Cocking situation.....

[RonT]

I've recently come back into posession of a Lancaster flinter that was built ~30 years ago. The gun was the first build by the maker for "Bouncer" who just recently joined the forum. The gun changed hands a couple times, bouncer to me, me to a mutual friend, back to Bouncer, who retained it for the last ~26 yrs.
I'd forgotten that the trigger(s) had to be set prior to cocking.
Investigation of the lock, an R.E. Davis/Siler, revealed that the sear bar had been ground to almost half of it's thickness. I placed a Brass tube over the bar to replicate full thickness, but still couldn't get the bar to set the trigger(s) when cocking. I did discover that the differance in thickness changed the quick trip release by "touching" the front trigger to having to pull the the front trigger to push the rear trigger bar into the sear. I removed the Brass tube, sat down and stared at it for awhile.
I can't set the triggers by cocking the lock, and I can't replace the half ground sear without giving up the quick release. The rear trigger bar is only ~3/16" thick and I'm hesitant to grind it down to gain the distance to allow the "snap" to trip the sear.
All of the owners have shot this rifle well, so the option of learning to live with it is not that difficult of a choice.
Waddya' suggest....?
R

 

[Mike Brooks]

I've never heard of being able to set the triggers by cocking the lock.

 

[RonT]

Poor explanation on my part...hope this helps. I cannot put the lock on either half cock or full cock with out pulling the rear trigger and "setting" the trigger group. If I pull the rear trigger and "set" the trigger group, I can then put the lock into the half cock or full cock position. On other locks, I can pull the hammer back to either of the positions from the fired position and engage the tumbler with out presetting the trigger group.
My limited experiance sez that I have a clearance problem. Where, and is it correctable?
R

 

[shortstring]

Sometimes you can bend the sear bar up to get some more clearance. Hold the front end of the sear in a vice to keep it cool & not anneal it. Heat it up about at the 90 degree bend in the sear & give it a bit of bend.

The other thing that can be done is to put a set screw in the plate behind the rear trigger. It goes thru the plate & adjusts how much travel the spring has. You stop the spring just short of touching the sear & the over travel trips the lock.

 

Ron T. that's the type of set trigger it is. There are three or four different types. The type you have which requires you to set it, before you can cock it. It's a combinatition of the way it's made and installed. I consider ti a target gun type. My "Miss Maggie" from Steve Bookout is that way. then there is the type you can cock, and then set, or fire without setting. Most common on commercial guns, It allows for shooting unset in hunting conditions, or set for target. There's also the single trigger set, often used on target or dueling pistols. On these you push the trigger forward to set it. These come set only to shoot, or shoot set or unset. I believe the Famous Burr- Hamilton dueling pistols had to be set before they would fire, which could be a problem for an unsuspecting duelist. I dont think you triggers are broke or have a problem, it's just the way they're made.

Bill

 

[RonT]

Ahha.... Thanks, that makes me feel better about the situation and I appreciate the help.
R

 

[Birddog6]

I bought a used rifle onetime that had the same problem, but it was all because of imporper installation, not because of the trigger asm. being different. Turned out the trigger had to be set because if you didn't the rear trigger bar held tension on the sear arm & would not let the sear arm latch into the tumbler at halfcock or full cock.

As suggested above, I bent the sear arm up to give it more clearance on the rear triggerbar, then I silver soldered a small piece on the top of the front trigger bar to take up some of the travel in the front trigger. After these changes the lock & triggers worked properly.

:thumbsup:

 

[Zonie]

It could be that the installation was incorrectly made or that the trigger is a "Single Lever Double Set" style.
The SLDS style can be recognized by the lack of a "blade" on the forward trigger. They are designed for use with locks which do not have a "fly" in them and to get around the missing fly, the rear trigger bar will be tight against the sear arm unless it is "set".
While this does keep the sear from entering the half cock notch while the hammer is falling, it does take some getting used to because, as you said, you can't cock the lock without setting the trigger and a "set" trigger is only a flys weight from releasing.

In any case, unless you feel like fitting a new trigger assembly, I think your stuck with what you have.
zonie

 

[RonT]

Another thanks guys.... Have been in touch already this morning with the gents at R.E.Davis who also make me feel a little better about the situation.
As for now the concensus is "learn to live with it"...not all bad.
R

 

[bouncer]

Alrighty then, sounds like you got some options here, and all sound doable, I just shot the damn thing the way it was and as I told you after the "black thumb web" affair, just held my hand a little further back and made sure it was pointing down range at all times.

bouncer :thumbsup:

 

[RonT]

Ya' aint gettin' it back............. :blah:
R

 

[bouncer]

haruuuph!!! we'll just have to have us a shootoff...