Reducing flint destruction on traditions flint locks

[Howard Pippin]

I would think the frizzen spring would only need to be strong enough too hold the frizzen shut…keeping the prime in place.

The gun will fire even if the frizzen spring is missing or broken.
You just have too keep the lock in an upright position..

Not an ideal situation, but it can be made too work.

I experimented with the frizzen spring pressure, and discovered that just a rubber band holding it shut was sufficient pressure, so I thinned the spring for the frizzen To about the same tension and it works remarkably well. This is on a Lyman deer hunter left-hand.
squint

 

[flconch53]

Another cause of flint wear is if the frizzen is slightly 2 soft. This results in excessive metal removal from the frizzen and more stress on the flint. This was a probelm in older CVA and Traditions rifle

 

[Jake2454]

hey this is all good stuff
thanks to all for posting

 

[Rock Home Isle]

My Kibler Kit takes about 20 lbs to cock the lock. I’ll be touching up the mainspring to lighten the load.

When removing metal from these high carbon springs, make sure that you go back and polish the surface smooth, to reduce the possibility of any weird stress fractures.

 

[Jake2454]

My Kibler Kit takes about 20 lbs to cock the lock. I’ll be touching up the mainspring to lighten the load.

When removing metal from these high carbon springs, make sure that you go back and polish the surface smooth, to reduce the possibility of any weird stress fractures.

absolutely.....look closely and get all of those cross grain nicks and scratches smoothed out.

 

[Flintandsteel]

Leave your Kibler alone. The damn things work! Probably the best production locks on the market today.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Leave your Kibler alone. The damn things work! Probably the best production locks on the market today.

Concern appreciated…

 

[kyron4]

I measured my Traditions lock (with fish scale) and got around 9 lbs. on the cock and 3 lbs. on the frizzen. Have had it that long but seems to work okay , getting about 20 shots before knapping. Probably just lease it as is; like the old Russian proverb says, "the best is the enemy of good enough "

 

[PatrickL01]

Funny that Kibler should get mentioned. My Kibler SMR smashes flints like crazy. I put the larger 7/8 flint from the Colonial in it (slightly offset to one side) and I get 50 or so shots per flint. I feel like the smaller flint sits too far away from the frizzen and the velocity is too high by the time the flint strikes. The larger flint has only moved about 3/16" when it hits. As far as angle goes, the larger flint does better bevel up and the smaller won't even open the frizzen if it is bevel up.

 

[45man]

A story for you. I was far from home on a deer hunt and my mainspring broke. I went to the store and bought a pack of rubber bands. I put a few on the cock and stretched to the rear sight and taped them. I shot a deer with it and when I got home everybody asked if i was the guy using a zip gun. Everyone in Ohio knew about it.
The lock was a parts lock I put together from boxes of parts at the Log Cabin. I hand made a new spring and it is still working 50 some years later.

 

[Daryl Crawford]

Sitting in the seminar on Friday with Mr. Rice, I learned a few things on timing/tuning that should help with flints.
First, he recommended setting the flint in the jaws so that when the cock is lowered, with the frizzen raised, the flint lines up with the middle of the pan. Second, if the cock is held back slightly (but not all the way to half cock) and lowered against the frizzen, the point when the frizzen is pushing back and the flint would be about to exit the lowest portion of the frizzen face, the flint and pan cover should form a straight line (or just about). If these are so, the geometry of the arch traveled should not smash the flint and it should better direct sparks down.
That said, if the frizzen is too hard it might still bust up flints. If the frizzen spring is weak you may notice a skip--the flint strikes frizzen face pushing frizzen away from the flint before the spring pushes it back against the frizzen. That can also be hard on flints and in creating sparks.

 

[Flintandsteel]

Patrick,
I’ve used at least 5 of those locks, and NEVER had any issues with flints. A guestimate of 70 or 80 shots per flint. Smooth as a Swiss watch.

 

[PatrickL01]

I am chalking it up to me at this point. My flintlock experience goes back a whopping year! I have gained a lot of confidence with the bigger flints. My longest life is 72 shots. In my Colonial 50 or 60 shots is normal. Maybe I will go back and try the smaller flints soon as I was only getting 5 or 7 shots in the SMR. I do have an L&R replacement lock I put on an old Dixie Pennsylvania rifle and the Kibler is 10x superior! In fact I went back to percussion because I couldn't smooth out the trigger pull on the L&R. I love both my Kiblers!

 

[Flintandsteel]

Patrick,
Not all flints are created equal. As they are broken pieces of rock, they may also have inclusions, fractures, etc.
Dont give up. Try other types, sizes, etc.

 

[maillemaker]

Quoting from an old thread here, member Rich Pierce posted, "Just remember the bowmaker's rule: reduce width by half and you've reduced pull by half. Reduce thickness by half and now it has 1/4th the original pull. So any thinning must be very judicious."

When grinding a main spring to reduce weight/force, I find it best to grind the width instead of the thickness.

I had always read that when weakening a leaf spring it is best to reduce it's width rather than try to thin the leaf. I've done this on a Spiller and Burr reproduction revolver mainspring.

 

[Jake2454]

I had always read that when weakening a leaf spring it is best to reduce it's width rather than try to thin the leaf. I've done this on a Spiller and Burr reproduction revolver mainspring.

well at least in my case thinning the leaf has worked wonderfully for me. i could see where the other might be easier to accomplish. so whatever works for you i say run with it.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I had always read that when weakening a leaf spring it is best to reduce it's width rather than try to thin the leaf. I've done this on a Spiller and Burr reproduction revolver mainspring.

I sat with a gunsmith years ago at a Rendezvous. I know very little about gunsmithing, so he walked me through the process of thinning the mainspring to reduce cocking force and reduce wear on the flints.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

After 8 shots my frizzen broke and flew down range. It seems the production company set the frizzen spring at 330lbs!
After having anther frizzen made, had the spring trimmed properly, it worked until my EX took it with her.

 

[Joemolf]

After 8 shots my frizzen broke and flew down range. It seems the production company set the frizzen spring at 330lbs!
After having anther frizzen made, had the spring trimmed properly, it worked until my EX took it with her.

Out of spite or is she a shooter?