Possible degredation of lock?

[Boston123]

The above three pictures are of the front lock-bolt hole in the lock plate. The lock is a L&R Queen Anne

Ive never seen metal "crumble" like this before. It came from the builder like this, i am.just primarily concerned with it getting.worse over time

Once the bolt gets into the threads and gets screwed in, the connection is sound and the lock is rock-solid in the stock.

Anyone seen this before?

 

[deermanok]

Kinda looks like some rough machining. Maybe you could lightly file down those spots a touch to smooth it out.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Weld the original hole shut, file and finish the face of the lock re-bore and tap

 

[SDSmlf]

Based on photograph appears builder punched hole in lock plate instead of drilling it before tapping.

 

[Boston123]

Weld the original hole shut, file and finish the face of the lock re-bore and tap

I don't have the tools or the knowledge to do that.

Is this possibly a safety issue, or primarily an aesthetic one?

If it is a safety thing, I can just send it back to L&R and have them repair it or sell me a new lockplate. If it is just a "looks" thing, I am not too concerned, especially since it is on the inside of the lock

 

[appalichian hunter]

Any good machine, welding shops around you, they could do it and probably not charge much. I would think with re=placing the plate the cost and wait time, especially now would be more expensive. Good luck.

 

[EC121]

The front lock bolt is mainly for looks. If it will snug up and isn't visible from the outside, I wouldn't worry about it.

If it gets to worrying you, go to Lowes and get a can of spray for killing steel worms. I have heard that global warming is causing localized out breaks. Your lockplate maybe infested with them.

 

[rickpa]

It looks to me like punch marks as if the hole was tapped for a 10-32 hole and an 8-32 bolt was used. Maybe there was a ramrod clearance problem and a smaller lock bolt was needed.

 

[Mulebrain]

Use it the way it is, and don't worry about it. If it becomes a problem, address it then.
As others have said, weld it up and retap it. Or you can buy a new lock plate from them.

 

[oldwood]

Cast steel doesn't sometimes react to tooling like does cold , or hot rolled steels. Grain in the steel could be different. The threading tap could have pushed the metal out in tiny chunks due to improper thread cutting lubricant. Been there done that , no worries. ....oldwood

 

[Grenadier1758]

L&R should be contacted for their opinion.

 

[rich pierce]

Front lock bolt hole doesn’t matter much. Looks like poor workmanship to me. I can’t imagine it’s anything else and I’ve seen hundreds and maybe thousands of locks.

 

[Boston123]

Yeah, so long as the bolt holds tight in the threads, I suppose I am content.

If it starts losing grip, then I'll.send it to L&R

 

[SDSmlf]

Makes you wonder what the workmanship on the rest of the gun is like.

 

[Boston123]

Come to think about it, the top lock-bolt hole through the bolster looks cock-eyed as well.

 

[hawkeye2]

Probably someone's first build. Far too many folks tend to overtighten the lock bolts, sometimes to the point of causing other problems. They only have to be snug and as long as you can accomplish that don't worry. When one or both strips out get a new lock plate.

 

[Boston123]

Makes you wonder what the workmanship on the rest of the gun is like.

I've found mainly just toolmarks (what look like marks from.a vice on the flats of the octagon part of the barrel, and what looks like marks from a pair of pliers on the round of the barrel), which are aesthetic and require careful looking to find, but I know that at least one of the barrel-pins is a bent finishing-nail with the head snipped off.

It fell out of the hole in the stock on me one day, I picked it up, said "oh ****", put it back into the hole, made sure it was firm, then plugged all the pin-holes with beeswax. Haven't had an issue since.

I *dont* want to come across as disparaging the effort of the builder: i certainly dont have the skills, know-how or tools to build a gun. Im.just.talking about stuff I find as I find it

 

[Boston123]

Far too many folks tend to overtighten the lock bolts, sometimes to the point of causing other problems.

What are some of these problems?

I know the guts of the lock rubbing on the wood of the stock can be an issue. I dont think I have that problem.

Other than that, i know the lock-bolts of.my gun protrude a little.bit past the external face of the lockplate. Not enough to, say, interfere with the frizzen-spring or the cock, but enough for me to.notice.

Should I file the ends of the lock-bolts down some? Ill post a picture when I get home.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Safety? I don’t see how it could possibly render a lock “unsafe”. It isn’t as if the lock contains any pressure or anything, unlike the barrel. It is a problem though.

 

[hawkeye2]

What are some of these problems?

I know the guts of the lock rubbing on the wood of the stock can be an issue. I dont think I have that problem.

Other than that, i know the lock-bolts of.my gun protrude a little.bit past the external face of the lockplate. Not enough to, say, interfere with the frizzen-spring or the cock, but enough for me to.notice.

Should I file the ends of the lock-bolts down some? Ill post a picture when I get home.

Rubbing on the wood as you noted. I've seen lock plates actually bent from over tightening. I like the lock bolts flush with the plate but I've seen a lot of originals where they protruded some, possibly due to wood shrinkage, never found it objectional.