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I would suspect perhaps a weak hammer spring
I would say you might have a weak hammer spring

Thanks for your insights, I think you have the answer. I had quite a pleasant afternoon examining and cleaning my small collection of locks and found that the force needed to cock the Ardesa was significantly less than the others.

locks-mini.jpg

Top: Replica Ardesa lock with weak spring, unknown detached back lock
Bottom: Double barrel shotgun lock, Enfield P59 lock dated 1864.

The double barrel shotgun is from a rather interesting relic I'll post about another time. In the meantime I will need to source a new spring for the Ardesa and get myself a spring clamp - my collection of tools and accessories is beginning to grow! Funnily enough I'm enjoying the challenges this gun is throwing my way and although I will never have the knowledge many have here I'm pleased simply to be getting a better understanding. I have my books but this forum is also an excellent resource.

Thanks again.
 
A possible quick and easy fix for a weak V spring is to cut a small square of leather and wedge it as far as you can into the V. I have read that some people have had success with that method but have not tried it myself.
 
I shall certainly try it, I have nothing to lose and if it works it will allow me to continue shooting while I source another spring. I will let you know how I get on. Thank you.
 
A possible quick and easy fix for a weak V spring is to cut a small square of leather and wedge it as far as you can into the V. I have read that some people have had success with that method but have not tried it myself.

I've tried this and come up with a variation but I think it's probably not a good idea with a percussion gun although it may be suited to a flint lock. There are a number of things at play and a lot depends on how far forward the object is in the spring, how large it is and it's compressibility. It effectively shortens the spring and the further back it is the shorter the effective spring becomes. Basically I found that leather stiffens up the cock but the effect is progressive,the further back it's pulled, the harder the pull gets and it does then fall a lot harder which is why I think it could be good in a flintlock. However because leather compresses the initial effect is minimal and that is where I need it, I don't need the cock to fall harder I need it stiffer to start with to counter a rebound. A bigger piece of leather does stiffen this start up but then the lock becomes extremely stiff. The best way to get the effect from the start is to wedge a small washer in place but I'm concerned that this is just creating a stress point on the spring that is bound to fail sooner or later.

Anyway I guess that's an entirely different thread and interesting though the experiment was and as I am unable to re-temper the spring myself I shall get Peter Dyson to make me a new one!

Great photo's Doc, and I love the expression on your dog there, it actually looks similar to some places I shoot. I'm finding it very interesting browsing these posts and discovering the equipment you all use and the types of hunting you do.
 
Well joe I wonder how long that bargain bucket has been there and how many guns have stood in it . I can remember it for longer than say 30 years . That bucket must account for many new starters to muzzle loading with a muzzle loader from that bucket. Join a MLAGB branch and you will meet more muzzle loaders and get more use out of your purchase.
Feltwad
 
Ten days ago I bought my first muzzleloading smoothbore for shooting. I have an Enfield P1859 musket hanging on the wall but given the state of the stock I was happy for it to stay and even though there were times I looked at it wistfully the thought of putting it on licence and buying a new cabinet to fit meant muzzleloading was just another thing on my must do one day list.

I guess I was looking for a military carbine but when I saw and handled this I just knew it would make a fine introduction and I didn't think twice. It's an Ardesa percussion fowler dating from 1997 in 12 bore which meant I could both trust it and also find the parts I need to shoot it. I'm using Pyrodex to get me going before I get a black powder licence and my beginners load is 58gn Pyrodex RS, nitro card, lubed felt wad, 1oz No 5 shot and an over shot card.

The location is one of my older permissions where we keep a constant pressure on the rabbit population and remove the geese as and when required. This will not see use on geese but it will be used on the rabbits when all we want to do is remove a few at a time. I felt it would suit those times when I simply wanted to stalk through the woods and take a few for the pot rather than ambush greater numbers at longer ranges with guns that shall not be mentioned here.

The first rabbit appeared last Monday among some broken branches at about 20 yards, I cocked the hammer, raised the gun,drew a bead and fired, the rabbit dropped with barely a flicker of the leg. First shot, first kill. I took it to the top of a nearby badger set to reload the gun and decided on a photo, gun, rabbit, quarry and accoutrements. Had I thought more about it I would have made a better composition but I'm pleased with the result and it's a fine reminder of an important step on my shooting ladder.

View attachment 140129

I reloaded the gun slowly and carefully, it was a pleasure rather than a chore and I found that the rhythm suited the slow reawakening of the woods from the shock of the awful boom that had just reverberated through.I waited a while until a pigeon in the trees announced peace by cooing and set off again along badger highway which joins the sets and is used by the badgers, foxes, rabbits and me. Eventually I reached a tree where I had made my first kill with the unmentionable HMR and standing at the same spot saw a second rabbit 25 yards away as it emerged from a burrow and reached the point of no return. Boom,it simply fell over.

I retrieved and reloaded but to be fair that was me. I thought it would feel like shooting an antique but it just felt like any other gun and that was good because it's not a novelty, it has become a tool for a job and a seemingly quite capable one although I haven't even tested it's limitations in any way. I'm not conveying this very well, I was grinning from ear to ear!

