WANTED original Springfield lock parts

[TNBandit]

Need a bridle and a mainspring for a Springfield lock. 1861-1890 should all be the same. Also possibly a good barrel for a Civil War era Springfield. 1861 or 1863 type.

 

[Zonie]

Dixie Gun Works web site says they have a TP0701 mainspring for $15. The old catalog says it "requires fitting".

https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index/page/search?FullText=TP0701

They also have a DP0742 Bridle that also might require some fitting.

https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index/page/search?FullText=DP0742

Of course, there's always a chance that one of our members might have an old lock with parts they are willing to sell.

 

[TNBandit]

Dixie Gun Works web site says they have a TP0701 mainspring for $15. The old catalog says it "requires fitting".

https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index/page/search?FullText=TP0701

They also have a DP0742 Bridle that also might require some fitting.

https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index/page/search?FullText=DP0742

Of course, there's always a chance that one of our members might have an old lock with parts they are willing to sell.

Yes sir, that's what I was hoping for was that someone might have some good used original parts. The Dixie stuff is hit or miss from what I've read. Not sure who it's made by but I've read reviews that the mainsprings aren't reliable.

 

[Zonie]

If I was going to buy a mainspring, I would want to make sure it had been tempered to a spring steel hardness.
To do this I would heat up my bullet casting pot with some lead in it to about 750 to 800 degrees F.
Then, I would put the spring into the molten lead and hold it down with something like a screwdriver so it wouldn't float.
After about 15 minutes to maybe 1/2 hour I would remove the spring and let it air cool and consider it good.

If I didn't have a lead pot, I would use a propane torch and try to heat the spring up until the blue color disappeared and then try to hold it at this temperature for at least 5 minutes. (Steel surfaces changes color as it's heated going from a pale yellow to brown to purple to blue to gray).
After this time period had passed, I would let it air cool to room temperature.

Even if the spring had been properly tempered, this "double tempering" won't damage it a bit as long as it doesn't get above 1000 degrees F. 1000 degrees is getting up into the annealing temperature range for a simple carbon steel.

 

[Artificer]

Need a bridle and a mainspring for a Springfield lock. 1861-1890 should all be the same. Also possibly a good barrel for a Civil War era Springfield. 1861 or 1863 type.

TN,

I did trigger jobs and other gunsmithing on original and repro Springfields for well over half of the North South Skirmish Association National Matches from 1974 to 2005 when the Marine Corps did not have me in other parts of the country or the world. I can't begin to count the number of original and reproduction parts I bought, sold and used.

I cannot stress this enough, if you want parts to make an original lock into shooting shape, then buy original parts or at least reproduction parts made by folks like Richard Cross, whose parts were made to original specs. If all you want is an operating wall hanger, then the Dixie reproduction parts can be fitted and will operate the locks, but not as well as original or repro parts made to spec.

Some of the guys I bought original parts from over the years have now passed beyond the great divide. Of those remaining, I recommend Lodgewood Manufacturing first and followed by S&S Firearms.

Lodgewood, the parts you want are all on one page of their online catalogue:
http://www.lodgewood.com/M1861-Springfield-and-Contracts_c_29-2.html

S&S parts you want are a little more spread out. Bridles are listed here:
http://www.ssfirearms.com/products.asp?cat=87&pg=2

Mainsprings Original and Repro in the next two links:
http://www.ssfirearms.com/proddetail.asp?prod=58S171
and
http://www.ssfirearms.com/proddetail.asp?prod=58S172

Gus

 

[Artificer]

P.S. The problem with Dixie's "takes some work to fit parts" is also that one had best really know something about locksmithing, as the amount of fitting can be severe or highly involved.

For example, about 10 years ago, I needed a mainspring for an original Waters and Johnson single shot Flintlock "Horse" Pistol. Since parts were so scarce for those models, I didn't want to pay around $100.00 or more for an original mainspring on the restoration of the pistol, as it was for the widow of the owner who never got it finished after 20 plus years of working on the reconversion. She just wanted to see it completed and then it was going to be displayed in a shadow box. So I bought the one from Dixie.

I BARELY was able to get it fitted, as those guns were not made on the Interchangeable Parts system of manufacture. However, it was only about half the strength of an original part. It didn't matter on that pistol, but I would not use that part on a serious collector quality repair.

Gus

 

[TNBandit]

Thanks guys and yep I'm pretty well set on finding original parts.