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Lock Problems

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tryinhard

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I bought a Crockett rifle knowing that it had some issues with the lock. When you fire it, it hangs at half cock. I haven't went through the motions of resetting it according to the manual but when I do, if it still doesn't want to fire what should I start looking for? It feels like the transfer bar isn't coming up high enough to block out the half cock on the tumbler. Maybe remove some wood?
 
I have a Crockett and it is a great shooter. The lock is very simple so you should have no trouble repairing it. If worse comes to worse you can always buy a new lock and drop in. Whatever you decide it will be worth it to repair.
 
First thing is to completely clean the lock,,
Brake cleaner or another solvent to remove old dried out oil and gunk the re-lube with fresh oil.
That alone can do wonders,, old oil get's gummy and can actually slow things down.
 
Take out lock and see if it works while not in the stock, if so its binding on the stock somewhere find where and remove wood slowily until t works properly. If it still don't work outside the stock clean it good, if it still don't work get a new lock or send it to someone to have it repaired.
 
When taking out the lock pay attention to how much the lock bolts are tightened. Many problems are caused by over tightening them. Like necchi said take the lock out, clean and oil it, sounds like the fly is gummed up. When reinstalling it make sure you don't over tighten the lock bolts.
 
2_Tall said:
Take out lock and see if it works while not in the stock, if so its binding on the stock somewhere find where and remove wood slowily until t works properly. If it still don't work outside the stock clean it good, if it still don't work get a new lock or send it to someone to have it repaired.
My first thought.

Also chime in with another vote to clean it with a solvent and relube before taking things apart.
 
I agree with 2Tall, take the lock out and see if it works...if so first check to see if barely tightening the lock bolt allows it to work properly...if it still doesn't work then look to see where it's making contact with wood....remove just enough wood to where it function properly! You can blacken the lock to see more clearly where it is making contact with the wood...be sure to place lock back into the mortized area squarely so ye don't get a false reading! :v
 
When you take the lock out of the rifle check to see if the fly is in the lock. I am not sure if the crocket has a fly or not but this is a possibility..................watch yer top knot............
 
Ok. When I take the lock out it works perfectly. I adjusted the set trigger so it comes up as high as it can. Still stops on half cock. I saw some dents on the bottom of the inlet. I will take some wood out in a little bit to see if that helps. Anything else I should look at? It does not have a fly. Only the tumbler.
 
tryinhard said:
Ok. When I take the lock out it works perfectly. I adjusted the set trigger so it comes up as high as it can. Still stops on half cock. I saw some dents on the bottom of the inlet. I will take some wood out in a little bit to see if that helps. Anything else I should look at? It does not have a fly. Only the tumbler.

Does the tumbler have a small hole where a fly would have set, or was it made without one altogether?
 
Here's the schematic for the traditions crocket rifle, lock and triggers.
https://www.traditionsfirearms.com/data/product_schematics/Crockett Rifle_1364993685.pdf

The lock diagram shows a fly. If that little piece of metal isn't there you need to get one. If it is there, its probably hanging up due to gunk and the lock needs a good cleaning.

Without an operational fly the gun will not fire using the set triggers. You should still be able to fire the gun using the unset front trigger.

This assumes the lock is original to the rifle.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I took the triggers out and pushed up on the transfer bar and the lock fires. I will see if I can find the fly but the owners manual doesn't show one. Also the lock plate seems dished in in the center.
 
I'm thinking the issue may be the triggers. It will fire in the stock if I push on the transfer bar...

I have removed some wood to make the lock fit better.
 
Most set triggers allow you two choices. You can put up with a heavier trigger pull and fire it without being set, or you can set and fire.
CAN you fire the trigger unset and does the hammer fall okay? If it falls okay there is no problem with the inlet or lock bolts- it's the fly.
When you don't set the trigger your finger keeps the trigger back as the hammer falls and bypasses the half cock notch. When you set the trigger this doesn't happen- hence the purpose of the fly. The fly lets the hammer fall and bypass the half cock notch. Without a fly the hammer simply drops into the half cock notch. If you are testing the lock out of the stock by pushing up the sear bar- you still aren't checking the set rigger or for the fly action.
Sometimes the tumbler obstructs being able to set the fly but try to determine if it is there.
I'm a big believer in simple answers. You have a standard rifle, standard lock, standard stock with the standard inlet- works for all the other rifles- the most probable is a fly got lost or is gummed up with protective lubricant.
 
The diagram showed a fly as part "L". The purpose of a fly is to let the sear drop into the half cock position, but from full cock, the "fly" causes the sear to (jump) over the half cock notch. Without the fly, it will fall right into the half cock. The fly is tiny, maybe 1/8 x 1/4, It can stuck, and not even seen unless you know what to look for.
 

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