I've got a lot to think about now, loads to test, what gear do I need and why am I carrying powder for more shots I'll ever need in a day? When do I get a flintlock, should I join a club and get a rifle? Is it time to be thinking about getting rid of a couple of unmentionables that will now never see the light of day again?

I don't often post pictres of myself but I enjoyed myself so much and this seems to mark a real turning point so here we go:

View attachment 140130

I met up with my mate who had been targeting a distant burrow with unmentionable and thermal scope and let him clear the third shot. He's a big bloke but it hurt his shoulder, yes he smiled but I doubt I have a convert. His loss!

ps. Those rabbits are small, they won't go in the pot but they will do for the dog.
That is a great story. Thank you for sharing with us.
 
Thats a truly lovely shotgun
Yes, I think it is, I'm starting to like it very much!

I've been using it with a slight fix, a small washer to stiffen the spring and a reduced charge of 51gn rather than 60gn pyrodex which has stopped the hammer bouncing to half cock and allowed me to start pattern testing and shown up my usual fault of shooting low so I'm now learning how to mount it better and sight it more effectively. Also now the initial excitement has worn off a little I'm becoming more aware of what the gun is doing when I fire it. I totally messed up one shot, throwing it off with trigger pull and failing to take lock time into account which with that shot seemed rather longer than usual. I'm also left with an indelible memory of taking a shot as mist began forming and the target being completely shrouded in white smoke while the wad rolled smouldering a few yards away. I don't need to tell anyone here but lets just say these guns have a real character and while they are not easy they certainly pay you back for the work you put in.

Well joe I wonder how long that bargain bucket has been there and how many guns have stood in it . I can remember it for longer than say 30 years . That bucket must account for many new starters to muzzle loading with a muzzle loader from that bucket. Join a MLAGB branch and you will meet more muzzle loaders and get more use out of your purchase.

Well I'm very pleased I stumbled across that bucket and long may it remain because I have have a feeling I shall be seeking it out at next years show! I think I'll be looking for another in a years time and that is also when I'll probably join MLAGB. I have a reason for wanting to wait and it's because I'm primarily a hunter / pest controller indulging in something I have fancied for a long time (along with the historical interest side of things). At the moment I can incorporate muzzle loading into my usual activities and spend time learning this particular gun which I would like to do before joining. One reason is that MLAGB would bring the opportunity of owning and using a rifle in a club setting but I would not be able to hunt with it. Joining a club would be quite a change in my shooting life, I'm not a member of one and so far have trod my own unsociable path! I do like the idea of using and getting to know a rifle, I think I just need a little time to work out how to fit what I do now and the outside commitments I have with what I would get from a club and be clear about the direction I'm taking. Incidentally a member of BASC, MLACB - it's a bit rdiculous really, I know I will join one day, so why not do it now? I'll let you know when I do...
 
curious about not being able to own a muzzle loader rifle unless you belong to a specific club and then only allowed to use it at the club.
 
The reason I ask is it seems perhaps we are also on that route to gun ownership, even if bans on certain weapons are passed the gov. will not stop there. Seems to me they will not stop until the only folks that have guns are the bad guys. Does seem unique that in certain countries even muzzleloading rifles are tightly regulated.
 
curious about not being able to own a muzzle loader rifle unless you belong to a specific club and then only allowed to use it at the club.

I guess thats a different conversation but briefly this is how it affects me. My gun being a smoothbore is classed as Section 2 and held on a Shotgun Licence for which I had to prove I'm law abiding and can store it securely. As a shotgun I can use it for hunting legal quarry on land where I have permission from the owner.

An ML rifle is classed as a Section 1 Firearm and held on a seperate Firerms Licence. Every firearm requires a variation to the licence for which I have to prove good reason for. My good reason is pest / vermin control but it is very unlikely that would be good enough reason for a larger calibre muzzleloader. However joining a club would give me that good reason so I could go down that route but I believe that the condition would be that it was used for target work only.

That's my understanding anyway. It's complex, eg some say you can shoot ball from a ML smoothbore, others say you can't so to my mind until you're 100% certain about something it's best to play safe.

Edit. Also the reason I'm using pyrodex is I can buy / hold it on my Shotgun Cert but I would need an Explosives Licence for black powder. I could get one, I have good reason because I now have a BP gun and it's free but it's another hoop to jump through.
 
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My spring clamp, wrench and nipples have arrived along with a capper which might just save me losing those precious caps in the long grass. The old nipple came out easily which I think is just as well as this doesn't look too good even to my beginners eye.

Screenshot_20220602-185943_FX.jpg


At least the thread in the breech seems good and the new nipple is a snug but not overtight fit.
 
My spring clamp, wrench and nipples have arrived along with a capper which might just save me losing those precious caps in the long grass. The old nipple came out easily which I think is just as well as this doesn't look too good even to my beginners eye.

View attachment 142575

At least the thread in the breech seems good and the new nipple is a snug but not overtight fit.
Hooly dooly,that's REALLY shot out !
 
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