Safety - Safety - Safety

[DougMPhoto]

I found out the hard way that there is a problem with my lock.

This Saturday (April 21) I went to the range with my trusty 50 cal Flinter. I had shot this rifle many times, and even last weekend, without a hitch.

This time however, I cocked the hammer, then not remembering if I had primed the pan (my brother asked me a question during this process), I opened the frizzen and checked the powder (I did prime). When I closed the frizzen {Hands nowhere near the trigger}.... BAM!!!!

The frizzen closing on the pan was enough to send the hammer home, shoot the rifle and burned and imbeded powder into my baby and ring fingers. (I hit my brother's target at 100 yds 9:00 1" out of the black)

A quick trip to medicate and then back to the range to investigate finds that the hammer could be thrown home with the slightest touch (even out of the stock). Packed up rifle and headed to the ER to have powder residue removed from my fingers and burns treated.

I am having the lock repaired now. Sear appeared to be seating properly, no knicks visible, slot in tumbler appeared OK. Am waiting for results to know exactly what happened.

Lesson learned: Before loading, test the full cock position to make sure hammer will not throw unless trigger is pulled. Also, try to remember to set trigger back to half cock before doing anything with rifle.

 

[fho]

I had the same thing happen to me.I learned that you put the cock on halfcock when you close the frizzen. I had to work on the sear.

 

[DougMPhoto]

Yeah...lesson learned. But it probably wouldn't have made much difference when I pulled back to full cock anyway. Sear seat is so sensitive that it now will not even hold at full cock. It will engage then with just a movement it will fire. Or it will not even lock in at all.

That's why I am having it worked on. Better an expert do it than me.

 

[MikeChapin]

I had it happen on my Tennessee. I was at the range and noticed that the lock was going off with less pressure than normal. It would go off with just thumb pressure on the back of the cock. I took it home and checked it out. I had not taken it apart and cleaned it for over a year so decided to disassemble it and give it a good cleaning. That fixed the problem.

 

[Old Salt]

I caused a Lyman lock to act that way once by fiddling around with the sear spring.

On the Lyman lock the spring is a small coil spring that I compresed to lighten the trigger pull. Well the trigger pull was light but the lock was dangerous like you describe. So, I restretched the spring to ensure the lock would hold on full cock.

I'm sure there are other conditions that could cause the same symptom.

Old Salt

 

[jderrick]

Yeah, I've got a lock that if adjusted too light will go with hardly a bump...

 

[rabbit03]

There are those who have had accidents and those that are waiting to have theirs!

Fortunately you had observed the first rule in gun safety, Never point a weapon at anyone. That being said I am glad to hear no one was injured.

rabbit03

 

[Mike Brooks]

Your sear screw may be to tight or your sear spring may be too weak. I'd check those first.

 

[GreyWhiskers]

Rabbit03 has it right. You had an accidental discharge but kept the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. I've been a Range Officer for years in a couple of shooting disciplines and it seems that when some people have a jam or other problem they forget Rule No. 1 and turn the gun around to work on it. GW

 

[SAJones]

My first flintlock was a Dixie kit w/ a Spanish made lock. Used to shoot it in matches, then one day it went off w/ almost no pressure on the trigger. Thought I did something wrong, reloaded, pointed downrange & pulled to full cock. Went off all by itself before I could even get it up to target. Took it off the range immediately. Found out the tumbler was so soft that the full cock notch just rounded off. Recut the notch, hardened the tumbler, so it works better now, but I don't shoot it very much. Started my distaste for Spanish locks.

 

[paulvallandigham]

F. Jones: You will find the same kind of bad products with just about any lockmaker doing business today, so don't get a complex over Spanish made guns. Much of this kind of work is subcontracted out to small casting firms, and the gun company is stuck with whatever quality control the contractor has. ( Usually none!) There are a lot of tumblers on the market that are not hardened properly.

I am glad to hear that you fixed the problem, and made the gun not only shootable, but reliable. Shoot it. The heart of any gun is in the barrel. If you have a good straight barrel, its going to shoot well.

 

[Mike Brooks]

I've never had that problem with any high quality lock on the market, and I've used 100's. You get what you pay for.

 

[paulvallandigham]

MIke: My experience with American made locks and parts is very good, also. Other than frizzens not being hardened( and I am not sure these are all made here in the USA) , I don't see much if any problems with tumblers, or other parts. I agree that you get what you pay for.

 

[spudnut]

I love and shoot only flintlocks but I try to tell anybody new(and old)to the sport that the utmost attention must be payed to these weapons.Ive seen em go off half cocked on several occasions and ALWAYS know where that muzzle is aimed

 

[DougMPhoto]

" :thumbsup:" :thumbsup:" :thumbsup:" :thumbsup:

Well, I got my rifle back. Turns out there were a few problems with the lock. Some manufacturing burrs and a fly that did not always be where it was supposed to be. It is a Large Siler Lock that came fully assembled. It has been cleaned and smoothed up real nice now.

Parts and notches were fine. Nothing broken or chipped.

I half-cocked it, full-cocked it, smacked my palm, wiggled and pushed against the hammer and it never went home, in or out of the wood, except when I pulled the trigger.

And boy the trigger pull is nice and smooth now.

Now to get back out there this weekend. Trailwalk shoot on Sunday at the club.

:thumbsup: "Keep yer powder dry"

 

[Zonie]

Although it doesn't quite fit in with the story, and most of you old timers know this, I'll take a minute to point out one of the dangers of locks with flys in them. This includes non-set simple single trigger guns with locks with flys in them.

The flys job is to block off the half cock notch as the hammer falls from full cock.
This of course means if the gun has been fully cocked and you want to lower the hammer to the half cock position, the fly will make the hammer fall all the way down to the fired position.

To properly lower the hammer to half cock, you have to lower it almost all the way down to the nipple or pan and then raise it back up until you hear the click as the sear falls into the half cock notch.

I've seen a few locks with flys that stuck out a bit too far (or who's movement was a bit on the sluggish side). These can be dangerous because as you slowly lower the hammer it will seem to come to a stop about where the half cock position should be. If this happens, it is because the sear is temporarily stuck on the fly. In this condition, the slightest bump or jar can cause it to jump over the fly (like it is supposed to do) and to allow the hammer to fall on the capped nipple or cause the flint to hit the frizzen.

Just for safeties sake, you ought to check out this hammer lowering procedure on your guns so you will know what to expect.

zonie

 

[RickD]

Very wise words