Need lock help !!

[Stony Broke]

I have a good friend that has a Richland Arms percussion rifle, and it seems like the main spring is not strong enough, and it is not firing about half the time. I know the company is long gone, and he has called around the country trying to find a new spring...with no luck. I was wondering if someone out there was adept enough with locks to help him. Maybe another brand of spring could be altered to fit ? Maybe a new replacement lock could be acquired? He is certainly willing to ship it to someone as he enjoys shooting it and wants to get it working properly.

 

[Treestalker]

Send it to Dixie gun works and see if they can match it or find something that will work; I've heard of miracles out of them, but no personal experience. Good luck in your sojourn.

 

[Zonie]

I have a good friend that has a Richland Arms percussion rifle, and it seems like the main spring is not strong enough, and it is not firing about half the time. I know the company is long gone, and he has called around the country trying to find a new spring...with no luck. I was wondering if someone out there was adept enough with locks to help him. Maybe another brand of spring could be altered to fit ? Maybe a new replacement lock could be acquired? He is certainly willing to ship it to someone as he enjoys shooting it and wants to get it working properly.

A few things that can cause a weak hammer fall include a lack of lubrication on all of the moving parts in the lock. The axle on the tumbler where it passes thru the lockplate is especially important.
I have seen several cases where the length of the screws that hold the lock in place is too long. If someone screws one of these long screws in tightly, the end of the screw where it passes thru the lock plate can rub on the inside face of the hammer and greatly reduce the speed the hammer falls at.
If the mainspring is a leaf type, make sure the lower arm isn't rubbing against the lockplate when it moves. If it is, try applying a thin coating of grease or Vaseline to the area to lubricate it. If it is a coil spring there is a chance that the mainspring from a Lyman lock will fit.
Other things to look for are mushroomed nipples. If the top of the nipple has been flared out from someone dry firing the gun, the cap won't be able to seat snuggly all the way down on the nipple. This can easily create a mis-fire.

Pieces of old copper percussion caps jammed up inside the nose of the hammer recess can soften the blow of the hammer on a new cap. That will cause a mis-fire.

Ask your friend to check all of these things out before he looks too hard at getting a new spring.

 

[Stony Broke]

I appreciate the advice, but I think those areas have been already checked. It is not a nipple problem or screws too long, and all has been lubed well. It does not have a coil spring, and does need a replacement of some kind to replace the spring in it. I am thinking someone who is adept at working with locks could possibly replace the spring with any necessary adapting to make it work.

 

[jae]

Hi,
Your main spring can be redrawn and retemper by a blackpowder gunsmith (read old guy) not a parts assembler Gunsmiths that repair older side by sides, Parker ,L.C. Smiths,and such should by able to help you

 

[EC121]

Dixie sells some universal mainsprings that you cut the tit to fit your lock. For troubleshooting you can put a thin piece of metal under the spring where it goes under the bolster. This will increase the pressure to see if it is the problem. OR you can just leave the shim in place and shoot it.

 

[Stony Broke]

I'll have him bring it over to my house and give it a try myself. I checked out Dixie and I see where they offer that universal mainspring....it looks like it might solve his problem. Thanks for the good info....

 

[EC121]

Years ago we had a member shim his CVA mainspring with a piece of leather. He shot it for several seasons til the club quit shooting..

 

[tallpine]

Years ago we had a member shim his CVA mainspring with a piece of leather. He shot it for several seasons til the club quit shooting..

I saw an original rifle with a piece of leather jammed in the main spring. it looked like it had been there for a long time

 

[Belleville]

While a compromise, I have used both a metal shim between the lock and top of spring (soldering in place on lock) and a leather shim inserted in the leaf spring on different guns. The success of the leather shim depends on getting the thickness, size and shape right and holding it in place with contact cement. The correct way to fix the problem is a new main spring, if you can find one, These temporary fixes can turn into a long term repair and if you have no experience fitting a main spring maybe a better solution to keep shooting until you can find a good gunsmith.

 

[gemmer]

I have a good friend that has a Richland Arms percussion rifle, and it seems like the main spring is not strong enough, and it is not firing about half the time. I know the company is long gone, and he has called around the country trying to find a new spring...with no luck. I was wondering if someone out there was adept enough with locks to help him. Maybe another brand of spring could be altered to fit ? Maybe a new replacement lock could be acquired? He is certainly willing to ship it to someone as he enjoys shooting it and wants to get it working properly.

Talk to Brad at Cabin Creek Muzzleloading. 717-757-5841

 

[LRB]

The spring can be annealed, and bent out a bit more. Do the bend while heated red at the U bend and spread the arm more apart. Just 1/8" to 3/16" more at the tip should be enough. Then re-heat treat. This needs to be done by someone who knows what they are doing. If you know someone with a lead pot and accurate lead thermometer, after hardening you can temper it in molten lead at 725° to 750°. Let it soak maybe 5 minutes or a little more, remove, let it cool.