Scrambled Egg

[lanedh]

What I find intriguing on this lock is the stirruped tumbler (with the stirrup pivot a screw, not a pin) and provision for a fly, suggesting that this maker used common lock parts for both non-set trigger and set trigger arms.

 

What stikes me as peculiar is that it appears to have breech plugs like a longrifle rather than the usual patent breeches. :hmm: This puts the touch hole forward to be in front of the plug face, which in turn puts the locks too far forward which is why the damn lockbolts screw into the standing breech where they ought not to be. Typically, with a patent breech, the touch hole is closer to the breech so the locks are back far enough to allow the bolt to clear the standing breech. It seems to me that the breech plug configuration is the cause of all the problems. If the barrels are sound and you REALLY want to shoot it, This is what i think you should consider. Remove the breech plugs and cut the barrels off just ahead of the touch holes. Re-thread and make and install a set of patent breechs moving the breechface of the barrels ahead about 3/16". This would make room for the breech plate. Then, fix a walnut "shim" of about 3/16" thick to where the breech plate is now moving the breechplate forward to mate up with the now shortened barrels. The lock fixing bolt will now pass through the wood (the "shim"), as it should, rather than into the standing breech. Of course this would require the manufacture of a new standing breech as the tang would have to be 3/16" longer. I would likely just extend the existing one rather than make a whole new one. Just a thought. Then again, I could be misinterpreting the photo's. ::

Cody

 

[robinghewitt]

cut the barrels off just ahead of the touch holes.

Wow, kinda radical :shocking:

The barrels are 38" x 20 gauge which is typically pre patent breech, the touch hole liners are solid gold and I would also lose those lovely early London proof marks.

OTOH, the locks might be off a post patent breech (1796) gun. Perhaps it was the barrels that were replaced when the gun went rusty? Perhaps locks, stock and barrels are from 3 different pieces? :hmm:

 

[Mike Brooks]

cut the barrels off just ahead of the touch holes.

Wow, kinda radical :shocking:

The barrels are 38" x 20 gauge which is typically pre patent breech, the touch hole liners are solid gold and I would also lose those lovely early London proof marks.

OTOH, the locks might be off a post patent breech (1796) gun. Perhaps it was the barrels that were replaced when the gun went rusty? Perhaps locks, stock and barrels are from 3 different pieces? :hmm:

I think you've got it now....those locks and barrels weren't together when that gun was built. So, now you have to figure out which was there first with that stock, the locks or the barrels.

 

[WRussell]

OK, here's some wackiness - I don't know if I can successfully picture this in words -

Put a stud in the breech that comes flush with the surface of the lockplate. Weld, loktite, whatever, it shouldn't move again. Drill a new hole in the lockplate that intersects part of the stud - the hole only goes thru the lockplate, making a groove/dish/cutout in one side of the stud. Hopefully there is enough room to do this and stay clear of the cock?

Then you can tap the hole and put in a set screw (Brit term grub screw?). The threads of the screw will be partly in the plate and partly in the stud.

 

[WRussell]

OK, it would be better if the screw had a head. You'd cut the threads when the lockplate was clamped up, but if the screw had a head (and the stud didn't come quite all the way flush with the surface) when you snugged it down it would take up the slop in the threads.

 

[robinghewitt]

That would work if I just wanted to make it a shooter, but with an abnormality like that, would I get what I paid for it when I came to sell it?

It's nice to think I might eventually get my money back plus a few quid ::

 

[Rebel]

Instead of making a few Squid on it, would you be interested in trading ir for some nice Pacific crab? :: :kid:

 

[robinghewitt]

Instead of making a few Squid on it, would you be interested in trading ir for some nice Pacific crab? :: :kid:

You don't fool me, "quid" is perfectly good American English. I distinctly remember hearing it in that classic movie, Hoppity Goes to Town :thumbsup: