Make a left\right hand interchangeable?

[ChuckJonesWagon]

Sometimes I have too much time to think.

Last year I built a "youth size" flintlock rifle. Lock is a RH L&R Manton lock. This non-historically correct rifle was built for small frame individuals and it shoots and handles just fine.

It's a mix of different HC styles so doing anything else to it won't make it less HC that it now is.

So, I have at least 2 grandkids that are left handed. To young yet to shoot but I'm thinking ahead. So.....here's the "what if"....What if I picked up a LH L&R Manton lock, and inlet the left side of the rifle to accept the lock, while making a side plate that would interchange from left to right. As for the barrel flash hole, I could simply place a closed up (silver soldered closed) flash hole insert on the side opposite whatever lock I'm using at the time. Either that or get another barrel exclusively for a LH setup.

Yeah, I know, you can tell me to knock it off.

 

[Sam squanch]

Might work, but do you really want your grandkids shooting a rifle that may malfunction? I’d play it safe and just get another identical replacement barrel for the left hand conversion. I did see one pistol with ONE barrel but with a flintlock on BOTH sides of the stock! I was told it was for in case of a misfire, hopefully the other lock would work!

 

[ChuckJonesWagon]

Might work, but do you really want your grandkids shooting a rifle that may malfunction? I’d play it safe and just get another identical replacement barrel for the left hand conversion. I did see one pistol with ONE barrel but with a flintlock on BOTH sides of the stock! I was told it was for in case of a misfire, hopefully the other lock would work!

Good suggestion. Knowing me if I get another barrel and a left had lock…..I justify another rifle by saying…..well, I have most of the cost in the project now!

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

I once saw a 45-cal flint longrifle with a lock on each side. A small ‘T’ was welded across the trigger bar, so each sear lever arm was shortened and didn’t interfere with the other side lock.

It was actually pretty interesting and really well executed! Alas that was many years ago & I had no cell phone to snap pictures …

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Sometimes I have too much time to think.

Last year I built a "youth size" flintlock rifle. Lock is a RH L&R Manton lock. This non-historically correct rifle was built for small frame individuals and it shoots and handles just fine.

It's a mix of different HC styles so doing anything else to it won't make it less HC that it now is.

So, I have at least 2 grandkids that are left handed. To young yet to shoot but I'm thinking ahead. So.....here's the "what if"....What if I picked up a LH L&R Manton lock, and inlet the left side of the rifle to accept the lock, while making a side plate that would interchange from left to right. As for the barrel flash hole, I could simply place a closed up (silver soldered closed) flash hole insert on the side opposite whatever lock I'm using at the time. Either that or get another barrel exclusively for a LH setup.

Yeah, I know, you can tell me to knock it off.

I bought a vintage CVA SxS caplock shotgun kit WITH a matching pair of SxS .50 caliber barrel assembly, to make for my Brother. He's a lefty, but all three of his sons are righties..., so this going to be for them to share or inherit when my brother passes. I also got him a Lee REAL mold in .50 so he won't have any qualms about going for Elk where he lives in New Mexico

LD

 

[ChuckJonesWagon]

I once saw a 45-cal flint longrifle with a lock on each side. A small ‘T’ was welded across the trigger bar, so each sear lever arm was shortened and didn’t interfere with the other side lock.

It was actually pretty interesting and really well executed! Alas that was many years ago & I had no cell phone to snap pictures …

Neat. My thoughts were to only have one lock mounted at a time. The opposite side plate would simply swap from one side to the other so no issue with trigger bar interference.

The rifle I built is a 45 caliber for the lower recoil to no recoil with mild loads.

In thinking about the flash hole I would simply have a plug threaded into the side that the side plate would be. Many flintlock flash hole liners have been repaired using a "drill a big hole, thread it, insert a plug, drill and tap new liner in the plug." Sort of the same thinking but the plug would be solid and thread to the barrel channel.

 

[Pete G]

I think you should just build a new left side gun.

 

[Grimord]

I built a .22 BP rifle from an old Marlin bolt action .22. It has a right hand percussion lock but a am bi-dextrous stock with cheek pieces on both side to accommodate left handed shooters. We use the gun in our Black Powder training for the youth of our club.

 

[Kansas Jake]

A few years back I ran across an old half stock muzzleloader at a pawn shop. It appeared to be 38-40 caliber. It had a cheek piece on both sides of the stock. I thought they wanted too much but maybe should have bought it.

 

[Phil Coffins]

One gun to do many things would be a gun that doesn’t do one thing well. Two rifles seems a better solution.

 

[Flintandsteel]

Yep, or just let them shoot those rifles left handed. Thousands of others have done so.
If they love it, you can talk grandma in to letting you build a left handed version for each.

 

[Gtrubicon]

Sometimes I have too much time to think.

Last year I built a "youth size" flintlock rifle. Lock is a RH L&R Manton lock. This non-historically correct rifle was built for small frame individuals and it shoots and handles just fine.

It's a mix of different HC styles so doing anything else to it won't make it less HC that it now is.

So, I have at least 2 grandkids that are left handed. To young yet to shoot but I'm thinking ahead. So.....here's the "what if"....What if I picked up a LH L&R Manton lock, and inlet the left side of the rifle to accept the lock, while making a side plate that would interchange from left to right. As for the barrel flash hole, I could simply place a closed up (silver soldered closed) flash hole insert on the side opposite whatever lock I'm using at the time. Either that or get another barrel exclusively for a LH setup.

Yeah, I know, you can tell me to knock it off.

That is a beautiful rifle! I wouldn’t make it ambidextrous. I would build the exact rifle in a left hand configuration.

 

[Mulemauler]

Years ago I remember a competitor who had a rifle with flint lock on the right side and a percussion lock on the left. I don't recall him ever plugging the flash hole when shooting the percussion lock and he won many matches with the arrangement.

 

[Mgbruch]

Inletting for two locks, with mainsprings, and a sear hole that must go all the way through, will leave a stock quite weak in what is already the weakest part of the stock.

Possible, if someone really put their mind to it. But not practical at all... or safe, to my thinking.

Wait for a good idea.

 

[Century to late]

Underhammer!

 

[ChuckJonesWagon]

Underhammer!

Now THATS a great idea!! Where were you last summer!!

 

[beardedhorse]

They even had flintlock under cock (instead of hammer) guns. If I had left and right hand locks on same rifle would use set screw to block touch hole liner on side not being shot. How about lft and rt hand side slapper or mule ear locks?

 

[ChuckJonesWagon]

Inletting for two locks, with mainsprings, and a sear hole that must go all the way through, will leave a stock quite weak in what is already the weakest part of the stock.

Possible, if someone really put their mind to it. But not practical at all... or safe, to my thinking.

Wait for a good idea.

Yeah. I thought of this as well. The rifle is a 45 cal so recoil would be minimal.

My random thoughts went to “embed a strip of steel from the breech plug rear to just in front of the lock.”