lock question

[sproulman]

do any of you lube your lock parts and why and where.

also do any of your buff certain parts of lock parts to improve the function of lock.

thanks

 

[J.D.]

Yep. All moving lock parts are lubed with a good gun oil. I'm currently using the oil Chambers sells and it seems to work well.

IMHO, Friction equals slow lock time, so all moving parts need polishing to reduce friction.

Look for bright spots on the lock plate, tumbler, bridle and cock, and check to be sure the inside of the plate is flat. Polish the parts that make contact at those bright, shiny locations. Finnaly, polish the entire inside of the lock plate.

Hardening the lock plate, once well polished, slickens things up too.

 

[rabjr]

I use a shaving brush with a couple drops of bear oil, you can use your favorite oil, brush the inside of the lock.

 

[jtmattison]

I lube with Rem-Oil. After shooting I remove the lock and scrub it good with a toothbrush and soapy water. I dry it thoroughly and soak it good with oil. I blow off all the excess with an air compressor.

HD

 

[thewho66]

I use rem oil as well works well for me and ia a light oil to not gum up over time. I use hot water to clean and take it apart about twice a year to really get it clean. Have not had a problem yet.

 

[Dphar]

do any of you lube your lock parts and why and where.

also do any of your buff certain parts of lock parts to improve the function of lock.

thanks

I tend to use synthetic lubes, like Amsoil motor oil.
I don't buff anything but I do polish parts and harden them as needed.

Dan

 

[Many Klatch]

Every lock on every gun that I have has been disassembled and polished on the inside. The inside of the plate has been filed flat and polished almost to a mirror finish. Every part that moves is polished wherever it touches another part. Every time I clean my gun I pull the lock and clean it and oil it. A lot of the time I just dump the lock in the water and and blow it clean. Then I oil everything. Sometimes I take the lock apart and check it for wear or rust and then I oil everything with particular attention to the screw holes in the plate.

I use a 50/50 mix of 2 stroke motor oil and kerosene as my gun oil.

Many Klatch

 

[KyHeadhunter]

Have been using Rem oil on mine. I'm not the biggest of Remington fans, but the Rem oil has worked well for me on a bunch of firearms over the years. It's relatively cheap, & readily available. Would rather use a natural product like bear oil, but no bear hunting in Kentucky (yet).

I lube the lock every time I clean the gun.

Have a half-can of dri-lube that I've considered using for lock lubrication... anyone tried it?

 

[paulvallandigham]

Absolutely. These are made from carbon steel, and can easily rust. I am using a Teflon oil, but any good gun oil works as well. This is the only part of a gun where I will use a petroleum based oil product. All pivot points, and all contact points, should receive a small drop of oil. Then move the parts back and forth to feel the oil take effect.

Locks should be cleaned after each use, because BP residue will seep into the lock mortise and attach itself to anything that it can, particularly anything with oil on it. I use soap and water to cut through the oil and residue, then dry the lock with paper toweling. Then it gets oiled, and all the screws are checked to see that they have not backed out, or become loose. If I find a screw repeatedly backing out, I will go find my loc-tite, and put a drop on the threads to stop the loosening. But everything that moves gets oiled. I also like to wipe a thin layer of oil on all the internal metal parts, as a rust inhibitor.

Oh, to protect the wood in the lock mortise from oils, I put a thin layer of stock finish on it, using Q-tips and small brushes to thin it, and make sure it doesn't pool while its drying.The finish does prevent oils from penetrating and softening the wood. It also allows any oil that does get from the lock to the mortise to be easily wiped out with a cleaning patch, or rag.

 

[Mike Brooks]

Locks should be cleaned after each use, because BP residue will seep into the lock mortise and attach itself to anything that it can, particularly anything with oil on it.

This never happens with a properly fitted lock.

If I find a screw repeatedly backing out, I will go find my loc-tite,

This will never happen if the lock mortise is cut to the correct depth. There is no where for the screw to back out to if the inlet is cut to the correct depth.

 

[paulvallandigham]

WEll, Mike, this may be true if you build the gun. My gun wasn't. I have to make do with what I have, not what I wish I had! :thumbsup:

I have helped enough of my club members deal with their locks, and loose screws to know that commercially made guns are not much different than my semi-custom made gun.

A lock I worked on for a member here, arrived at my door with several loose screws. I called the owner to both tell him the lock arrived, and to ask him about the screws. He had never checked them. There was also residue in the lock, which I cleaned. He admitted that he just removed the lock from his gun and sent it to me. He had not cleaned it either. I have not seen his gun, and don't know what it is, or who made it. Both Bridle screws, and the sear spring screw were loose, BTW. The BP residue and corrosion was up front, around the mainspring, and under the flashpan.

I also polish off casting burrs, on all parts, polish the lockplate at all contact points with parts, file, grind, or stone the insides of springs to remove any burrs or defects that rub against the lock plate on the working arms, of all three springs, and polish the contact points where the frizzen's cam rubs against the frizzen spring arm. Each gets a drop of oil when I put the parts back together. I have only had to clean up some notches on the tumbler on a couple of locks, but I approach the critical edges carefully, so they are not rounded. If you are polishing spring arms, always do so with strokes that go with the length of the spring, NEVER across the spring arm.

 

[J.D.]

This never happens with a properly fitted lock.

This will never happen if the lock mortise is cut to the correct depth. There is no where for the screw to back out to if the inlet is cut to the correct depth.

Right you are, but, unfortunately, few guns are made as well as yours. They can be corrected, if the owner knows how, but few do.

I am working on an import lock that is so rough, that the burrs at the screw holes had not been removed. In addition, all moving parts, including the foot of the frizzen and frizzenspring are coated with something that resembles parkerizing.

The lockplate is so soft that this lock requires hardening of the plate and Cock. I don't know what
material the plate is made of, but it feels real soft.

Moreover, the cock did not bottom on the top of the plate. The tumbler made contact on the bridle, holding the cock nearly 1/4" off of the top of the lock. This lock would self-destruct in a relatively short time if it hadn't been sent to me for tuning.

The moral of this rant is; polish every moving part including the inside of the lockplate. DO NOT use a buffing wheel. And DO use a hard backing to prevent rounded corners and coned screw holes.
J.D.