Who all makes them? Pecatonica lists the L&R trade lock. Is it the best, most authentic? Who stamps the fox/tombstone or sitting fox designs on these? Which are the best in terms of metalurgy and temper?
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The locks for the Northwest or "Trade" guns
- Thread starter BillinOregon
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The L&R Queen Anne will work but t its a bit small , still a good choice . R E Davis make a trade gun lock , with bridal on frizzen and the Old English which is my favorite . pics coming ....
TDM
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The Davis trade gun lock would be a good choice.
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I tend to prefer the Early Ketland (w/o bridle) from Chambers--but my tastes also run towards the NWGs of the late 1700s/early 1800s. If you're going to make a generic trade gun, the Davis trade gun lock is sort of a generic (later) trade gun lock.
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L&R Queen Anne .... I stamp m
If you go with a Queen Anne it can be modified to be bridle less if you want an earlier weapon , authenticity wise .. I heard that L&R does this nowadays , don't know if its so , but if you want that I can do that for you ..
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Comfortably_Numb
The Evil Mike Brooks
The only correct lock for an English trade gun is a round faced English lock about 6 inches long.
Comfortably_Numb
The Evil Mike Brooks
All of l&r products are incorrect. Technically they shouldn't have internal bridles either, but that freaks most folks out.
While the lack of an internal bridle is historically correct, the presence of an internal bridle adds to the reliability and longevity of the lock. Besides, the internal bridle can't be seen.
The Rifle Shoppe #678 Type G Trade Fusil lock is probably as good as one can get but getting one assembled would cost close to $400. Their Wilson Trade Lock #600 is very nice, more high end, suitable for a fowler. I have that one in progress. If I ever get bored I’m going to make early locks from castings for sale.
64Springer
75 Cal.
Buy a Chambers Colonial Virginia lock.
It's a massive flintlock with a 6" x 1" lock plate.
Worked well with a 1.225 breech.
It's a massive flintlock with a 6" x 1" lock plate.
Worked well with a 1.225 breech.
Cruzatte
50 Cal.
Good. Put me down on your customer list when you finally get bored. French locks would be good.
Very nice indeed. I had one made without the pan bridle by Chris Evrard. Used it on a beaded early Wilson trade gun. It would be rare to see a pan bridle on an early English trade gun.
I was looking at the Chambers Colonial Virginia and Round-Faced English lock variant this morning. I tend to be biased toward Chambers as a result of working with a couple of builders -- Mike Brooks and Roy Stroh.
Comfortably_Numb
The Evil Mike Brooks
That Brooks guy is a great guy!
I don’t think any one pre stamps them, since they are sold to go on different styles of gun.
Track of the wolf sells the stamps
They may offer the service cheaper then buying the stamps.
Track of the wolf sells the stamps
They may offer the service cheaper then buying the stamps.
jimhallam
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Sorry to disagree BUT --- there is NO "only correct lock... .... " as the Birmingham Trade made down to a price and there are all sorts of variations --- not forgetting that they often imported locks and parts "in the white" from places like Liege.
Please tell me where you got the PROOF that your staement is true.
The L&R trade gun lock looks more like a French lock to me, and not really appropriate for a Northwest gun, which was a quintessentially British arm. There were some later American and Belgian versions, but they copied the British design.
I would agree with a very large, round-faced English lock. Track of the Wolf had one of their own, but I think they have had difficulty stocking these. Davis locks have been reportedly hard to get. The Chambers early Virginia lock is not perfect but I believe would be acceptable. The Kibler Colonial lock might also work, if it’s big enough, but I don’t know its dimensions. Again, it would not be perfect but might be acceptable.
Danny Caywood used to sell his line of locks, separate from his guns. I have one of his Northwest guns and the lock is excellent. I believe these also come with the “fox in circle” stamp already in place. I associate this with Northwest Company guns. If I remember correctly, the HBC tended to use the “tombstone fox” mark, at least until the merger in 1821.
Best regards,
Notchy Bob
I would agree with a very large, round-faced English lock. Track of the Wolf had one of their own, but I think they have had difficulty stocking these. Davis locks have been reportedly hard to get. The Chambers early Virginia lock is not perfect but I believe would be acceptable. The Kibler Colonial lock might also work, if it’s big enough, but I don’t know its dimensions. Again, it would not be perfect but might be acceptable.
Danny Caywood used to sell his line of locks, separate from his guns. I have one of his Northwest guns and the lock is excellent. I believe these also come with the “fox in circle” stamp already in place. I associate this with Northwest Company guns. If I remember correctly, the HBC tended to use the “tombstone fox” mark, at least until the merger in 1821.
Best regards,
Notchy Bob
I think that different people here have different guns come to mind when the phrase “English trade gun” is used. It’s as though there was one unchanged type for 100 years. Please specify when you comment. Type G? Wilson low end fowler? NE trade gun? Chiefs grade War of 1812 era? As an example, without specifics, arguing that the lock needs a tombstone fox doesn’t make sense in many cases.
