replacing a lock

[Dutchman]

hey gang,

Gun problem. Lets begin with I don't want to badmouth an importer or manufacturer. A few years ago I got an english fish tail and I have never been rally happy with the lock. Its frizzen is soft and the main spring is weak. Its gotten to the point where can actually stop the cock from falling with just a bit of resistance. Obviously the "shower of sparks" the manufacturer touts non existent. Thats IF I can get the mechanism to actually cock. Below is a link to an image.

http://www.middlesexvillagetrading.com/MEL.shtml

I have had the lock looked at by a gunsmith that deals with BP weapons and his repair/rebuild price is more than a new lock. Can anyone provide a source and model number for a replacement?

[Hawkyns]

What does he want to do with the lock? Hardening the frizzen should not be a big deal. Kasenit can be ordered and the frizzen hardened in a charcoal grill with a blowpipe. I would not think that a competant gunsmith would find making a new mainspring either difficult or expensive.

What is the problem with cocking? It's a side acting sear, so as long as it slides through it should cock OK.

Hawkyns

Master Gunner

[Dutchman]

ahoy hawkyns,

the frizzen can be hardened and a new main can be made... for a price, of course. The side sear has rounded at the end so it won't hold the lock back. Seems its soft too. Since that is worn a new one would need to be made or ordered then installed. Its just so many bloody little things it may be easier and cheaper to order a new one. He was giving me a price around $200.00 to repair it. Just to give you an idea of the quality here- one of the pins on the inside is a nipped nail.I had never taken the lock off till after a couple of years of owning it. The importer said I had diddled with it and wouldn't take the lock back to work on.

edit* I'll take the lock off the stock this weekend and get a picture up.

[Cascabel]

ahoy hawkyns,

the frizzen can be hardened and a new main can be made... for a price, of course. The side sear has rounded at the end so it won't hold the lock back. Seems its soft too. Since that is worn a new one would need to be made or ordered then installed. Its just so many bloody little things it may be easier and cheaper to order a new one. He was giving me a price around $200.00 to repair it. Just to give you an idea of the quality here- one of the pins on the inside is a nipped nail.I had never taken the lock off till after a couple of years of owning it. The importer said I had diddled with it and wouldn't take the lock back to work on.

edit* I'll take the lock off the stock this weekend and get a picture up.

I really hate to torpedo a guy after he has spent his hard earned money, but as I always say, "ya gets what ya pays for". I have always advised caution about buying India made guns, and expectations about quality of them.

Anyhow, now that it is your "red-headed stepchild"........ If your guy will put it right for $200, you are getting a bargain !!! There is usually more work to fixing these India made guns than first meets the eye. One issue leads to another, and so forth.

It is a "get what you pay for" kinda thing. When you buy an India gun, you will not be buying a $2,000 gun for $600. These guns are not in that league no matter what the ad copy says. A gun made from The Rifle Shoppe parts can be a museum grade repro, once assembled by a competent smith, but you will have to pay the price for such quality.

>>>> Cascabel

[Commodore Swab]

After having worked on some of these exact locks from India, I can guarantee that a simple hardening of the frizzen and a new main spring will only begin to solve the locks issues. I have one myself (just the lock) that I have been tuneing in preperation for making an early grenade launcher and after a fair bit of work she will now give 90% reliability for 20 shots without cleaning. Try to find out what types of guns your locksmith has worked with, there is a fair bit of difference between a percussion and english lock.

[Stynky Tudor]

Speaking from experience, I have a pistol I’ve taken down a similar road.

First the frizzen needed to be hardened, later a new bridle fabricated.

Then through inexperience and stupidity, I broke my own main spring.

Needless to say, Cascabel is pretty familiar with this pistol now. . .

Some years later we did a major tear down and rebuild of the piece. Cascabel retouched everything, tuned the lock and tweaked as needed – beveled the lock plate, moved everything over to a restyled gun stock . . .

Considering all the modifications I’ve done over the years, I’m afraid to think what I’ve spent – but it is easily several times over the $250 I initial spent on the pistol.

[Quartermaster James]

If you bought this from Middlesex, then you should discuss these issues with Pete.

Springs and frizzen wear are covered in their warranty. For the first year, it's all free.

After that, you pay postage for shipping the lock. That's it.

The only caveat is that the lock must have been maintained, i.e.: not rusted or modified.

Seriously, contact Pete at Middlesex. He's easy to work with.

FWIW: This is the first I have heard of an Indian made gun having too weak a mainspring. The usual problem is that they are far too strong. Besides that, it is common to complain about the overall fit and finsh. But then, where else can you find a lock built with hand forged components?

[MadMike]

I used a blowtorch and some kasenit to harden springs, frizzens, and some lock parts on several guns (Pedersoli, Investarm, India made guns). I have never received a flintlock from any manufacturer that didn't need some fine tuning (for some odd reason nearly every one had a bent top jaw screw).

My early English lock musket cock detent (trigger sear) was a tad short and wouldn't hold the cock back under pressure. Disassembled the lock, used a file to remove material on the inside surface which butts up against the inside of the lock. I also polished up other lock parts as necessary (worked wonders in my M-14).
After a few strokes with a bastard file and some dressing with a fine Arkansas stone, it stuck out a few more millimeters and held the cock in full cock. Not the safest design around, that's for sure (hence the dog catch).

As for any replacements parts, try the place you bought it from, or The Rifle Shoppe.

[Commodore Swab]

good luck with the rifle shoppe