Pedersoli Dixie Penn issues

[chazz1975]

Howdy experts,

I am having an issue with a Dixie Pennsylvania made by Pedersoli (old style lock, bought it used). The hammer/cock oftentimes does not lock back in either full or half cock, and when it does, any slight touch to the hammer will make it fall forward. I thought maybe the sear was broken, and replaced it, but still am having the same issue. Any help/ideas?

 

[gwalker]

If the full and half cock notches on the tumbler are not broken or worn, you should check to see if the stock's wood inletting is interfering with the sear's full engagement of the full/half cock notches. Another place to check is whether the trigger is not allowing the sear to fully engage. When at full or half cock, there should be a small amount of play in the trigger.

 

[BEP]

How does the lock act when out of the rifle? If the problems disappear, see George's post above.

 

[EC121]

Lots of things can cause it, but a dragging sear bar would be the first place I would look. That is assuming the lock isn't broke. Does it work off the gun? Hold the lock in a candle flame to smoke the internal parts and carefully put it in the lock mortise. Then stroke the hammer a couple of times. Carefully remove the lock and look to see where the soot rubbed on the wood. Remove the black with a chisel and repeat until the lock works. Step two is to check the trigger bar for a little clearance with the sear bar. It could be holding the sear bar up a bit.

 

[Grenadier1758]

The first check is to see if the lock functions when removed from the gun. The nose of the sear should engage fully in the notches in the tumbler. If these are good then its time to take a look at the triggers.

The simple test is to back off the set trigger screw. If the set trigger screw is holding the trigger bar too high, this could be causing the sear to fail to properly engage in the full cock notch.

If the trigger plate has been drawn too deeply into the trigger mortise, this can raise the trigger bar high enough that the sear can't engage in the full cock notch. The solution for that is to put a shim between the trigger plate and the stock.

So, does the lock function when removed from the gun?

 

[Alden]

Yeah... First, you might try giving the lock nails a half and then a whole turn loose, seeing if the lock functions properly after those changes. If so, it's the inletting (or you just overtightening).

 

[chazz1975]

The lock does not function properly outside the stock. I pull the hammer back, and I have to manually push the sear to engage the full cock notch. If I don't manually push the sear into position, then the hammer falls immediately without catching. I have tried with both the old and the new sear that I replaced and the same results with both.

 

[Zonie]

How tight is the screw that holds the sear in place?

It should be "just snug". If it is tighter than that, it will keep the sear from moving freely like it must in order to do its job.

I suggest that you unscrew the sear pivot screw (the one that goes thru the hole in the sear) at least two turns and try it.

If it now moves freely, try cocking the lock.
If the sear fully engages the notches in the tumbler, tighten the screw just snug and try cocking the lock again.

If the lock now works and you install it back into the stock and suddenly, it stops working like it should, your trigger plate is sitting too deeply in the mortise. Put a few paper/cardboard shims under the plate to move it away from the locks sear arm.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Now we have to figure out why the sear is not rotating into position when the lock is cocked.

How free can the sear rotate on the bolt that holds it into place? Is the bridle that covers the tumbler and sometimes the sear binding on the sear?

When you took out the sear to replace it, was there a sear spring? The sear spring is a small V spring that puts a small amount of pressure on the sear to rotate the sear so that the nose of the sear engages the notch on the tumbler. The sear spring should be captured on a small bolt above the bolt that the sear rotates on. That spring needs to rest on the sear.

Page 42 of the Pedersoli Muzzleloading Guns Manual shows the sear spring. Pedersoli Muzzleloading Rifle Manual

 

[Grenadier1758]

I also think that it is likely that the sear spring is out of position.

 

[chazz1975]

This is really turning into a compound problem. I put the lock back together with the original sear, discovered that there was a washer in it that was not in the lock diagram. Upon REALLY close inspection, the sear screw seems to be a bit long. Placed the washer over the top of the bridle and sear, and it seems to be working, albeit "gritty". Placed the lock back into the gun, and still having issues with the lock not working correctly, the hammer/cock will not stay back without a lot of fidgeting with the trigger screws, and still really iffy. I tried backing the lock bolts back out between 1/4-turn to 1&1/2 turns, hammer still drops at random. also feels really hard to pull the hammer back now. Stock need to be inletted more around the bridle/sear?

 

[Zonie]

Usually, factory made guns like the Pedersoli have ample clearance for the sear arm and moving lock parts.

I have come across a Pedersoli that did have its trigger assembly inletted too deeply and it would not hold a full cock unless the rear set trigger was first set.

I modified the rear trigger blade to lower it and that fixed the problem.
Adding shims under the set trigger as was suggested above in more than a few posts would also have fixed it.

 

[Mike Boettcher]

Charley: I don't own a flintlock so I've never had a flintlock trigger apart. My T/C Hawken had a similar problem though. The hammer would not stay in the cocked position. All I had to do was adjust (loosen) the leaf spring tension.

To be honest don't even know if the locks work the same. Here's a link to the problem I had. necchi had the knowledge to help me.
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/296755/fromsearch/1/tp/1/

 

[EC121]

If it is a two screw bridle, it could be too tight and clamp the sear and tumbler. I guess it would even be possible to bend a three screw bridle wit the sear screw. On occasion I have ground clearance in the bridle to let the screw threads bottom out before the screw head hits the bridle.