Possible degredation of lock?

[hanshi]

Grinding lock bolts that are a little too long is okay and something I've done more than once. And a flint lock only needs one lockbolt anyway. SMR normally have only one lock bolt. A percussion lock does well with two lock bolts but unlike a flint the "hammer" hits off the actual lock while a flint lock only strikes itself.

 

[oldwood]

I have a new build on the bench just now. The wire I use for pins measures .071. The drill bit measures .071 , but wood is soft , and bits make sloppy holes. Wood never shrinks uniformly to grip each pin , so sometimes Pins fall out. That's why bees make honey , so the frontier was blessed with wax to use for a myriad of uses. One of which is to keep barrel pins in place. Loose pins going through the barrel pinning loops , are a good thing , so the barrel can work longitudinally when fired. By the time a build is concluded , the barrel pins are in and out many times making the pin holes wear loose. Generally if the stock finish doesn't hold the pins in place well , at the end of build , some spare pin stock goes with the gun , and a piece of bee's wax as well. ...................oldwood

 

[coloradoclyde]

Sounds/looks like sand or slag in the casting, or some other casting flaw.

 

[FlinterNick]

Looks like a welded over drill hole. Probably didn’t like the initial spot of the drilling, and tried to correct with either a tig weld or an end mill bit that chewed it up.

 

[Boston123]

I like the lock bolts flush with the plate

Grinding lock bolts that are a little too long is okay and something I've done more than once.

Yeah, I pulled the lock-bolts and filed them down some. Now they are flush with the lock-plate when the heads are snug to the side-plate.

Everything looks better, and I "feel" better knowing that the frizzen-spring and cock have some clearance from the protruding bolt-ends