it guys.

 

[necchi]

My assumption is that the trigger assembly is slightly canted in it's mortise, making what I assume are the Sears on the triggers unable to engage the lock properly. It looks like this was the problem all along!!

previous post,

It's not the lock,
Or the trigger,
As has already been explained to you,, it is the position of the trigger mechanism in the rifle stock as it relates to it's function to actuate the lock mechanism that is causing your problem.

 

[Gooddaytoya!]

previous post,

Isn't that what I said? : -- (