New to Flint

[torpedo]

Have been reading much good advice on shooting a flintlock here, what exactly are the steps you must take to "tune" your lock?

 

[FlinterNick]

Have been reading much good advice on shooting a flintlock here, what exactly are the steps you must take to "tune" your lock?

what kind of rifle are you using?

Tuning up a flint lock could mean a number of things. I don't often take mine apart but I've helped friends with a few.

First: If the lock you're using is cheaply made lock then it will need work, not tuning. Many traditions rifles, and Indian made guns locks are geometrically not made well and require re-working to make them efficient. Indian made locks also tend to be made with bad patterns, not a whole lot of investment into making a top quality lock. Reworking includes redrafting the mechanism. I once purchased an 1803 Zoli Rifle the lock was so bad, I spent almost 40 hours filing down the tumbler so the cock would fit better and the teeth on the tumbler needed to be chaffered, then the frizzed was off center of the pan. The cock also didn't drive into the frizzen at an angle to spark into the pan. If your gun is built poorly I'd return it, not worth the aggravation. I like gunsmithing but I'm too busy to spend 40 hours fixing a bad lock, especially when there are too many good locks out there.

Mainspring: Most Siler Locks can't be tuned simply by adjusting the foot of the mainspring a little by heating it cherry red with a propane torch and then slightly bending it downward but not just enough so it doesn't slide off the tumbler.

Sear Springs: Most are very delicate, I don't mess with them unless they need to be replaced outright, I've only replaced one in my entire life.

Tumbler: Sometimes tumblers that are case hardened needed to be re-hardened, I've experienced this with Traditions made guns.

Bridles: Bridles are more or less a type of bushing that secure the lock, you'd like just need to clean it.

Pans: Pans often require thorough cleaning due to the corrosiveness of black powder. Brass pans work a little better to avoid this.

Frizzen: Requires the most work, I usually regarded and temper mine with carbon powder and plumbers flux adds carbon too. to harden heat to cherry red, then quench in oil or water, then temper for 30-45 min to an hour at 700 degrees. Clean off carbon and flux, test.

Hammer: Check the top jaw alignment, sometimes it can bend off center, the Jaw Screw threading should be checked too.

Frizzen Spring: This should require the least about of work; if it does weaken it likely needs to be adjusted upward toward the frizzen. To do this, heat to cherry red to soften, slightly tap or bend upward with vice pliers, but not too much or it will snap at the bend. Temper to finish, test.

Lastly the lock plate, I always check my threads and polish with 3000-10000 grit sand paper to remove all dents and nicks.

You should always consider using a lock that is serviceable, like a car. RE DAVIS, Jim Chambers, The Rifle Shoppe Inc., and L & R, all have locks that are serviceable by their gunsmiths with replacement parts. Pedersoli makes good locks, but I've had a few that were bad. That way you don't have to mess with all the steps above.

 

[Don Steele]

Not trying to be a smart aleck but that's like asking what steps are needed to "tune" your car.
It depends upon what it needs, that is to say...knowing what's wrong in the first place, or what could be improved. There are a lot of YouTube videoes on the topic if it's something you want to tackle yourself. Before doing it at home, I'd make sure there are spare parts available in the event your efforts result in a critical part being "over-tuned", or just flat out broke.

 

[FlinterNick]

Not trying to be a smart aleck but that's like asking what steps are needed to "tune" your car.
It depends upon what it needs, that is to say...knowing what's wrong in the first place, or what could be improved. There are a lot of YouTube videoes on the topic if it's something you want to tackle yourself. Before doing it at home, I'd make sure there are spare parts available in the event your efforts result in a critical part being "over-tuned", or just flat out broke.

Agree 100%; I've spent countless hours invested in tools fixing a bad lock, not worth it, better off just getting a better rifle or musket. RE Davis locks and Chambers and The Rifle Shoppe make good locks, and they'll fix it for a fee.

 

[Cruzatte]

I think I'll chime in here by telling a story. Back in the late '90s, I had a couple of good years, financially; good enough that I thought of getting a custom made rifle. So I contacted a maker whose work I had seen and admired.

After the initial contact, I called him on the phone, outlining my budget, and filling in the details of style, caliber, brass furniture, and other details. When it came to discussing locks, barrels, and triggers, I said that this is where I really wanted to spare no expense. I wanted the best money could buy. After that, I said, if there's any money left, you can use whatever grade maple you can find, and put as much engraving and carving as time and money will allow.

His reply was "You're a man after my own heart." Best money I ever spent on a gun.

 

[Kansas Jake]

If you are new to flintlocks or even any kind of tuning of guns, I would be very careful before attempting to tune a lock. I've had a few guns with marginal locks and I just made the best of them by trying to get the flint of the right size and placed in the jaws of the cock to best advantage. I've not tried to tune a lock with the exception of removing some burrs and smoothing some surfaces with some fine Arkansas stones made for the purpose. If you tuned the action on a modern gun or done other gun smithing , then tuning a lock is something one might attempt.

Nicolsa A's description is very good, but If the lock works, I wouldn't start doing a lot unless I was pretty confident I wasn't going to make a mess of things.

That is just my take on it.

 

[torpedo]

Thanks for all the good advice, Yup won't touch it. It's a TC, fires quite well. Just kept reading about how you should "tune" your lock on different posts. So will just shoot as is and enjoy. But I do like the RPL by L&R, maybe some day.

 

[FlinterNick]

If you are new to flintlocks or even any kind of tuning of guns, I would be very careful before attempting to tune a lock. I've had a few guns with marginal locks and I just made the best of them by trying to get the flint of the right size and placed in the jaws of the cock to best advantage. I've not tried to tune a lock with the exception of removing some burrs and smoothing some surfaces with some fine Arkansas stones made for the purpose. If you tuned the action on a modern gun or done other gun smithing , then tuning a lock is something one might attempt.

Nicolsa A's description is very good, but If the lock works, I wouldn't start doing a lot unless I was pretty confident I wasn't going to make a mess of things.

That is just my take on it.

Ever since the Indian gun makers entered the US markets; I've often heard that 'locks need to be tuned, or timed'. To me that tells me that the lock was made poorly, I wouldn't ever buy it. High quality flintlocks are made with precision, high quality carbon steel, and all drilling operations and tapping are done carefully and neatly.

Older locks 50-70 years, need servicing because they're old. Frizzens wear down, tumblers strip, and springs lose strength, as far as tuning is concerned it simply means the lock is built poorly.

 

[FlinterNick]

Thanks for all the good advice, Yup won't touch it. It's a TC, fires quite well. Just kept reading about how you should "tune" your lock on different posts. So will just shoot as is and enjoy. But I do like the RPL by L&R, maybe some day.

Tuning is a rather thrown around term these days by rein-actors and shooters mostly because they purchase used muskets or poorly made Indian made reproductions. I worked on an Indian made Brown Bess Lock once and it wasn't hardened in key spots, the tumbler, and cock were not handed well. The locks were also very crude and the parts didn't fit well to the plate.

Simply put, I don't recommend tuning a lock. Get the lock fixed or serviced by a good gunsmith in the summer so you have it back by the fall