Phil Coffins
69 Cal.
Hogged out is too rough to start with a complete lock, get the plate in correct then add parts. Try it and you’ll find it faster and more accurate to get a good fit.
Pecatonica swamped barrel tang installation problem
- Thread starter Mina
- Start date
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Thank you. I'll take the lock apart and set the plate against the barrel.
ronaldrothb49
45 Cal.
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My question is any part of the frizzen sticking beyond the lock bolster? You mentioned correcting the lock cant. It sound to me that you have the lock inlet at an angle. The lock inlet should be flat up against the barrel flat.
Frizzen is inline with the bolster and does not extend beyond the bolster. It is the lock plate that is not parallel to the barrel. The barrel is swamped. Oddly, the gap is larger toward the wider part of the barrel by .006. The .009 gauge will not pass under the pan, but a .008 will. Further along the bolster toward the wrist a .015 will not pass under the bolster, but a .014 will. Bolster from one end to the other is dead straight and flat.
Bolster is dead flat. I have not draw filed the barrel, because I was waiting to do that after installing the touch hole liner. I just discovered something. When the cock is at full cock the gap closes a bit. When it is all the way down same thing happens. With it at half cock the thicker part of the cock, the part that prevents the thing going completely into the pan, is striking the stock. It can't be seen, but that spot should have been indicated by a soot mark. For some reason it was not marked.
I think @Phil Coffins has the right idea. Get the plate and bolster squared away and go from there. Adding one part at a time will let you know right away when you have a problem. Too many parts could be interfering causing you to think there is a problem somewhere there may not be. Right now could be the plate/bolster fit, could be tumbler, mainspring, cock who knows.
As of right now the powder pan to barrel gap variations range from breech end towards muzzle: Full cock: .006, Half cock" .006, Cock fully down: .010 inch. A single piece of typing paper is < .003. So there is a good bit to take down. There is a strong indication that the cock, when fully down, is grazing the wrist. I am not taking a split hair more off the wood until I can take apart the lock and go with the stripped plate. I have the screw drivers that fit all the screw heads. Have a mainspring clamp. Ordered a frizzen vise from England, because I do not want to risk shattering that fragile spring using the gosh and by damn method. Also, in order to be able to vise-press the cock back onto the 1/4 inch tumbler part, I have 1) bought a brass bolt to file into a square punch and 2) ordered a little block of Aluminum stock to drill a tumbler clearance hole into, etc.
Good deal you're on the right track. Post your results, we'll get it squared away.
A couple of things, did you put a square on the top flat of the barrel and down the side of the lock plate? It sounds like the bottom of your lock plate may be sticking out a little and is not square with the side flat of the barrel.
To keep from having any stock interference with the cock, I cut the top of the lock mortise behind the cock at a gradual slope in toward the barrel. This is invisible, unlike the big notch some cut for clearance.
Here is a picture of my clearance cut, I do it a little at a time to just get clearance, no more, this keeps it invisible.
To keep from having any stock interference with the cock, I cut the top of the lock mortise behind the cock at a gradual slope in toward the barrel. This is invisible, unlike the big notch some cut for clearance.
Here is a picture of my clearance cut, I do it a little at a time to just get clearance, no more, this keeps it invisible.
I just checked with an adjustable square at the only place on the lock that can be compared to the barrel flat without dismantling the lock. At full cock and half cock the plate and the top barrel flat could be said to be exactly 90 degrees, provided another part is machined 90 degrees to the plate. In neither of those positions is the root of the cock above the plate (the part of the cock above the plate going up over the wrist stock) pinching a piece of paper against the wood. A piece of paper can pass under all parts of the cock and also slide under the bottom of the frizzen, whether open or shut But with the cock fully down and the frizzen open three things happen. A piece of paper can be pinched by the cock root against the stock. The plate to barrel top flat angle becomes slightly >90 degrees. The bottom of the frizzen can pinch a piece of paper against the barrel. With the cock down and the frizzen flat against the pan (top jaw and screw are removed) the frizzen doesn't touch the barrel. A piece of paper can pass along the entire gap tang/breech seam toward muzzle past the pan along the bolster. But the cock root can still pinch the paper against the stock. I also have been scraping wood from the wrist to the point I don't want to go any further until I determine if it is even possible to get the pan/bolster to barrel gap closed completely.
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I took apart the flintlock and have snugged that plate correctly until sometimes a 0.0015 will not pass between that bolster and cup and the barrel. Then the next day I'll check and find it will. Room is a constant 69 Degrees F. And what's with all these screen blocking popups? I can barely see the screen to type.
Is it snug with the lock bolt in and tightened (not much just snug), that is a must. It is best to have the whole lock and internals inletted and in before you drill and tap for the lock bolt or bolts. I am not a fan of the P place lock inletting. I bought a kit that was completely inletted the lock inlet was just a little off.
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You can download Ad Blocker for free, it doesn't get them all but things will be much better. I pay $35 a year for Ad Remover, it gets them all, I hate pop-ups.
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I had to move the plate forward and up a tad. Have not drilled the lock plate hole through the bolster. Just now have penciled the approx position. Also I have not pinned the barrel, but the spots for those pins are marked on both sides the stock. After Monday when appliance/utilities servicemen finish repairs and updates I will, at last, set up to drill with press and hand drill. It is like walking to the end of a high dive and back.
You have the cart ahead of the horse a bit, it is best to have the tang inlet and barrel pinned before you inlet the lock. That way you are adjusting the lock inlet and pan location to a barrel that is in its final position.
Tang is inlet properly. I am looking forward to pinning the barrel this Monday afternoon.
ronaldrothb49
45 Cal.
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I would say that lock inlet is more than a little bit off! That is why I never get the lock inlet on any of the precarves I have used. On the half stock precarved I got from Pecatonica I even told them not to drill the ramrod hole because I wanted to make sure it would be lined up with the thimbles after they were installed on the barrel rib.
Tongue and cheek about the inlet being off a bit.
It took this to fix it.
It took this to fix it.
Amazing. I am so looking forward to getting on with my project that I got out of bed just now in hope that the clock would say "Monday" and not "still Sunday". I am scared to look at the date on this computer. It is past two a.m. Damn popups keep happening here when they never did before. I had to subscribe to Lidel recently in order to see online if the new local one carried frozen ducks. I used some more PC-11 yesterday evening in my mortise. It is waterproof and won't be seen anyway. If I need more filing I'll superglue toothpick fragments or willow slivers.
ronaldrothb49
45 Cal.
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2021
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- Reaction score
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Hats off to a great save but there is no reason why that should ever have even been shipped. No way I would have paid money and then accepted that.
