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My new percussion /flintlock

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Well it seems that enough sighs and hints finally paid off. You see my big Bro had an extra Pedersoli Frontier in 50Cal percussion that wasn't being used. After several chats he finally gave in and said if I can get a flintlock action from somewhere he'll give me his spare percussion Frontier :grin:
Heck, I couldn't have been on TOTW any sooner and purchased their L&R lock.
So now it looks like my Pedersoli Frontier 32 squirrel gun will have a big brother to go shoot with lol.
Here's a pic he sent me;

 
Have fun with your new gun. Remember when changing the lock if it was easy everybody would be doing it.
 
While I have never tried changing to an L&R lock on any of my rifles, I have read their statements concerning the fitting of their locks. They say that the lock will need a bit of minor fitting. After you get your new lock installed, let us know what their term "minor" really means.
 
minor is an understatement, i bought the lock and it sits on my shelf. The lock is too wide for the motrise, the sear too long. one end of the mortise needs to be built up to allow the pan to sit flush the the barrel. the lock also needs to be polished up, the frizzen spring lightened. The lock itself does not really fir the mortise, leaving gaps around the edges of the lock and the mortise edge which will require filling as well. overall the lock isnt bad, however it is most definatley not a drop in equipment. Some knowlededge of inletting, and tuning a lock is required/neccessary. when i get time ill send it off to SlepperNY to install. until then...,.my pedersoli frontier is still a percussion rifle
 
Bryon said:
minor is an understatement,
Bryon, I agree, except I sent mine back. I only wish the lock plate was too big all the way around, but at least in the case of the one I got, there would have been gaps where one would be rebuilding lock mortise.

I decided it was easier to get the Chambers Builder's Lock and cut the plate to fit the mortise. The pan and sear position match up. I haven't done the project yet, but in the end I'll have a top-notch Chambers lock in place.

Jamie: Good luck. I would not doubt that there have been subtle changes in the Pedersoli over time and what you get may be much more of a drop-in than mine would have been.
 
Not to mention, you will also have to replace the drum with a touch hole liner. That may be not as simple as simply screwing the liner in. First measure the threads on the existing drum and looking through the TOW catalog to see if there is any one that matches.

The conversion can be done, but expect to do some work to make it happen.
 
Save yourself a lot of time & agravaton by ordering the the Pedersoli lock & liner from Dick Beauchamp.
http://flintlocksetc.com/

I've done a couple of Frankenguns mixing and adapting commercial parts and some work better than others. Using the right parts here will allow you avoid irreparable modifications and use either action.
 
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agreed, while the lock IS overpriced, its a steal when you think of the time your going to invest in making one work. I kept the L&R lock, i WILL JUST USE IT ON ANOTHER GUN...i have a few caplocks I will eventualy convert to flint either by myself or paying for it...so Ill hvae the parts on hand already!
 
I haven't tried installing one of the L&R locks in a factory made gun but here are a few thoughts on their flintlock lock.

Many factory made guns use a coil mainspring. The L&R uses a flat spring so wood will need to be removed to clear the spring.
If the removed wood exposes the bottom of the barrel channel, don't worry about it. A small gap or hole here won't cause any problems.

The sear arm will probably be too long. Usually, this area of the sear is not fully hardened so it is possible to file off some of the excess length.
Don't get carried away here. If you remove too much, the triggers blade(s) won't be able to hit the arm to fire the gun. Sometimes it's better to just increase the drilled hole depth to clear the extra arm length.

The lockplate may be larger. This is not a problem as long as the pan can be positioned to the vent hole in the barrel without the lockplate leaving some of the old lock mortise uncovered.

As long as the lockplate totally covers the old mortise, the mortise can be enlarged to accommodate it.
(This involves using a pointed hobby knife like an Exacto to cut straight down into the wood completely around the outside of the plate.
Then, removing the excess wood down to the level of the old locks mortise shoulder.)
 
Here's an L&R Hatfield/Pedersoli Frontier Replacement Flintlock (RPL06?) in an original Hatfield that was sans-lock I bought here -- it needed more than just what I'd call minor fitting or I would have done it myself... This is how it came out in the end. A little ironic as L&R MADE original locks for Hatfield for a while...



 
Thanks for that excellent tips Zonie. I'll let everyone know how I make out as well as a big thanks for all your advice and experiences.

Jamie
 
Grenadier1758 said:
Not to mention, you will also have to replace the drum with a touch hole liner. That may be not as simple as simply screwing the liner in.

I had forgotten to mention that when I took the drum out it was so low than numerous of the threads were actually exposed on the next flat...enough that I didn't even feel comfortable screwing in a vent liner (the threads on the drum were much deeper going all the way into the patent breech). The touchhole would also have been way at the bottom of the pan.

I actually sent my barrel in to have the patent breech cut off and a new plug installed. Now I'll just drill a new hole for the liner when I get back to the project. Of course need to rework the tang/inlet and also cut an inch off the stock because of the shorter barrel!

Lot of work just to change out a lock! But this is a whole planned revamp of the gun, so a lot of work was planned anyway.
 
Spikebuck said:
Lot of work just to change out a lock! But this is a whole planned revamp of the gun, so a lot of work was planned anyway.

My gun was free so the choice to convert it to flint was cheaper than buying a new one. I'm prepared for what may come ;). It would be nice if the lock just "dropped in" but that's just too easy. Besides it gives me a chance to shake out my Craftsman skills :D
 
All done with minor fitting. I took her out today for some shoosting and could not believe the super quick ignition. Seemed like I was shooting a percussion. And accurate to boot. She carries nice and handled extremely well. I was shooting 80grs of Goex fffg, cast Lee 490 rb at a distance of 20 & 30 yds.
I am extremely happy with this new flintlock of mine.
 
Jamie from Alberta said:
All done with minor fitting. I took her out today for some shooting and could not believe the super quick ignition.

Seemed like I was shooting a percussion.



GREAT ! ! :hatsoff:

When all's skookum with the rock sparking enough, and the pan filled just a bit, leaving the vent/touch hole uncovered, the ignition seems just as fast as a sidelock metallic cartridge rifle (like a Trapdoor, Sharps, etc).


That's a very nice Hatfield, Alden - If the caplock Hatfield .45 I once had was a rocklock, I'd still have it ! :idunno:



.
 
Jamie;
Good going!

What caliber -- keep .32 or is it a .45 or something with the same contour?

How much digging did you have to do to get the pan flush to the barrel?

Can we see new, bright, pics of the finished thing (otherwise it didn't happen)!?
 
Not too much wood was removed, just where the screws on the lock needed clearance. I also removed the cast seam from the lock by draw filing. The top one in the pic is my Pedersoli Frontier .32 that I purchased a year ago. And under it is my newest flinter, .50 Frontier aka: Cabelas Blue Ridge percussion (now turned to flintlock).

This pic is a closer view of L&R RPL with the original Pedersoli perc lock. I browned it with Birchwood Casey Plum Brown.

And lastly is my Frontier .32 lock for comparison.


I'm heading out to make some smoke, TTYL :D
 

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