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Cochran Locks

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Joined
Feb 12, 2020
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My name is Leon Cochran, I am the son of WL Cochran that produced the Cochran Locks in the 70' and 80's. I am researching if there is any interest in bringing back the locks exactly like they were back then. I helped my dad in the manufacturing of these locks and am now retired with a lot of spare time on my hands. I've heard there is someone, Jim Alvey ?, that may have information on where the molds and tooling are for these locks. If you have any feedback on this endeavor or information please contact me at www. [email protected], I currently live in my dad's house with access to his shop with all the equipment required to start production of the locks, still have spare parts like side plates, hammers, frizzens and some springs, no main springs, none are machined or heat treated.
 
Leon:

What great news! I have a .32 left handed southern mountain style rifle with your father's lock on it. Last year I sold a .45 lefty flinter that had one, also. I would have a definite interest in a lefty Cochran flint lock. Or two. They are great locks, and are on par with a Chambers Siler, in my opinion.

ADK Bigfoot
 
Wilmer, your father built a very good quality lock. I have one built in 1977 and it works very well. Hopefully you can resurrect the production with great results!
 
I had a link to whoever was offering parts for these quite a number of years ago but it stopped working some years back. I have a rifle a friend built with interchangeable Cochran locks and I like them. I never had a bit of trouble with them and started a build back in the 90s intending to use a Cochran and Dixie had them at the time. Life got between me and that project and if I ever get back to it I'll still need a lock. I wish you the best of luck with your endeavor and will be watching to see them on the market.
 
ADK Bigfoot,
Sorry to respond in such a manner, but back when my dad was making his locks nearly everyone we knew thought they were much better than Siler. I guess over the years Siler has improved.
 
I had a link to whoever was offering parts for these quite a number of years ago but it stopped working some years back. I have a rifle a friend built with interchangeable Cochran locks and I like them. I never had a bit of trouble with them and started a build back in the 90s intending to use a Cochran and Dixie had them at the time. Life got between me and that project and if I ever get back to it I'll still need a lock. I wish you the best of luck with your endeavor and will be watching to see them on the market.
Hawkeye 2,
Thanks for your response. I'm just trying to see what the demand would be and if it would be worth the trouble of starting back up. If I can't find his old tooling it would be extremely difficult to get going again. I have locks I could use to duplicate them, but it would be much easier to pick up with his original toolin

W.L.Cochran
 
This thread was originally posted in the Introductions, "Welcome to the Camp" area but I think it really belongs in the General Muzzleloading section of the forum.
Many of our members don't visit the Welcome to the Camp area but almost everyone visits the General Muzzleloading area.
 
Unsolicited advice: There are a great many terrific locks available now. The latest are CNC’d. More are coming online soon. It’s not a good time to invest in a new flintlock offering based on wax cast parts. Unless the design is something no other lock approximates, I’m not sure what the market would be. Take a look at Track of the Wolf online catalogue to see some of the vast array of locks available now.
 
Just for some historical interest, pictures of Cochran lock kit, flint, left hand:

overview0764.jpg
instructions0761.jpg

Spence
 
I have a pistol made by T. Struble with a Cochran lock. Not sure who made the barrel. A 0.433 ball wrapped in 0.017" cotton drill cloth loads easily when lubricated with my mix of water soluble oil and water.

The pistol probably dates from the 1970's.

Patches and Target.JPG


Finally spent an afternoon shooting it. Needs some tweaking to get the flint located properly and I will have to take the (single set) trigger to clean it up and make some adjustments.
 
My name is Leon Cochran, I am the son of WL Cochran that produced the Cochran Locks in the 70' and 80's. I am researching if there is any interest in bringing back the locks exactly like they were back then. I helped my dad in the manufacturing of these locks and am now retired with a lot of spare time on my hands. I've heard there is someone, Jim Alvey ?, that may have information on where the molds and tooling are for these locks. If you have any feedback on this endeavor or information please contact me at www. [email protected], I currently live in my dad's house with access to his shop with all the equipment required to start production of the locks, still have spare parts like side plates, hammers, frizzens and some springs, no main springs, none are machined or heat treated.
Noticed this post couple days ago, & rummaged through my box of parts: have a left hand caplock by W.L. Cochran dated 1989. Intended to use for a rifle for my son who shoots left handed, but used a different lock, & no longer have need of another left handed lock.
 
Poker,
Thanks for your support !!!
Noticed this post couple days ago, & rummaged through my box of parts: have a left hand caplock by W.L. Cochran dated 1989. Intended to use for a rifle for my son who shoots left handed, but used a different lock, & no longer have need of another left handed lock.

Hi Leon

I have a left hand flintlock long rifle, with a Cochran lock. I am looking
for a replacement frizzen for it, and hope you can help with that?
My name is Greg, and I appreciate you putting your email out there
for your dad's parts. If you can help, please reply to me here.
Thanks,
Greg
 
My name is Leon Cochran, I am the son of WL Cochran that produced the Cochran Locks in the 70' and 80's. I am researching if there is any interest in bringing back the locks exactly like they were back then. I helped my dad in the manufacturing of these locks and am now retired with a lot of spare time on my hands. I've heard there is someone, Jim Alvey ?, that may have information on where the molds and tooling are for these locks. If you have any feedback on this endeavor or information please contact me at www. [email protected], I currently live in my dad's house with access to his shop with all the equipment required to start production of the locks, still have spare parts like side plates, hammers, frizzens and some springs, no main springs, none are machined or heat treated.
Can I get a heat treated frizzen? I have a 1983 W.L. Cochran, 1F, lock in my .45 Cal Flintlock.
 
He hasn't been logged in in three years, I doubt this is going anywhere.

I'd like a LH mate to the one I have on a .47-caliber Lancaster so I can put it on a .36 SMR, but at this point it appears scratch-building is the only way to go.
 
I hate to see this wither on the vine but I'm afraid it already has. At this point in my life I'll probably never need another lock but with the experience of the flint lock on my rifle if I ever did the next one would be a Cochran.
 
He hasn't been logged in in three years, I doubt this is going anywhere.

I'd like a LH mate to the one I have on a .47-caliber Lancaster so I can put it on a .36 SMR, but at this point it appears scratch-building is the only way to go.
Make your own lock plate and to match the Cochran lock plate and use L&R internals from a similar sized LH lock.
 
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