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Percussion Lock Assembly and Disassembly
- Thread starter crockett
- Start date
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Guest
What kinda lock? Original V type mainspring, or coil mainspring? The lyman,cabelas,investarms, and t/c have a coil spring.
With fly detent or not? Does your rifle have double set triggers? with just a bit more info we can help ya :winking:
With fly detent or not? Does your rifle have double set triggers? with just a bit more info we can help ya :winking:
Get a mainspring vise and you can pick them up from a blackpowder dealer or at a Rendezvous for about $20 or so.
Cock the hammer back. This compresses the spring. Apply the vise to the spring and then depress the sear to allow the hammer to move forward (control it with your free hand).
The spring can then be removed from the lock. With a screwdriver, you can now remove the bridle screw and sear spring screw. The sear spring and bridle are now lifted out. The sear and tumbler are also lifted out at this point. Flip the lock over and remove the screw that secures the hammer to the lock.
Some folks use that fancy tool to separate the hammer from the tumbler. Don't buy it. If the tumbler is casted, it can shear off. Better to buy a piece of brass and file it square to fit into the hammer. It is then used to drive the tumbler down, separating it from the hammer.
Cock the hammer back. This compresses the spring. Apply the vise to the spring and then depress the sear to allow the hammer to move forward (control it with your free hand).
The spring can then be removed from the lock. With a screwdriver, you can now remove the bridle screw and sear spring screw. The sear spring and bridle are now lifted out. The sear and tumbler are also lifted out at this point. Flip the lock over and remove the screw that secures the hammer to the lock.
Some folks use that fancy tool to separate the hammer from the tumbler. Don't buy it. If the tumbler is casted, it can shear off. Better to buy a piece of brass and file it square to fit into the hammer. It is then used to drive the tumbler down, separating it from the hammer.
Guest
Yup,,once the mainspring is out it's pretty easy. I guy can use a vise grip if he's dang carefull but it's not recomended,don't compress too much,or do too much wiggling. Scratches or marks on that tempered Mainspring can cause a weak spot.
Take the sear spring out before ya pull the bridle screws,that's the little v spring thing top right,easy to do with a vise grip,,again don't compress too much! After the springs are out every thing is free moving and easy to figure out. Sorry, I don't know of a good link for Blow-apart diagrams of a lock,,I got a few books here that show'm.
I can copy a page an mail it too ya if nobody else can find anything,,but it'll take me a week afore I can get too it,,,I'm kinda busy this week,,hope someone can help with photo's,,,
Take the sear spring out before ya pull the bridle screws,that's the little v spring thing top right,easy to do with a vise grip,,again don't compress too much! After the springs are out every thing is free moving and easy to figure out. Sorry, I don't know of a good link for Blow-apart diagrams of a lock,,I got a few books here that show'm.
I can copy a page an mail it too ya if nobody else can find anything,,but it'll take me a week afore I can get too it,,,I'm kinda busy this week,,hope someone can help with photo's,,,
I will add, you really don't have to compress the sear spring with anything.
(This should be done before removing the sear arm.)
If you back out the screw which holds the sear spring in place about 2 turns, you can move the sear spring up with your fingers. When you move it up, a little "tongue" or projection will pop up out of the groove in the lockplate and allow the spring to rotate easily on the screw. When this happens, all of its compression will be releaved so you just have to unscrew the screw the rest of the way.
When you reassemble the lock, after the sear is in place, install the sear spring screw a little ways and use your thumb to rotate the spring around the screw thereby compressing it against the sear arm. It will pop into the little slot just like it was meant to be there.
Also, if your lock is off of a rifle/pistol with set triggers, when you remove the "bridle" (it looks like a little bridge which is attached to the lockplate) which holds the tumblers outer axle in place LOOK FOR THE FLY!
In addition to providing support for the tumbler, the bridle keeps the FLY in place. These are usually VERY SMALL and easily lost.
I would recommend that you take a piece of paper and a pencil and sketch how it is installed before you remove it.
Because it is so small, I usually lay it on a piece of masking tape (any tape will work) and fold the tape over it and write FLY on the tape.
If you loose the fly, your lock will not work with Set Triggers.
Do not try to PRY the hammer off of the lock. The first thing that comes to mind when you are dissassembling a lock
is "I'll just stick my screwdriver in between the hammer and the lock plate and pry it off." Doing this will always mar up the lock plate and (as was mentioned above) sometimes break the hammer. If it doesn't break the hammer, it will bugger up the square hole so the hammer will never fit properly again.
You can use the square brass punch mentioned above, or use a nail which fits down inside the threads until it hits the bottom of the hole. Make sure this nail doesn't interfere with the threads. It must be a little smaller. Cut the pointed end off of the nail and push it down thru the threads to bottom.
Now support the lock plate on a vise or two blocks of wood so that the tumbler is hanging down between the blocks or vise jaws (do not tighten the vise. You want the tumbler to fall freely thru).
Use a Small hammer to pound the nail (and tumbler) downward. This permits the lock plate to support the locks hammer and keep it from cocking. Depending on the lock, the tumbler may or may not come out easily. Most locks take a couple of moderate whacks with the hammer to get it out.
(This should be done before removing the sear arm.)
If you back out the screw which holds the sear spring in place about 2 turns, you can move the sear spring up with your fingers. When you move it up, a little "tongue" or projection will pop up out of the groove in the lockplate and allow the spring to rotate easily on the screw. When this happens, all of its compression will be releaved so you just have to unscrew the screw the rest of the way.
When you reassemble the lock, after the sear is in place, install the sear spring screw a little ways and use your thumb to rotate the spring around the screw thereby compressing it against the sear arm. It will pop into the little slot just like it was meant to be there.
Also, if your lock is off of a rifle/pistol with set triggers, when you remove the "bridle" (it looks like a little bridge which is attached to the lockplate) which holds the tumblers outer axle in place LOOK FOR THE FLY!
In addition to providing support for the tumbler, the bridle keeps the FLY in place. These are usually VERY SMALL and easily lost.
I would recommend that you take a piece of paper and a pencil and sketch how it is installed before you remove it.
Because it is so small, I usually lay it on a piece of masking tape (any tape will work) and fold the tape over it and write FLY on the tape.
If you loose the fly, your lock will not work with Set Triggers.
Do not try to PRY the hammer off of the lock. The first thing that comes to mind when you are dissassembling a lock
is "I'll just stick my screwdriver in between the hammer and the lock plate and pry it off." Doing this will always mar up the lock plate and (as was mentioned above) sometimes break the hammer. If it doesn't break the hammer, it will bugger up the square hole so the hammer will never fit properly again.
You can use the square brass punch mentioned above, or use a nail which fits down inside the threads until it hits the bottom of the hole. Make sure this nail doesn't interfere with the threads. It must be a little smaller. Cut the pointed end off of the nail and push it down thru the threads to bottom.
Now support the lock plate on a vise or two blocks of wood so that the tumbler is hanging down between the blocks or vise jaws (do not tighten the vise. You want the tumbler to fall freely thru).
Use a Small hammer to pound the nail (and tumbler) downward. This permits the lock plate to support the locks hammer and keep it from cocking. Depending on the lock, the tumbler may or may not come out easily. Most locks take a couple of moderate whacks with the hammer to get it out.
